Israel recently added a new chapter to its evolving constitutional framework. Alongside human dignity and liberty, which form the legal bedrock of the nation’s human rights regime, this July the Knesset added a single sentence to the country’s Basic Laws: “Torah study is a basic value in the heritage of the Jewish people and in the State of Israel.”

On the face of it, this briefest of constitutional amendments is the product of a precarious political transaction. It was designed as a legal shield for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) coalition partners, securing military service exemptions for yeshiva students in exchange for keeping his government intact.

For over two decades, the Israeli Supreme Court has repeatedly struck down Haredi draft exemptions on the grounds of constitutional equality – a dispute that collapsed the government in 2019 and catalyzed a political crisis spanning five election cycles in just three and a half years, culminating in the current sixth Netanyahu government. By elevating Torah study to the highest legal rank, Haredi leaders are betting that the court would hesitate to strike down a principle carrying constitutional weight.

While critics rightly warn of an alarming leap toward a theocratic state driven by a religious minority wielding disproportionate political leverage, the true significance of this law extends far beyond coalitional cynicism. It reflects a profound, structural transformation of the Israeli legal and social fabric itself.

Historically, Israel’s supreme socializing agent has been its military. The duration........

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