Yeshiva students

The long way home: Free after decade in Iraqi prison, Benjamin Hassin begins new life in Jerusalem

DIASPORA AFFAIRS: Just over a month ago, on the eve of Rosh Hashanah, Benjamin Hassin landed on Israeli soil for the first time in 12 years.

Benjamin Hassin overlooks the Western Wall, just weeks after returning to Israel following more than 11 years in Iraqi prisons, including nearly five years under a death sentence.
Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men block a road and clash with police during a protest against the jailing of yeshiva students who failed to comply with Israeli military draft orders, in Jerusalem, August 2, 2026.

Israel Police says 143 draft evaders were released as IDF failed to meet detention deadlines

Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion addresses Torah MiTzion’s 30th-anniversary celebration at the International Convention Center in Jerusalem on October 13, 2026

Torah MiTzion marks 30 years of strengthening ties between Israel, Diaspora Jewry

Argentina's President Javier Milei attends a meeting of the Shield of the Americas on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, US, September 22, 2026.

Argentine President Javier Milei dances with yeshiva students after receiving Lover of Israel prize


Haredi men must be drafted. What now? - opinion

The IDF needs to understand the true importance of this moment and make the right accommodations for new haredi conscripts to ease this bumpy process.

IDF recruitment office sign

Sparring in Jewish law: Rabbi Meir Eliyahu Pinto enthralled Ashdod


Soldier or scholar: Who is the better Jew? - opinion

History is not static; times change, conditions change, and we have to adapt to those changes.

 HAREDI MEN learn at the Mir Yeshiva in Jerusalem’s Mea She’arim, Sept. 13, 2023.

Deep changes must take place in Israeli society for it to emerge united - editorial

In terms of the societal splits on which the court was asked to deliberate, it is a superficial Band-Aid, one that covers a deeper wound than can be fixed by the court alone.

 DESPITE THE IDF’s calculation that it needs 7,000 new troops, the vote to revive an older haredi draft bill was approved by the majority of the Knesset members.

How Ben-Gurion's pragmatic decision led to haredim draft exemption - analysis

David Ben-Gurion's 1948 decision not to draft yeshiva students shaped Israel's policy, sparking decades of debate on military exemptions amid societal and political transformations.

 David Ben-Gurion – Israeli politician, Zionist leader, First Prime Minister of israel.

High Court ruling is too little, too late - comment

The government cannot afford to completely ignore the ruling and refrain from drafting any haredim.

 Police disperse demonstrators during a protest against haredi IDF conscription, outside the High Court in Jerusalem, June 2, 2024

Netanyahu's Likud repeats misleading claim in attack on High Court ruling

The government promised a haredi draft bill would be completed by the end of the Knesset summer session - but it is currently proceeding at a slow pace.

 Shas leader MK Aryeh Deri and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu seen during a Shas party meeting, at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, on January 23, 2023.

'Holy Torah will prevail': Haredi lawmakers, ministers rage at Israel's High Court

Jerusalem Affairs and Jewish Tradition Minister Meir Porush said the ruling is "leading to two states" of religious and secular Jews.

 (L-R) Jerusalem and Jewish Tradition Minister Meir Porush; Shas leader Arye Deri

High Court unanimously rules against exemption for haredim in IDF

Likud: Peculiar that the High Court is forcing ultra-Orthodox conscription • Ruling also calls to freeze funding of yeshivas who do not comply

 An ultra-Orthodox Jewish man is seen exiting an IDF recruiting office in Jerusalem, June 25, 2024

'There are those better than Zionists': Rabbis seek donations for yeshivas post-High Court ruling

Following the High Court's decision, the rabbis, many affiliated with the current governing coalition, seek to raise $116 million to fund yeshiva students who do not enlist in the IDF.

 Rabbis in the ultra-Orthodox sector embarked on a fundraising campaign in the US for the benefit of yeshivas following High Court ruling, June 23, 2024.