The Israel Tax Authority will require yeshivas to declare whether they enroll students who evade military service, according to Israeli media reports. Yeshivas that house draft-dodgers will lose tens of millions of shekels in annual tax benefits. The reports note that due to the current crisis, no yeshiva currently has zero draft-dodgers.
The Israel Tax Authority is set to impose a new declaration requirement on yeshivas (religious seminaries) regarding enrollment of military service evaders, according to reports from Israeli media. Yeshivas found to be housing "dodgers" — young men who avoid mandatory IDF service, often through the longstanding Torah-study deferment arrangement — will have tens of millions of shekels in annual tax benefits revoked.
The reports emphasize that the current crisis over military service exemptions has made it nearly impossible for any yeshiva to have a zero-dodger roster. The move comes amid a broader government push to increase Haredi enlistment, which has been a central political flashpoint in recent months. Earlier this year, the Treasury estimated that expanded tax benefits for communities with high enlistment rates are ineffective and strain state coffers. This policy directly targets the financial incentives for yeshivas to accept non-serving students. The specific timeline for the declaration requirement and implementation of the tax penalty has not yet been reported.
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- DevelopingHundreds of Mir yeshiva students receiving legal guidance ahead of possible military arrest
- DevelopingRally outside military prison for draft-dodging yeshiva graduate draws MKs, rabbi
- DevelopingRabbi Yitzhak Yosef: 'Woe to us' — a right-wing government issuing draft exemptions
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