Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the ultra-Orthodox riots that took place outside the home of Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg on Wednesday night in opposition to his order to increase arrests of draft evaders.
“I strongly condemn the violent riot against Justice Noam Sohlberg. Law enforcement must apply the full force of the law against the rioters,” he stated. The Prime Minister's Office said that Netanyahu called Sohlberg to inquire about his well-being and inquire whether or not he would press charges against the trespassers.
Extremist protesters caused significant property damage by smashing windows, damaging his car, and attempting to break into Sohlberg's house before attempting to flee the scene.
Police arrived at the scene shortly after and began detaining dozens of individuals for disorderly conduct.
Magen David Adom (MDA) was also called to the scene after the riot was dispersed to attend to Sohlberg, who was reportedly feeling unwell.
Justice Sohlberg's wife, Meira Sohlberg, spoke to reporters following the riot.
It cannot be that Jews do this to one another. We are children of Holocaust survivors. Jews harming each other like this - how can it be? How can it be? Look at the destruction. A pogrom. What is this? A Kristallnacht. How is this possible? There are no words.”
Israeli leaders decry violent attack on Sohlberg's home
In reaction to the incident, Justice Minister Yariv Levin stressed the serious nature of the riot and stated the violence deserves full condemnation.
“I hope that this time, law enforcement will fulfill its role in enforcing the law and curbing the violence. Those who have said there is no effective protest without disruption of public order, and who have legitimized severe violence and refusal by left-wing demonstrators, also bear direct responsibility for the rampant violence," he said.
“I stand with Deputy President Sohlberg and his family during these difficult hours and call on everyone to refrain from any violence, which has no place and is unacceptable.”
Defense Minister Israel Katz said that he “strongly condemns the attempted break-in at the home of Deputy President of the Supreme Court, Justice Noam Sohlberg.”
He added, “The rioters who carried out this serious act have no connection to the Torah or the values of the people of Israel. This is a small group of extremist criminals acting with violence and bullying, harming the values of the Torah world. In a state governed by law, there is no place for attempts at intimidation, violence, or threats against judges.”
The Movement for Quality Government in Israel, one of the petitioners behind the landmark 2025 ruling, said "A state that has rule of law cannot be silent against this violence," emphasizing that "these protesters are the very same ones that police is avoiding implementing the draft law towards, and only this week none were arrested when they arrived at the homes of police officers, when they overtook the Beit Shemesh police station and when they shut down major traffic infrastructure throughout the country for hours at a time."
Israel Hofsheet CEO Uri Keidar tied the vandalism to what he described as the government’s repeated failure to confront haredi draft evasion and related violence.
Keidar said the government had "closed its eyes" when a senior police officer was ambushed and had "applauded" when authorities backed down from arresting draft evaders.
"Whoever repeatedly surrenders to haredi violence invited, with their own hands, the attack" on Sohlberg, he said, adding that responsibility lay with what he called "the draft-dodgers' government."
Sohlberg is "a good and honest man who delivers justice that is righteous and true... and look what they did," said Rabbi Yaakov Medan, one of the rabbis who leads the Har Etzion yeshiva, located near the Sohlberg home, and a close friend of the senior judge.
Israel reaches boiling point on draft-evasion law
Twice over the past few weeks, anti-draft protesters harassed police officers in their homes and blocked major highways in defiance of the draft.
The violence comes as pressure on the coalition to pass a draft-evasion law and prevent the Knesset's dissolution has reached a boiling point.
When the existing draft framework expired in June 2023, the legal context that had allowed thousands of eligible haredi young men to avoid the draft disappeared, leaving them in limbo.
This brought the issue before the High Court of Justice, which has ruled that the government must advance a new framework.
Sohlberg, the target of the rioters, authored a key ruling on the matter in November 2025, writing that the state must move without delay to formulate an effective enforcement policy against haredi draft evasion, including meaningful criminal enforcement and broader economic and civil measures.
This opened the door to more petitions against widespread benefits, including in daycare and education, as the broader case continued to focus on criminal enforcement of evasion.