The IDF is examining what military officials describe as a recurring method for obtaining exemptions from military service on mental health grounds, after identifying dozens of requests linked to the same clinics and psychiatrists and containing similar wording and reasoning.
According to information gathered by the military, the psychiatrists involved have signed dozens of documents recommending exemptions. The requests are then submitted through law offices rather than directly to the IDF.
Haredi yeshiva students at the IDF recruitment office in Tel Hashomer
(Photo: Moti Kimchi)
The military says the phenomenon has increased since draft orders were sent to all eligible Haredi men and as arrests and other sanctions connected to draft avoidance have intensified.
Against that backdrop, the IDF has begun discussions with the Health Ministry over suspicions that psychiatrists may be helping young men prepare professional opinions recommending military exemptions even when they do not actually meet the relevant criteria.
The military is also expected to discuss the matter with police.
Yedioth Ahronoth and ynet previously reported that organizations opposed to Haredi enlistment have advised young men receiving draft orders to consider seeking exemptions on mental health grounds. Those groups have also told them that information provided to the IDF would not be passed on to other authorities and therefore would not affect their ability to obtain a driver’s license, pursue studies or find employment later.
Similar wording, same submission pattern
The IDF says it identified a pattern both in the wording of the psychiatric opinions and in the way they were submitted.
Military officials also stress that the phenomenon is not limited to the Haredi community.
Because the IDF does not have enforcement authority over civilian actors, it has approached the Health Ministry and police and asked them to examine whether an investigation should be opened.
The military has also changed the procedure for submitting psychiatric opinions following a separate phenomenon in which documents seeking exemptions were submitted on behalf of prospective recruits by someone else.
According to the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit, the protocol for granting an exemption from service on mental health grounds is based on professional standards. The documents are reviewed by a professional and classified for further handling according to medical criteria.
The military says the screening system was designed to streamline the process, shorten waiting times and avoid harming prospective recruits who genuinely suffer from mental health problems.
IDF warns psychiatrists over suspected false opinions
The IDF says it is also aware of cases in which prospective recruits received exemptions without their knowledge after documents were submitted in their names.
According to the military, Medical Corps officials have held warning conversations with psychiatrists suspected of providing false opinions, and broader warning notices have also been distributed to psychiatrists.
Military professionals are also in regular contact with several Haredi organizations working to combat the phenomenon. The IDF says those groups provide reports about psychiatrists suspected of issuing false opinions and cooperate with the military in handling individual cases.
Following the discovery of such cases, the IDF issued a directive allowing a prospective recruit who challenges a false psychiatric opinion submitted on his behalf to move immediately from an exemption to medical profile 97, based solely on an examination by a military psychiatrist.
The change is intended to allow prospective recruits who say a false opinion was submitted for them to cancel the exemption and enlist as quickly as possible.
“The phenomenon of opinions that do not correspond to a prospective recruit’s medical condition and are submitted in the names of prospective recruits is known and is being addressed by the IDF,” the military said.
“In addition, the IDF is cooperating with Israel Police in order to eradicate the phenomenon.”