Torato Umanuto

Torato Umanuto (Hebrew: תּוֹרָתוֹ אֻמָּנוּתוֹ, lit. 'Torah study is his job') was a special government arrangement in Israel allowing young Haredi Jewish men enrolled in yeshivas to complete their studies before they are conscripted into the Israeli military. Historically, it has been mandatory in Israeli law for male and female Jews, male Druze, and male Circassians to serve in the military once they become 18 years of age, with male conscripts required to serve for three years and female Jewish conscripts required to serve for two years.

Haredi Jews maintain that the practice of studying or reciting the Torah, when undertaken by great Torah scholars or their disciples, is crucial in defending the Israeli people from threats, similar to an additional "praying division" of the military.^[1] In practice, the Torato Umanuto arrangement provides a legal route whereby Haredi rabbis and their disciples can either enroll for a shortened service period of four months or otherwise be exempted from compulsory military service altogether.

In June 2024, the Supreme Court of Israel declared any continued exemption of IDF conscription unlawful and the army began drafting 3,000 Haredi men the following month.^[2]