March 28, 2025 – Haredi and other religious Jewish groups in Israel are becoming more divided over the Israel-Hamas war and conscription, according to a new survey by the Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

While tensions between secular and Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) communities over conscription are longstanding, the growing shift within the religious (non-Haredi) community is notable.

According to Prof. Ifat Maoz, head of the Truman Institute, “The data indicates an erosion in the relationship between the religious and Haredi sectors in the Jewish-Israeli society, who have traditionally been allies. This seems to stem from the issue of equality (or inequality) in army service. The religious public, which serves in the IDF in significant numbers and paid a heavy price during the war, seems to be increasingly disappointed that parts of the Haredi community do not share the burden equally. This is clearly impacting their sense of solidarity and perception of the Haredi community’s contribution to the state.”

When asked whether they agree with the statement “The war emphasized the partnership and contribution of Haredi society to Israeli society,” only 43.1% of the Jewish-Israeli respondents agreed—down from 48.8% in July 2024. Among the religious sector, the decline was even more pronounced: from two-thirds (65.1%) agreement in July to just over half (52.9%) now. At the same time, disagreement among religious respondents rose from 35% to 47.2%, while agreement among Jewish-Israeli secular respondents also declined—from 29.8% last July to just 24.6% now.

Support for equal burden-sharing has also increased. The statement “Against the backdrop of the war, the importance of equal burden-bearing and the recruitment of Haredim into the army is increasing” received over four-fifths (81.5%) agreement among the general Jewish-Israeli public, up slightly from three-quarters (77.5%) in July. The most significant shift occurred among religious respondents, with agreement with this statement jumping from 68.6% to 77.7%.

Haredi Hold an Opposite View

The data highlights a sharp disconnect between how the Haredi perceive themselves and how they are perceived by other sectors in the Jewish-Israeli society. A striking 86% of Haredi respondents agreed that “The war emphasized the partnership and contribution of Haredi society to Israeli society”—double the rate of agreement among the general Jewish-Israeli population.

Interestingly, there has been a slight increase in support for Haredi enlistment even within the Haredi community. In July 2024, 19% agreed that the importance of equal burden-sharing and Haredi enlistment had increased due to the war. In the current survey, that number rose to 24%.

Still, the overwhelming majority of Jewish Israeli Haredim respondents—76%—remain opposed to enlistment.

The survey was conducted by iPanel between March 12 and 18, 2025, among a representative sample of 901 Israeli Jews. The sampling error is 3.02%.