The Draft is a Red Herring: Why Israel Needs a Professional National Service Model (with help from Gemini)

The Draft is a Red Herring: Why Israel Needs a Professional National Service Model

In the current Israeli political landscape, the debate over the military draft has become a circular conflict that occupies the front pages while yielding zero practical results.

As the 2026 elections approach, the reality for Israel is stark: The IDF is exhausted after years of multi-front operations. However, the obsession among many observers and domestic politicians with a mass Haredi draft as a "quick fix" for the military's manpower needs is a dangerous red herring.

The Operational Mirage

Politicians often treat the draft as a simple toggle switch—either Israel drafts everyone, or it doesn't. This ignores the cold reality of modern military operations. The IDF has a clearly defined need for trained, combat-ready troops to fill specific operational gaps. Forcing tens of thousands of recruits—who lack any prior military or secular educational background—into combat units is an operational gamble that would likely degrade the quality of Israel’s forces rather than strengthen them.

The military needs to focus its limited training resources, commanders, and budget on maintaining the combat-readiness of existing units. Demanding that the army simultaneously function as a remedial training program for a population with active ideological resistance is a strategic distraction, not a military solution.

Scaling Proven Success: ZAKA, Hatzalah, and Shomrim

If the goal is to utilize the nation's human capital effectively, Israel already has a proven "proof of concept" for how the Haredi community can contribute:

• ZAKA & United Hatzalah: These organizations are the backbone of Israel’s emergency medical and disaster response. They demonstrate that when the service framework is aligned with the community's capabilities, the result is world-class, high-stakes performance.
• Shomrim: These groups already serve as a vital extension of local security, acting as the "eyes and ears" of law enforcement. They bridge the critical time gap between an emergency call and an official police response, effectively multiplying the reach of state security services.
• Colel Chabad: Their large-scale social welfare networks—providing food security, medical assistance, and crisis management—demonstrate a proven capacity to manage vital infrastructure at a national level.

These groups have integrated into the national fabric because their models are mission-oriented, professional, and culturally aligned.

Beyond the "Combat-Only" Model

For too long, Israel has shackled the idea of "civic contribution" solely to military service. This is a 20th-century mindset. The country currently faces a chronic shortage of personnel in critical civil sectors—emergency medical services, local security, special education, logistics, and disaster relief.

Instead of fighting over who goes into an infantry unit, the path forward is to build a Professional National Service System.

Why National Service Wins

A robust, mandatory national service model—where 18-year-olds are assigned roles based on the nation's actual requirements—would solve the current impasse:

• Efficiency Over Politics: By creating mission-oriented tracks based on the volunteer models already perfected by ZAKA, Hatzalah, and Shomrim, the state can scale the manpower it currently wastes on political bickering. This frees up professional combat units to do what they do best: fight.
• Structural Integration: A universal system treats service as a professional requirement. It matches citizens to the sectors where their contribution provides the most utility—whether that is in the field, in the hospital, or in emergency support.
• True Burden Sharing: This model creates a professional standard for service that applies to everyone, without creating "exemptions." Citizens are simply matched to the sector where their contribution provides the most strategic value to the country.

A Path Forward

Israel needs to stop using the draft as a political bludgeon and start treating service as a pillar of national infrastructure. The current system is failing the military by forcing it to operate outside of its core mission.

It is time for policymakers to pivot away from the tired, binary fight over the "draft" and toward a professional, diversified model of national service. A country that relies on its citizens to stand guard should also rely on them to build, heal, and educate.

It’s time to stop talking about who can be forced into a uniform and start talking about how to use the talent of every citizen to build a more resilient state.

KoT Gadgets for iPhone using Scriptable

 B”H

For those interested in connecting to the Sefirot, Perek Shirah, and Pirkeit Avot on a daily basis in a way that mirrors the yearly Kabbalah of Time journey, try these simple gadgets for the lock-screen for your iPhone (see image below), available using Scriptable:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lI_E9oqjSixa9PJ9BXKzTbEUHEsndNlz/view?usp=drivesdk

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Roj7KYKkFdX8AYGXl9O1mD5HmAQn1N0z/view?usp=drivesdk

Setup instructions:

1. Download Scriptable (free) from the App Store

2. Open it, tap +, paste the entire script, name it Steps in Time

3. Long-press your lock screen → Customize → tap the widget row below the clock → add Scriptable → tap it and select the script.

Two nice touches built in: tapping the widget opens the full steps on KoT’s GitHub Pages site, and it refreshes every ~15 minutes since each inner week lasts about 29 minutes — so the lock screen actually turns through the year over the course of the day.

Week of the Lion a Year Later

B”H

Recent attacks are taking place in the week of the lion in Perek Shirah, a year after Operation Rising Lion.

Shavuot and Peace

 B”H 

Perhaps it was due to sensationalist thinking, or perhaps an over-reliance on AI and certain “hallucination loops,” but whatever “Storage Wall” of Iranian oil was predicted clearly did not materialize—and neither did an imminent attack over Memorial Day weekend. It was an important reminder to leave such extrapolations to the “experts.”

I do want to say, nevertheless, that if there is in fact a durable peace, it is worth noting that it was announced on Shabbat (still Shavuot in the Diaspora). The conclusion of the war was just like its start: on Shabbat, on a holiday also called Atzeret.

Atzeret means to stop. Like Shemini Atzeret (the 8th day), Shavuot (the 50th day) is connected to what is above nature. It is a reward for our hard work that comes directly from Hashem, often not in the way we would expect.

No longer in the business of predictions or extrapolations, we enter this upcoming Shabbat with a prayer: may the peace be real and ever-expanding, and may the Children of Abraham, the Children of Isaac, and the Children of Israel finally have the ultimate peace with the coming of Moshiach.

Week 17 (Book 7): The Bee-Eater is Saying

 B”H

The bee-eater is saying,

I will whistle to them and gather them, 

He sent from on high [and] He took me; 

The twins of a gazelle, who graze among the roses.

He drew me out of many waters.

And they shall increase as they have before increased.

Indeed, You are the splendor of their might, 

The Lord dominated the strong for me.

And in Your goodwill our glory is exalted. 

They sacrificed to demons, which have no power, 

All the inhabitants of Canaan melted. 

May dread and fright fall upon them;

Which your forefathers did not fear. 

Then ruled a remnant among the mighty of the nations; 

Deities they did not know, new things that only recently came,

Swords are in their lips, for [they say], "Who hears?” 

All the quivers of the mighty men.

And You, Lord, G-d of Hosts, G-d of Israel, 

Until the sun spreads and the shadows flee, 

Wake up to remember all the nations; 

A thousand shields hanging on it, 

Behold, they spew with their mouths, 

Your two breasts are like two fawns, 

They howl like the dog and circle the city. 

And to the hill of frankincense.

And Eli answered and said: Go in peace,

I will go to the mountain of myrrh

And the God of Israel will grant your request 

For I have redeemed them, 

They return toward evening, 

Your neck is like the Tower of David, built as a model; 

Do not grant favor to any of the iniquitous traitors, Selah. 

Which you have asked of Him.

Week 16 (Book 7): The Ducks are Saying

 B”H

The Ducks are saying, 

That came up from the washing,

All of whom are perfect, 

Trust in G-d forever and ever, 

They rejoice in Your Name all day, 

For G-d, the Eternal, is the strength of worlds. 

Your teeth are like a flock of uniformly shaped [ewes] 

And they are exalted through Your righteousness.

Your temple is like a split pomegranate from within your kerchief.

They provoked His zeal with alien worship; 

By the rebuke of the Lord and the blast of the breath of His nostrils.

Without iniquity [on my part,] they run and prepare 

Awaken towards me and see! 

They made Him angry with abominable deeds. 

Rescue me from evildoers, save me from men of bloodshed. 

And my vexation have I spoken hitherto.

Not because of my sin nor my transgression, O Lord. 

Count not thy handmaid for a wicked woman: 

For behold they lie in ambush for my soul, 

For out of the abundance of my complaint 

Mighty ones gather against me

Then the chieftains of Edom were startled; 

Your lips are like a scarlet thread, and your speech is comely; 

[As for] the powerful men of Moab, trembling seized them;

Your hair is like a flock of goats 

Praise! Praise! Utter a song.

Behold, you are fair, my beloved; behold, you are fair; 

Your eyes are [like] doves, from within your kerchief; 

Arise Barak, and capture your captives, son of Abinoam.

And the depths of the sea appeared; 

That streamed down from Mount Gilead.

The foundations of the world were laid bare,

And there is no bereavement among them.

Week 15 (Book 7): The Wild Goose Is Saying

 B”H

The wild goose flying in the wilderness, 

When it sees Israel busy with Torah, is saying, 

Fortunate is the people that know the blasting of the shofar; 

A voice cries out: Prepare in the wilderness the way for G-d, 

O Lord, may they walk in the light of Your countenance.

Make straight in the desert a path for our G-d

Go out, O daughters of Zion, and gaze upon King Solomon, 

Then the people of the Lord went down to the cities. 

King Solomon made himself a palanquin of the trees of Lebanon.

Praise! Praise! Deborah.

Its pillars he made of silver, its couch of gold, its curtain of purple, 

For the salvations of my countenance and my G-d.

On the day of his nuptials and on the day of the joy of his heart.

Hope to G-d, for I will yet thank Him 

For the conductor, al tashcheth; of David a michtam, 

Its interior inlaid with love, from the daughters of Jerusalem.

People heard, they trembled; 

Upon the crown with which his mother crowned him 

And upon finding its food in the wilderness, it says: 

And Jeshurun became fat and rebelled; 

Cursed is the man who trusts in human beings; 

You grew fat, thick and rotund; 

Blessed is the man who trusts in G-d

[Israel] forsook the G-d Who made them, 

And He sent out arrows and He scattered them, 

And spurned the [Mighty] Rock of their salvation. 

Lightning and He discomfited them. 

When Saul sent and they guarded the house to slay him. 

And Hannah answered and said: 'No, my lord, 

Why are you downcast, my soul, and why do you stir within me? 

I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit; 

With murder in my bones, my oppressors have reproached me 

I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, 

By saying to me all day long, "Where is your G-d?" 

But I poured out my soul before Hashem.

Save me from my enemies, my G-d; 

A shudder seized the inhabitants of Philistia.

Strengthen me against those who rise up against me.

And G-d shall be his assurance.