Knesset passes quasi-constitutional Basic Law declaring Torah study foundational value of Israel
The Knesset votes 63-52 to pass a highly controversial, quasi-constitutional Basic Law declaring Torah study a “foundational value” of the Jewish people and the State of Israel, a step pushed by Haredi lawmakers and decried by the opposition as a blow to efforts to draft ultra-Orthodox men.
The law passes following nearly 10 hours of speeches and opposition filibustering, and despite fierce opposition from the opposition, legal officials, reservists, and some coalition lawmakers.
The legislation makes Torah study the only value explicitly enshrined in one of Israel’s quasi-constitutional Basic Laws, which act in place of a written constitution. Haredi parties have pushed to pass the law as part of their broader effort to preserve blanket military service exemptions for ultra-Orthodox men, while opponents argue it effectively elevates Torah study above all other national values and will weaken efforts to penalize yeshiva students who disobey draft orders.
Efforts to draft Haredi men, and ultra-Orthodox resistance to that effort, has sparked a fierce debate in Israeli society and the halls of the Knesset, especially as the IDF has warned repeatedly that it faces an urgent manpower shortage.
“Today, a historic step has been taken in the State of Israel,” says United Torah Judaism MK Moshe Gafni, who co-sponsored the bill. “This Basic Law will serve as the state’s moral compass and express the recognition that Torah study is not merely the heritage of the past, but the foundation upon which the present and future of the Jewish people in their land rest.”
Shas chair Aryeh Deri celebrates the win, saying, “This is a victory for the world of Torah and a clear answer to the ousted attorney general and everyone who sought to persecute and humiliate yeshiva students. You will not succeed in breaking the Jewish spirit. The holy Torah will prevail!”
(Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara was fired by the coalition in a vote later struck down in court.)
Likud MKs Yuli Edelstein and Dan Illouz voted against the legislation. Both have long opposed the bill and recently announced they are leaving Likud over the issue. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was absent for the vote.
While the final version of the legislation no longer explicitly equates Torah study with military service, following pressure from Likud, opponents argue that, even in its pared-down form, the law grants constitutional recognition to Torah study alone, elevating it above other national values, while tens of thousands of reservists continue to serve during the ongoing war.
The legislation is the first of several contentious measures expected to advance this week under an agreement between Netanyahu and the ultra-Orthodox parties, which are backing coalition bills curbing the powers of the attorney general and establishing a government-appointed commission to investigate the failures surrounding Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack in exchange for legislation benefiting the Haredi community.