Reports about the shortened recruitment cycles of young ultra-Orthodox, most of them married and with families, who knocked on the doors of the army in order to contribute their part to the war effort, were received with skepticism and cynicism.
There were those who did not give weight to the nature and time of their military contribution compared to secular 18-year-olds. But when we look at the new data published here for the first time, we can see real shifts and a real change in the isolationist perception of the ultra-Orthodox sector towards Israeliness, the state, and the army following the Iron Sword War and the deep rift from the events of October <>.
The extensive survey, conducted among 500 respondents from the ultra-Orthodox population aged 18 and over through a telephone poll, examined the attitude of ultra-Orthodox society towards the State of Israel and Israeli society and the changes that have occurred in it following the Iron Sword War. The sample in the survey optimally reflects the various streams in Haredi society, while segmenting respondents on the axis between conservative and modern, and maintaining age, employment, and spatial distribution segments.The study shows that 73% of Haredi society indicates that a sense of partnership has increased
Their fate with Israeli society In the wake of the war, 75% declare that they feel part of the "Israeli story" and 32% favor increasing Haredi involvement in Israeli society, according to a comprehensive survey of attitudes among the ultra-Orthodox public conducted by the Haredi Institute for Policy Research through the survey company Askaria.
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The data also show that about 70% of the ultra-Orthodox public believes that those who do not study Torah should contribute to military or civilian service, alongside an increase of about 20% in support for the integration of Haredim in the IDF and the defense establishment.
Part of Israeli society
73% of the ultra-Orthodox public feels that their shared destiny with Israeli society has intensified in light of the war. Based on the axis between modern and very conservative, an analysis of the survey shows that the more modern the respondents defined themselves, the higher their sense of shared destiny with Israeli society was than those who defined themselves as more conservative.
53% of Haredi society believes that the Haredim should give up coalition funds to the Haredi sector due to the war. Of these: 19% think all coalition funds should be waived, compared to 34% who think all budgets should be waived, except for those earmarked for education.
For 85% of the haredi public, it is important that secular society view haredi society favorably. 32% favor increasing the involvement of the ultra-Orthodox in Israeli society, compared to 14% who favor increasing separatism. Another 44% prefer that Haredi society continue to deal with Israeli society in the same way as it has until now.
An analysis of the survey results shows that there is an increase of about 20% in support for haredi recruitment to the IDF following the Iron Sword War, and overall about 29% of the haredi public supports haredi recruitment into the army.
"Gratitude to the country"
Eli Pelay, chairman of the Haredi Institute for Policy Research, says: "The effects of October 7 are long-term and need to be examined and studied in depth. The changes indicated by the survey in the attitudes of many in Haredi society towards Israeli society, as well as in the understanding of the role of Haredi society in taking part in Israel's economic and security needs, represent a historic opportunity for decision makers."
"These data join the data collected by the Real Data Institute under my leadership," says Dr. Nahumi Yaffe, "which show a change in the position of the ultra-Orthodox compared to studies conducted in previous years. A series of studies on nationalism, patriotism, and attitudes toward the army show that ultra-Orthodox society is waking up to citizenship."
Rabbi Nehemiah Steinberger, Deputy (res.), Rabbi of the Jerusalem community, director of grants at the Maimonidis Foundation and director of the Haredi preparatory program of the Hebrew University: "For 75 years we have lived here in a state of kindness thanks to which the world of Torah has grown to historic proportions. We must be grateful to the country, its institutions and its soldiers for all they do for us."
Dudi Zilberschlag, one of the founders of Brothers on the Home Front, adds, "As someone who has been at the interface between ultra-Orthodox and Israeli women for years, for the past two months I have felt a vigorous movement of the tectonic plates on which the parallel societies stand. It is clear to all of us that what was will no longer be. The data reviewing the shocks heralds a different spirit."
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