Regulations prohibit political activity in training programs, and the Israeli military later called the episode a failure. Israel’s New Military EliteThe Israeli military was long dominated by Israel’s secular, largely Ashkenazi middle class, the social base of Labor Zionism. Hesder yeshivot, five-year programs combining Torah study with 18 months of military service, send roughly 85 percent of their students into combat units. Beyond the political mood surrounding the war, Hayman was describing a broader shift in the relationship between military service and political influence. As the composition of its combat ranks changes, military service is becoming a source of political authority.