Israel prepares to call up 450,000 soldiers amid mounting toll on reservists and their families

The escalation of Israel ’s operations in Gaza has brought new upheaval for reservists and their families, as well as renewed resentment about haredi Orthodox Jews who avoid military service.

Tzemach David Schloss has spent 290 days in the IDF reserves over the last 19 months .

He voiced deep frustration with what he described as a broken system, one that issues sudden, months-long call-up orders while relying on a shrinking pool of reservists.

A survey by Israel ’s national employment service found that 41% of reservists who served after Oct. 7 said they had been fired or otherwise left their jobs after returning to civilian life.

The frequent churn of workers has strained workplaces and the economy, with watchdogs warning that the expansion of the war could unleash severe economic damage.

For many Israelis , the latest call-ups have underscored how unfair it is that haredi Jews are required to serve.

Haredi politicians have demanded progress on a law formalizing the draft exemption by the holiday of Shavuot , which begins Sunday evening .

Many of the reservists are married, with young children.

Reservists’ wives have emerged as a political constituency in the war, advocating for a 9 billion shekel pot of government funds for the families of deployed soldiers.