Ultra-Orthodox

How the Iran war impacted Israel's haredi conscription debate - opinion

The war with Iran has created ripples in Israel's domestic social and political fabric, particularly regarding the debate over ultra-Orthodox military service.

|ByNIMROD KOREN
HAREDI DEMONSTRATORS protest in Jerusalem, earlier this year, against serving in the military. The decreased immediate need for substantial expansion of the army’s ranks lessens the pressure to accelerate haredi conscription, says the writer.
Several haredim (ultra-Orthodox Jews) are seen walking around Jerusalem's Geula neighborhood.

Geula: Jerusalem's beating heart of ultra-Orthodox life

Originally just one small district, Geula has become so synonymous with haredi life that its name now blankets an entire cluster of neighborhoods. 

|ByALEX WINSTON
"We are at war. Join it! Fully, immediately, to the last of you, like everyone else," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu does not tell Shas leader Arye Deri.

Reality check: Ultra-Orthodox rabbis are leading their flock to a historic dead end - opinion

MIDDLE ISRAEL: In their wartime conduct, the ultra-orthodox rabbis show a lack of commitment and a real disconnection with reality.

|ByAMOTZ ASA-EL
Chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee MK Yuli Edelstein speaks at the Muni Expo 2025 conference in Tel Aviv, on July 15, 2025.

'My conscience is clear': Why MK Yuli Edelstein won't settle for a soft haredi draft - interview

"This law ends the phenomenon of pretending to study Torah. To me, that’s a disgrace to the world of Torah," Edelstein told Maariv.

|ByANNA BARSKY

Israel Police, with FBI's help, collect testimony from Chaim Rotter victim in US

Rotter's arrest has been consistently extended, and several others who are close to him were apprehended for questioning as well. 

JULY 17, 2025BySARAH BEN-NUN
Chaim Rotter arrives to a court hearing at the Magistrate's Court in Tel Aviv, July 2, 2025

Torah with social responsibility: Choosing action over exemption - opinion

When it comes to the army enlistment crisis, ultra-Orthodox leaders show a detached interpretation of Torah that distances it from practical life.

JULY 17, 2025ByMOSHE TUR-PAZ
IN OCTOBER 2023, after he began reserve duty in Gaza following the Hamas attack, the writer comes to the Knesset in uniform and addresses the plenum. After his appearance, he returned to his military service.

Behind yeshiva walls: The hidden sexual abuse in haredi communities - opinion

It seems that every time a new scandal erupts, the deep fracture within the haredi community is exposed once again.

JULY 16, 2025ByPRIEL FITOUSSI
HAREDI YESHIVA students: These 135,000 boys, and then men, and then senior citizens, who will also not pay health tax, will place a heavy burden on the health care system in around 60 years’ time.

Shas spiritual council to rule on leaving Netanyahu gov't on Wednesday

The ultra-Orthodox party's council said that Wednesday's meeting comes in the wake of "severe and unacceptable harm to the status of Torah students.”

JULY 15, 2025ByELIAV BREUER
Shas faction leader MK Arye Deri seen outside the party offices in Jerusalem, June 4, 2025

The Family Institute: Changing views on therapy in the haredi world

The Family Institute clinic serves mostly haredi and National Religious clients, offering specialized therapy for individuals, couples, families, children, and victims of abuse.

JULY 12, 2025ByABIGAIL KLEIN LEICHMAN
RABBI DR. YISRAEL LEVITZ with Family Institute graduates, 2015.

Haredi soldiers graduate from IDF's Hashmonaim Brigade, ready for combat training

The Hashmonaim brigade is unique because its members are full-time haredim both inside and outside the army, receiving special measures like at least an hour of daily Talmud study.

JULY 10, 2025ByYONAH JEREMY BOB
The IDF's Hasmonean Brigade badge, for ultra-Orthodox (haredi) Jews, is seen as soldiers operate in the Gaza Strip on June 26, 2025

With backs to the wall on IDF draft, Haredi MKs slam Edelstein, A-G

Edelstein has yet to present the text of a new law proposal based on agreements reached with haredi representatives on June 12, the eve of Israel’s attack against Iran.

JULY 10, 2025ByELIAV BREUER
Committee Chairman Yuli Edelstein leads a Defense and Foreign Affairs Committee meeting at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem on March 10, 2025.

Deri and Lapid clash over IDF draft law, sanctions on ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students

Aryeh Deri responded to the Attorney-General's discussion on the High Court of Justice consideration over the draft law and the plan to toughen sanctions against yeshiva students who don't enlist.

JULY 10, 2025ByAVRAHAM BLOCH
A view of the Shas party offices in Jerusalem, June 4, 2025

New NGO bill that would tax foreign donations by 80% will exempt ultra-Orthodox orgs. - report

Haredi MKs expressed concern over the bill's potential effect on donations to NGOs that support haredi causes, many of which are based on funds from overseas.

JULY 6, 2025ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Haredi children return to school amid the coronavirus crisis

IDF to summon over 50,000 ultra-Orthodox Jews in massive push for haredi draft

All 54,000 ultra-Orthodox Jews eligible for military service will be called on to arrive for actual service by July 2026.

JULY 6, 2025ByYONAH JEREMY BOB
‘THE HAREDI leadership argues that it is forbidden to draft yeshiva students whose Torah is their profession and that they defend the State of Israel through their studies.’

How a tax opposed by Shas sparked climate backlash in the ultra-Orthodox community

A newly published Hebrew University of Jerusalem study found that the well-meaning environmental tax turned into a cultural flashpoint.

JULY 6, 2025ByJUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH
DISPOSABLE PLASTIC tableware are on display at the Osher Ad Supermarket branch in Givat Shaul, Jerusalem.