Playing with Sacred/Corporeal Identities: Yeshivah Students' Fantasies of Military Participation

Abstract

This article analyzes the ways in which Haredi yeshivah students reflect on their exemption from military service in Israel. It demonstrates that this view is composed of three aspects: an idealistic vision of yeshivah dedication and exemption from obligatory military service; students' critique on the yeshivah-based religiosity emphasized by contemporary leaders and founders of the community; and students' fantasy on Haredi military service and militarism. Analysis of the Haredi view on military service highlights a deep transformation in Haredi religiosity in Israel and changing relations with the Israeli state and society.