Ultra-Orthodox

Haredi conscription debate threatens long-standing Israeli coalitions - opinion

Ultra-Orthodox parties face mounting political backlash as Israel’s war strains the reserve system and coalition stability.

 Ultra-Orthodox Jews clash with police outside the IDF Recruitment Center at Tel Hashomer, central Israel, April 28, 2025
PRIME MINISTER Benjamin Netanyahu speaks alongside former Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban in Budapest last year. Orban transformed Hungary into a quasi-autocracy, while Netanyahu has not achieved the same in Israel, the writer says.

Are new Knesset proposals pushing Israel toward Hungary-style governance? - opinion

A man wearing a mask depicting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holds images of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich at a protest in Tel Aviv, last month. When both sides view the election in such existential terms, restraint disappears, the writer warns.

Israel’s upcoming election season could become its ugliest yet - opinion

Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men protest against the jailing of seminary students who failed to comply with an army recruitment order outside the home of Military Police commander Brig. Gen. Yuval Yamin in Ashkelon, May 14, 2026.

Ultra-Orthodox protesters attempt to invade military police chief's home


Iranian cluster munitions cause heavy damage to vehicles, buildings across central Israel

On Thursday, missile fire from Iran left three people lightly wounded in Petah Tikva and Mazkeret Batya.

Damaged caused by shrapnel of an Iranian missile in central Israel, April 3, 2026.

Opposition mistakenly approves millions to haredi institutions, A-G halts transfer

The allocations to haredi institutions had previously been blocked by legal advisors, with some opposition lawmakers issuing apologies for the mistake.

Attorney general Gali Baharav-Miara at a Constitution, Law and Justice Committee meeting at the Knesset, in the Israeli parliament on September 30, 2025.

Knesset approves 2026 state budget in final votes, avoids early elections

The Knesset has approved the 2026 state budget, avoiding elections, as coalition partners back the plan despite earlier threats and criticism over spending priorities.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives to vote at the Knesset on the 2026 state budget, March 30, 2026.

High Court orders new vote on NIS 98m haredi school funding transfer

The High Court ordered a new Knesset vote on the remaining NIS 98m in haredi school funding, as petitioners demand full data before approval.

 HAREDI YESHIVA students

From loss to lifesaving: United Hatzalah officer Linor Attias reflects on her journey to save lives

“Nothing prepared me for October 7,” said United Hatzalah senior officer Linor Attias. “This is my people, my country. I was one of the victims.”

Three women EMT volunteers of United Hatzalah after finishing an ambulance shift in Jerusalem, one haredi, one religious Muslim, and one secular.

Under Iran fire, Israel’s basic cost-of-living gaps run deeper than income data suggests - study

Even before the current campaign, the Bank of Israel said in February that geopolitical uncertainty had resurfaced amid the prospect of a confrontation with Iran.

A vendor continues selling at Jerusalem's Mahane Yehuda market during the war with Iran, March 2026.

'Status quo is dead’: Opposition slams passing law expanding rabbinical courts’ powers amid war

The Knesset debates a bill expanding rabbinical courts’ powers, with critics warning of broader legal and social implications

Opposition leader Yair Lapid slams passing law expanding rabbinical courts’ powers amid war at a party press conference in the Knesset on Monday, March 23, 2026.

Knesset says Finance Ministry acted unlawfully on haredi funding transfers

Knesset officials say haredi funds were distributed before approval, raising legal concerns ahead of a High Court hearing on the dispute.

 Jewish yeshiva students study at the Kamenitz Yeshiva, in Jerusalem on September 9, 2024.

IDF’s haredi Hashmonaim Brigade sees first operations in Lebanon in current war

"This is another milestone for the brigade, which will continue to operate on the front lines of combat while maintaining the ultra-Orthodox lifestyle of its fighters," Lieutenant Colonel S. said.

Soldier from the IDF's Hashmonaim brigade operating in southern Lebanon, March 23, 2026.

NY postal worker arrested for shoving four-year-old hassidic boy to the ground

Video footage showed the boy approaching the mail truck before the postal worker came out and forcefully knocked the child to the ground. 

A view of USPS trucks after a day of heavy snowfall on February 23, 2026 in New York City.