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


Haredi parties accuse Knesset foreign affairs committee legal adviser of stalling draft bill

According to senior haredi party figures quoted by Maariv, some of Frenkel-Shor’s conditions are not purely legal in nature but reflect “an ideological approach.”

MK Boaz Bismuth seen with haredi MKs and Aliyah and Integration Minister Ofir Sofer in the Knesset, Jerusalem, January 14, 2026.

Tearing Israel apart: Jew-on-Jew violence in Bnei Brak is unacceptable - opinion

Two female soldiers were attacked in Bnei Brak; if we believe in Torah and unity, Jew-on-Jew violence can never be tolerated.

Ultra-Orthodox rioters clash with police following an assault on two female Israeli soldiers in Bnei Brak, February 15, 2026.

Study shows how Israel's economy funnels money to ultra-Orthodox families through benefit programs

The study, titled "On Taxes and Wonders," mapped, for the first time comprehensively, all that Israeli citizens give to the state and all that they receive from it.

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

Ultra-Orthodox rioters to remain in custody after chasing female IDF soldiers, clashing with police

The suspects' arrests were extended until Wednesday, and one additional suspect, aged 12, was granted conditional release, the statement added. 

Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men clash with police following an assault on two female Israeli soldiers in Bnei Brak, central Israel, February 15, 2026.

Bnei Brak clashes reflect long-building tensions within haredi society, researcher says - interview

An Israel Democracy Institute researcher says the violence reflects long-standing shifts within haredi society and mounting friction over IDF conscription.

Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men clash with police following an assault on two female Israeli soldiers in Bnei Brak, central Israel, February 15, 2026.

Haredi chickens come home to roost - opinion

This catastrophic situation in Israel is the fault of the haredi leadership.

A haredi (ultra-Orthodox) woman is seen physically accosting two female Israeli police officers in Bnei Brak, on Sunday, February 15, 2026.

WATCH: Israel Police rescue two female IDF soldiers chased by ultra-Orthodox mob in Bnei Brak

Over 20 arrested as haredi parties condemn violence, stress it does not reflect the broader haredi community.

Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) mob flips police car while chasing female soldiers in Bnei Brak, February 15, 2026.

Socioeconomic intervention needed to save haredi periphery towns - opinion

Haredi women in the periphery are more educated, with increased matriculation certificates or academic degrees: 41% vs 34% in the center. Geography itself has a tangible effect on haredi lifestyles.

 Rain in Bnei Brak

The Book of Ruth: Esty Shushan, activist for haredi women, tells a different story - review

She realizes that the film, which she wrote more than a decade ago, will be seen by a largely secular audience, although she said that quite a few in the ultra-Orthodox world will likely see it too.

Israeli Esty Shushan, founder of "Nivcharot", movement to encourage haredi women to get involved in public life, gives an interview to AFP in the Israeli city of Petah Tikva on January 30, 2019

Why Jerusalem’s last-place quality of life ranking doesn’t tell the full story - opinion

A new quality of life report puts Jerusalem last, yet cranes, jobs, housing, and transit projects point to a great future.

Jerusalem is in the midst of an unprecedented development boom.