No data is presented showing "Less than 1 in 4 enlist in army ". The most disturbing numbers you present are in Jerusalem, where "the rate passed the halfway mark at 52% non-enlistment ".

on the grounds of "Torah study" or "mental health" is one and the same thing. I have just donned my flack jacket, I know what's coming but I am ready for all those who will brand me a self hating Jew and an antisemite etc.

Math and reasoning skills are overrated in journalism. The important thing is to write a good headline. Niddling facts like 1/4 = 25% and 3/4 = 75% just get in the way of incomprehension.

I don't agree with Draft dodging in any shape or form but it must raise the question in many young peoples minds and that is "Why should I serve " when the Govt of the country is so corrupt and nothing is being done about it ? Being "investigated" is not a sufficient.

Should be: IDF: 3 in 4 enlist in army

than 350 nis for a soldier ,the situation will be worse

RELIGION STUDY ! ITS IMPORTANT. BUT NOT THAT NECESSARY IN HOT CONTACT DAYS !!! DO NOT RUN FROM THE DUTY. WORLD DONT NEED LITTLE PROPHETS. IF YOU DONT LIKE SOME THINGS IN ARMY, GO THERE AND GIVE A FIGHT THERE WHILE SURVING. ATİLLA KARAGÖZOĞLU

Using army for operations like Gush Katif disengagement... This could certainly cause many mental health problems... Did our despots take it into consideration? Only a true tyrants could inforce such an operation having a majority just because of voting Arabs...

Is it my imagination or is there a double standard or two countries. There is the country where children go to school during the strike and the teachers get paid because religious schools are exempt from the strike. Whereas everyone else has to struggle. There is also the country where boys sit in safe classrooms studying Torah while boys of the same age are risking their lives to defend. One side does all the giving, the other the taking. To me it seems a bit unfair.

If you dont want to join the IDF and fight for your country you live in then leave the country!!! EVERYONE should contribute to the army. without an army there would not be ISrael!!!!!!!!

An army that refuses to vanquish its enemy, but is willing to expel Jews from their homes should be condemned. What thinking Jew would want his child to place himself in harm's way for such corruption?

& military service can only make some people's worse. the army also doesn't want people who are unstable.

Anyone shirking army service because of 'torah studies' should NOT EVER be given any social benefits or money from the state. Gabi Ashkenazi doesn't have work to do, the STATE has work to do. It's the STATE that keeps on giving and giving to these greedy self-righteous freaks. Cut them off at the source! The only reason to involve Gabi Ashkenazi is if the military police are given orders to round up the shirkers and stick them in a military prison for 3 years. Let them study torah there. It’s infuriating as a mother of two soldiers, both in combat units, to think that these lazy shirkers not only get to dodge the army, they get PAID for doing so. Something is radically wrong here. Decent citizens do compulsory military service. It’s really that simple!!

It should be equally, if not more so, troubling of the low percentage of Jews who learn Torah. Ynet should commission a study to indicate what percentage of the Jewish population regularly attend Shiurim, have Chevrusas, or review the Weekly Sidra with Rashi. The obligation to be in the army is far exceeded by the Jew's mission to learn, and implement, Torah. Not everyone is cut out to fight, but everyone, without exception, must Learn.

your poignant and eloquently written talk backs touch the very core of my being....................................NOT!

The percentages of non-enlistments, when averaged, equal slightly above 25%, which is another way of saying 1 in 4 (in other words, 4 25%s make up 100%).

The authors could have put a positive spin by pointing out that well kol ha'kavod 3 out of 4 eligible Israelis serve. Why didn't they? There is a good reason. It is true that 3 out of 4 serve but this is still a reduction from how many of those eligible used to serve. There has, in fact, been a steady erosion of the number serving. While 1 out of 4 do not serve today, 10 years ago that number was 1 out of 6, 20 years ago the number was 1 out of 8 and back in the 60s and 70s, the number was 1 out of 9 who eschewed their military service.

34.8% representing Tel Aviv are all mental cases 22% in Negev - Beduin 52% in Jerusalem - Arabs and Hareidim. Talula, just make sure no medical experiments are being conducted on your sons

Does every newspaper have a strong political bias, with no attempt by editors to publish balanced and objective news?

It IS mandatory to do military service - it IS NOT mandatory to study ancient and outdated scripts. Live and let live why don't you.

How are you Lady :) I didnt understand anything from your post ! But :) I love to hear you while you talk :) any bad things you can tell to me. no problem :) Talulaaaaa :) how old are you Talula ? let me make a gues ! 29 ! Atilla Karagözoğlu

1 the fact that the IDF is not friendly or accomodating to hareidim? 2 kashrut is minimal in the IDF 3 shabbat has non religious bringing girl friends smoking playing music in the barracks, no special shabbat atmosphere, commanders ordering religious 4soldiers to take the keys to the jeep on shabbos and go buy them ciggarettes etc. failure to do so ending in disciplinary action 5 harrassing religious soldiers and not advancing them in rank other forms of discrimination bad influences regarding jewish religious practices the fact that boys from hareidi homes are not physically fit due to the fact that they do not have physical ed in yeshiva or engage in sports All in all hareidim are physically and spiritually not suitable for security service.

just think, if there were not so many draft dodgers, we could stop the bombing of Sedrot,return our kidnapped soldiers, we could have won against hisballah, perhaps even keep Yerushalim. If you believe this I have some great land in the Golan that I would love to sell you.

There is a story, often told, that upon exiting the Constitutional Convention Benjamin Franklin was approached by a group of citizens asking what sort of government the delegates had created. His answer was: "A republic, if you can keep it." The brevity of that response should not cause us to under-value its essential meaning: democratic republics are not merely founded upon the consent of the people, they are also absolutely dependent upon the active and informed involvement of the people for their continued good health. I truly wonder whether Israelis care about keeping the country that their ancestors longed for for almost 2000 years.

I have never understood how studying the military victories of Joshua, David, and Solomon (which never really happened) exempted one from defending his country. If they had spent their time studying Torah (granting its truth), there never would have been an Israel or Jewish people.

If that's the case, and I have no reason to doubt what you say, perhaps these haredim would find a more welcoming atmosphere in Brooklyn or Monsey, where there isn't any military draft, and they wouldn't be expected to serve even if there were. Israel is just no place for sissies.

Ynet knows very well (a.k.a the government) that torah observant jews stand in the way of their global pagan agenda. Anywere else in the world such an article and jews would shout antisemitism. For people's information most young people in my community serve in the IDF and a lot of them in combat units. Timing is of essence,because while olmert and co will sell us to the devil in Annapolis,the media will focus towards incitement against torah jews. Not that this is new,it has been going on for at least 100 years,by are proud dedcendents of the haskala(enlightmend) movement in europe. This is a internal conflict here ,for which there will be a very high price to pay. While perez and other deceivers,just sprout empty frazes,to pacify and lull people in a false security mood. Our friends at hezbollah and hamas are increasing their firepower,to kick our butts. In the end people like perez,olmert and other zero's will not pay the price, we will like so many times in our problematic past. One just wishes that there was one leader who trully cared about us.

There is an American expression for your argument "easy rider", people who live on other people's effort and sacrifice. Are the "troubles' that you list better than pogroms and worse? A religion that encourages one to exploit others is not a worthy religion.

You think you'd want to defend yourselves..... I guess not.. Yiskadal Yiskadash What a bunch of friggin losers.

I'm 84 years old, but I'm very young at heart.