Ultra-Orthodox

IDF's haredi Hashmonaim Brigade completes first operational activity in southern Syria

Also on Thursday, soldiers of the IDF's Brigade 636 killed a terrorist who threw stones at them near the village of Luban al-Sharqiyya in the West Bank during an overnight ambush.

Soldiers of the Hashmonaim Brigade complete first operational activity in southern Syria, January 1, 2026.
Supreme Court justices preside over a hearing at the High Court of Justice in Jerusalem, December 1, 2025

High Court to hear two cases blocking haredi education funds amid legal disputes

Cases of the measles rise in Israel.

Petah Tikva declared 'red city' for measles outbreak, six-month-old children to be vaccinated

 SUPREME COURT President Isaac Amit presides over a hearing last Tuesday on petitions against the cabinet’s firing of Shin Bet head Ronen Bar.

High Court freezes Tel Aviv chief rabbi election, citing flawed consultation process


Two policemen injured at religious youth protest in Jerusalem marking Ahuvia Sandak's death

The protesters, a group of young right-wing nationalists, took to the streets to mark five years since the death of hilltop youth Ahuvia Sandak.

A police officer's bandaged hand is seen during protests in Jerusalem, December 27, 2025

Between ultra-Orthodox draft and Knesset coalition, Israel's democracy is too complicated - opinion

The composition of our fragile coalition in the Knesset, mirrored in the cabinet, makes governing our already volatile population factions extremely difficult.

Protests against haredi draft begins in Jerusalem, October 30, 2025.

Why Israel's draft law will not solve the IDF's manpower problem - opinion

Total victory is not achieved through false faith, but through difficult decisions. It requires serious, painful thinking, especially regarding the immediate term. This draft law does not do that.

Ultra-Orthodox Jews carry a banner in Hebrew that reads, “to prison and not the army,” during a “million man” protest against military conscription, in Jerusalem October 30, 2025.

Israel Hofsheet petitions High Court to freeze haredi national-civic service track

Israel Hofsheet asked the High Court to freeze the national civic service track it says lets haredi men avoid IDF enlistment without a legal basis.

 Ultra orthodox Jews scuffle with police during a protest against the drafting of ultra orthodox jews outside an IDF Recruitment Center in Jeursalem, November 12, 2025.

Ultra-Orthodox rioters throw stones at bus carrying IDF soldiers during Jerusalem protest

Soldiers tried to help the police disperse the rioters, but were forced to go back inside the bus violently. The police had to use stun grenades to disperse the rioting crowd.

Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men clash with police during a protest following the issuance of a parking ticket on Bar-Ilan Road in Jerusalem, on December 18, 2025.

Thirteen officers injured as ultra-Orthodox Jews riot over parking ticket, four arrested

Rioters hurled stones, vandalized a police vehicle and property, and threw trash cans at officers after police tried to issue a routine parking ticket in Jerusalem.

Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men clash with police during a protest following the issuance of a parking ticket in Jerusalem, December 18, 2025

Israel’s 'supreme' democracy: Who really decides the nation’s values - opinion

From Barak to today’s High Court, a quiet revolution has ignited a fierce debate over democracy in Israel.

Former high Court president Aharon Barak is seen at a conference of the Israeli Association of Public Law (IAPL) in Haifa, earleir this month. Arguments over judicial overreach and activism in Israel have been ongoing for years, the writer notes.

Ex-haredim experience isolation and anxiety similar to immigrants, study finds

The findings reveal that exiting strict, high-demand religious groups is not only a change in belief but a full-scale cultural transition, comparable to moving from one country to another.

 An ultra orthodox jewish man carrying his rifle outside a wedding of the Ger (Hasidic dynasty) in Jerusalem on March 13, 2024.

Ultra-Orthodox child forgotten on bus and left alone at West Bank checkpoint, police probe parents

The child's parents, a haredi couple residing in Modi'in Ilit, were located on Monday morning and subsequently taken into questioning by police officers.

A three-year-old haredi child found on his own at a bus terminal at the Kalandiya West Bank crossing, December 15, 2025

Haredi population grows rapidly while male employment and army service stall, IDI report finds

According to IDI, the ultra Orthodox community is growing fast, but gaps in employment, income, and military service persist, particularly among haredi men.

An ultra-Orthodox Jewish man is seen during protests in Jerusalem as a banner reads 'All [Israeli] people are IDF,' October 30, 2025

Israel faces tough choices over haredi draft exemptions, legal expert warns - interview

Legal expert Shlomit Ravitsky Tur-Paz warns that Israel’s draft bill for the Haredi community may entrench societal divisions and worsen long-term challenges for the economy and military.

Protests against haredi draft in Jerusalem, October 30, 2025.