Current sectionOpinionShare to FacebookShare to XArticle printing is available to subscribers onlyPrint in a simple, ad-free formatSubscribeComments: Zen reading is available to subscribers onlyAd-free and in a comfortable reading formatSubscribeContrary to ultra-Orthodox claims, draft dodgers are not Tel Aviv leftists – they're the religious far-right that want the West Bank annexed and their settlements protected, without leaving the comfort of their yeshivas12:43 AM • July 14 2026 IDT"What do you want from us?" ultra-Orthodox lawmakers are complaining. "Indeed, everyone tries to get out of military service in Tel Aviv, and if someone is indeed drafted, he serves in Army Radio or in military headquarters. Leave the Torah learners alone, and first focus on the secular draft dodgers." This is a big lie, but if you keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. Even secular Jews are beginning to believe it.In the NewsHaredim Expect Secular Tel Avivians to Die for the Flag While They're in YeshivaHaaretz CartoonKnesset Ratifies Bill Giving Jewish Religious Studies Special StatusLikud Allows Netanyahu to Appoint Eight Seats on Party's Knesset SlateIDF Chief: Ultra-Orthodox Draft Freeze Will Deepen Inequality and Erode TrustRemembering and rebuilding two years laterICYMIThe Original Tradwives of Ancient RomeInside the Mossad Plot to Install Ahmadinejad as Iran's LeaderThe 'Special Relationship' Is Gone, and Israel Isn't Ready for What's ComingMade in Kurdistan, Smuggled via Jordan: The Mysterious Firearms Flooding IsraelEgypt Lost the World Cup. But Was the Referee Really Jewish?Inside the German pro-Israel Lobby's Campaign to Defund UNRWA