The Israel Defense Forces sent out the first batch of 1,000 draft orders to ultra-Orthodox men aged 18-26 on Sunday morning, in the first of three such waves scheduled for the coming four weeks.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant ordered on Thursday that the first batch of conscription notices be sent out after the weekend.
While prominent ultra-Orthodox rabbis have urged yeshiva students to ignore any communication from the IDF, the military said last week that the orders would be sent to individuals it believes will actually show up at the induction center.
The IDF said the 3,000 include men who have jobs, are enrolled in institutions of higher education, or hold driver’s licenses — indicators that they are not engaged in full-time yeshiva studies despite having received previous exemptions to study.
The orders, which constitute the first stage in the screening and evaluation process that the army carries out for recruits ahead of enlistment in the military in the coming year, come after a landmark High Court ruling last month said there was no longer any legal framework allowing the state to refrain from drafting Haredi yeshiva students into military service. -Times of Israel
