The Bank of Israel said that recruiting ultra-Orthodox Jews into the army would contribute to alleviating the damage to the economy. The Haredim constitute 13.3% of the total population of Israel.
The Commissioner of Budgets at the Ministry of Finance had warned that the conscription law in its current form would have economic consequences. The decision to exempt “Haredi” youth from compulsory conscription if they enroll in religious schools dates back to a settlement reached during the era of Israel’s founder, David Ben-Gurion.