Overview

• The IDF acknowledges a current manpower gap of approximately 10,000 to 12,000 soldiers, according to its Manpower Division.
• Faced with limited ultra-Orthodox enlistment, military planners are designing a program to recruit young Jews from major diaspora centers.
• The early-stage proposal targets an initial goal of 600 to 700 annual recruits, with estimates indicating over 10,000 eligible candidates abroad each year.
• This overseas effort will work alongside domestic incentives such as the “Starting Anew” amnesty, which erases records for yeshiva students who enlist.
• Senior officials stress that the diaspora recruitment drive remains in a testing and formulation phase as Israel seeks innovative solutions to its persistent personnel shortfall.