More than 4,000 ultra-Orthodox men enlisted in the IDF last year, more than twice the annual recruitment level prior to the outbreak of the war.By David Rosenberg, World Israel NewsMore than 4,000 ultra-Orthodox men enlisted in the IDF over the past year, including approximately 1,000 who entered combat roles, according to new military personnel figures reported by Yedioth Ahronoth on Wednesday.The total marks a sharp increase from the approximately 2,800 ultra-Orthodox men who enlisted during the previous recruitment year and is more than double the annual number recorded before the current war.The IDF calculates the figures according to recruitment years running from July to July rather than by calendar year. Around 1,700 ultra-Orthodox men enlisted annually before the war, rising to approximately 2,200 in the year ending in July 2024 and 2,800 in the year ending in July 2025.The latest total is also higher than a preliminary estimate presented to lawmakers last month by Brig. Gen. Shay Tayeb, head of the IDF’s Personnel Planning and Management Division, who said enlistment was expected to reach approximately 3,500.Military officials attributed the increase to a combination of stricter enforcement against draft evaders, the introduction of personal sanctions and the expansion of military programs designed to allow ultra-Orthodox men to serve while maintaining their religious lifestyle.Arrests and the threat of criminal proceedings have had a particular effect on ultra-Orthodox men who are no longer studying full-time in yeshivas but have not previously enlisted, according to the report.Speaking during a recent Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee hearing, Tayeb argued that enforcement remained necessary under the country’s compulsory military service law.“It is not possible for enforcement not to apply to one group that is subject to the Security Service Law,” Tayeb said.He said enforcement measures, “including arrests,” were part of the military’s ability to implement the law and had contributed to the steady increase in enlistment since the start of the war.The Supreme Court this week issued an interim order blocking legislation that would freeze the arrest of ultra-Orthodox draft refusers while legal challenges against the law are considered.The law was passed by the Knesset despite opposition from the IDF and the attorney general’s office, which argued that removing the possibility of arrest and criminal proceedings would weaken the state’s ability to enforce military service requirements.Ultra-Orthodox political and religious leaders have strongly opposed the arrests. The Shas party’s Council of Torah Sages said the enlistment of full-time Torah scholars was forbidden under Jewish law and accused state authorities of conducting a campaign against the ultra-Orthodox community.Alongside enforcement, the IDF has expanded frameworks specifically created for ultra-Orthodox recruits.Those initiatives include the Hasmonean Brigade, the IDF’s first full ultra-Orthodox infantry brigade, as well as technical, intelligence and cyber programs such as the Kodkod track. The military has also appointed a senior adviser on ultra-Orthodox affairs and adopted a formal order intended to guarantee religious conditions for ultra-Orthodox soldiers.The IDF said 537 soldiers joined its specialized ultra-Orthodox programs during a single recruitment cycle held in late 2025 and early 2026, including 230 combat soldiers and 307 combat-support personnel.Addressing recruits during that intake, IDF Personnel Directorate chief Maj. Gen. Dado Bar Kalifa said the military would seek to protect their religious commitments during their service.“The operational need requires us to fill the ranks. You are trailblazers, and many more will follow you,” Bar Kalifa said.The reported increase nevertheless falls well short of the military’s potential ultra-Orthodox recruitment pool.The IDF estimates that a single ultra-Orthodox age cohort contains approximately 14,000 men with the potential to serve. The latest figures also include some older recruits between the ages of 21 and 23 and represent only a small share of the approximately 70,000 ultra-Orthodox men who have received exemptions or deferments.Only around one-quarter of the more than 4,000 recruits entered combat units, a proportion military officials would like to increase as the IDF struggles with a severe personnel shortage.The military estimates that it currently lacks approximately 7,500 combat soldiers and a similar number of combat-support troops. More than 950 soldiers have been killed during the war and thousands of others have been wounded, increasing pressure on active-duty and reserve forces.The post Ultra-Orthodox enlistment in IDF up 43% since last year appeared first on World Israel News.