Hanoch Yonik, 38, a Haredi man from Brooklyn, is serving as a volunteer in the IDF. He left his wife and six children at home to join the war effort. "No matter where I live, my heart is in Israel," he said. Years ago he served in the IDF's Haredi battalion having decided then, too, to volunteer but then returned to the U.S., got married and received an exemption from reserve service.
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The majority of Haredi men in Israel do not serve in the military, using an exemption from service that is protected by their representatives in the Knesset. This is currently causing political opposition even within the right-wing, religious ruling government coalition amid the war and the need to extend the military service of those who do enlist to meet the security demands of the nation.
On Wednesday, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant called for an end to military draft exemptions and said that he would only support a bill to excuse ultra-Orthodox men from military service if all parties in the center agree to it, a move that could fracture Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition.
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A protest calling on the government to enact egalitarian compulsory service laws that include Haredi men
(Photo: Amit Shabi)
After the October 7 massacre, Yonik wrote in reservist unit WhatsApp groups that he is a trained paramedic with 15 years of experience, although his credentials ae not recognized in Israel.
He was contacted by a captain in the IDF, who organized reservists during the early days of the war and was told to come to Israel and was posted in the West Bank. When his battalion was given leave, Yonik had nowhere to go, and was referred to accommodations in Jerusalem for lone soldiers, organized by an NGO set up by the parents of a fallen officer who had helped other lone soldiers before he was killed.
"When I contacted them, I was told to come right over and was asked what I needed. They saw that my dietary needs were met, and kosher food was provided. After serving as a volunteer for the past three months, I found a home."
Yonik intends to remain in Israel at least through the Passover holiday in April. Donations arranged by the same NGO will pay for his wife and children to join him here.