Ultra-Orthodox

Haredi Public's Moti Leitner: Israel’s future is our responsibility, too - opinion

A community must prepare its children for the lives ahead, enable its families to achieve economic independence, and accept its share of responsibility for defending the country.

Moti Leitner, chairman of the Haredi Public Party, holds a press conference at the party’s election campaign headquarters in Neve Ilan, ahead of Israel’s upcoming general elections, October 21, 2026.
Moti Leitner, chairman of the Haredi Public party, party members and supporters attend the launch of the party’s election campaign ahead of the upcoming Israeli general elections in Beit Shemesh, August 23, 2026.

'We will get them': Haredi Public Party leader vows to help fill IDF manpower shortage

Israel’s ultra-Orthodox Jewish sector has been protesting over the attempts to draft young haredi men into the military.

Will this election end the battle over drafting haredi men into the IDF? - analysis

Prime Minister and Likud party chairman Benjamin Netanyahu visits supporters in the northern Israeli city of Haifa, ahead of Israel’s upcoming general elections, October 14, 2026

Netanyahu: Arrests of haredi draft evaders 'unacceptable,' undermine IDF enlistment efforts


Deleted IDF video instructed haredi draft evaders how to avoid Ben-Gurion checks

It is unclear whether the IDF has a mechanism to prevent someone from reporting for the summons, avoiding a departure restriction, traveling to Uman, and then failing to complete enlistment.

In a video published in August 2026, the AI-generated figure dubbed "Dudi the Explainer" tells haredi draft dodgers that they can avoid arrest at the airport en route to Uman for Rosh Hashanah.

Shas invokes IDF soldiers in election campaign ad, drawing Gadi Eisenkot's ire

The Shas campaign video features a family gathered for a Shabbat dinner before a son returns home from his army base and embraces his family members.

Gadi Eisenkot, head of the Yashar party attends a conference in the northern Israeli city of Haifa, July 9, 2026.

'Malchieli is a murderer!' Shas condemns protests against MK over haredi draft law

Malchieli has stated that yeshiva students should be able to defer service as long as Torah study is their occupation, and recently said he would "not ask for a collective exemption for haredim."

Shas MK Michael Malchieli attends a conference for West Bank sovereignty at the Knesset, July 21, 2025.

National-religious men overrepresented in IDF reserves as haredim stay absent, IDI analysis finds

National-Religious men were found to have increased in service substantially from the start of the war until 2025, while the participation of secular men decreased the most of any group.

 THE ZIONIST identity didn’t overcome the Jewish identity, nor did the opposite occur: An IDF soldier puts on tefillin.

Haredi protesters block Jerusalem cafe amid ongoing months-long dispute over Shabbat opening

This marks the eighth consecutive week of protests. Several MKs, including Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman, have joined counterprotests in previous weeks.

Ultra-Orthodox protesters demonstrate against a cafe operating on Shabbat and clash with Israeli police, while secular protesters hold a counter-demonstration in support of the cafe in central Jerusalem, August 8, 2026.

IDF arrests three Palestinian suspects related to attack on Jewish West Bank hikers

Following the attack, Israeli settlers started a fire in one of the village's homes, according to Army Radio, with a 65-year-old Palestinian evacuated due to smoke inhalation.

 IDF soldiers operate in the village of Tell, near the West Bank city of Nablus, July 25, 2026; Illustrative.

Haredi protesters gather at Maccabim checkpoint over reported draft evader arrest - report

The soldiers at the scene told the crowd that the detainee was in fact an undocumented resident, not a draft evader, the report added.

HAREDI PROTESTERS block Highway 1, June 1, 2026; Illustrative.

Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef to lead Shas, participate in launch conference with Deri's approval - report

Shas is expected to win seven seats in the upcoming October elections, according to a KAN poll published on Wednesday.

Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, during a weekly teaching at the Yazdim synagogue in Jerusalem, on June 7, 2025.

Terrorism-supporting signs, inciting items confiscated from Mea She'arim warehouses

Such operations are not uncommon in Israel, with security forces confiscating inciting materials at the UAWC's Ramallah and Hebron offices in December.

Signs and other items inciting and supporting terrorism were confiscated in Jerusalem's haredi (ultra-Orthodox) neighborhood of Mea She’arim, according to the Israel Police, August 18, 2026.

Suspect arrested for allegedly vandalizing Basimta cafe during protests against its Shabbat opening

According to the police, the suspect is thought to have vandalized the cafe with graffiti, thrown garbage at it, and damaged the cafe's lock.

Ultra-Orthodox protesters demonstrate against a cafe operating on Shabbat and clash with Israeli police, while secular protesters hold a counter-demonstration in support of the cafe in central Jerusalem, August 8, 2026.