Haredim

The long arc of Israeli protests: A nation’s conscience or Achilles’ heel? - analysis

Protests have long been a defining feature of Israel’s democracy – they give voice to anguish, mobilize citizens, and hold leaders to account. But they are not inherently virtuous.

STUDENTS PROTEST outside the Education Ministry in Tel Aviv, Sept. 1, the first  day of school. Their banner reads, ‘Without the hostages, there is no learning [school].’
 Ultra orthodox Jewish men protest at construction site in Yehud, claiming the construction site is on Jewish graves, on May 27, 2025.

War Diary: Religious warfare - opinion

MK Moshe Gafni in the Knesset plenum, in Jerusalem, December 4, 2024

The government continues, but without the haredim

Jewish men pray at the tomb of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov in Uman, ahead of the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah, October 1, 2024

Israel plans Moldova terminal as part of NIS 20 million Uman operation - report


Solomon’s judgment: The need for a shared dream to save the hostages - opinion

If we keep clinging to “I’m right, you’re wrong,” we will remain stuck, and the hostages will remain in captivity.

DEMONSTRATORS CALL for the release of the hostages in Tel Aviv this week. The writer asks: How did such an issue as the hostages, and solidarity with their families, become yet another weapon in Israel’s endless political battles?

Mixed results, but haredi Hashmonaim Brigade plods on

The IDF is set to open its third haredi Hashmonaim Brigade Company, reflecting steady progress but highlighting ongoing challenges in haredi military integration.

The first regular company of the Haredi "Hashmonaim" Brigade received their berets on Wednesday August 6, 2025

Military announces new, last-ditch plan to re-enlist draft-dodgers

The new option will be available for draft dodgers until this coming Thursday.

 Haredi men are seen protesting the effort to draft ultra-Orthodox Israelis into the IDF.

Nation of soldiers or Jewish nation? Why Israel must not erase its soul - opinion

The Talmud itself debates the balance between military defense and spiritual commitment. But what we are seeing today is not a debate; it is an attempt to erase the Torah’s role in Israel’s future. 

 ‘THE HAREDI leadership argues that it is forbidden to draft yeshiva students whose Torah is their profession and that they defend the State of Israel through their studies.’

What is Shabbat life like in the most populated Jewish municipalities?

NGO report assesses weekend activity options in 53 non-ultra-orthodox municipalities.

Women light the shabbat candles, in Tel Aviv, on June 20, 2025

Boaz Bismuth must introduce bill to formalize equal draft to include all haredim - editorial

Edelstein’s draft framework, which he and his team left as an inheritance of sorts, outlines agreements reached with the haredim throughout the war, as well as the gaps that remain.

MK Boaz Bismuth attends a Defense and Foreign Affairs Committee meeting at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem July 8, 2025

International yeshiva students answer IDF's call as Har Etzion breaks records

This week, 32 overseas students from the prestigious yeshiva will be drafting into the IDF alongside their Israeli peers – the highest number in the yeshiva’s 56-year history.

HARAV AHARON LICHTENSTEIN, longtime rosh Yeshivat Har Etzion, with IDF soldiers in 2008.

Ultra-Orthodox paper calls for 'war' on government amid IDF conscription tensions

The Yated Ne’eman newspaper is affiliated with the haredi Lithuanian faction, Degel Hatorah, which forms part of the United Torah Judaism (UTJ) party.  

 A haredi (ultra-Orthodox) man reads a newspaper.

Grapevine July 27, 2025: Changing the haredi image

Movers and shakers in Israeli society.

HAREDI BOYS from Bnei Brak show their physical abilities.

Understanding the ultra-Orthodox: Is haredim in the army a pipe dream or within reach?

Fears, hopes, and the IDF’s efforts to work with the community – and improve conditions to maximize ultra-Orthodox recruitment

Soldiers of the Neztah Yehuda Battalion complete the final stages of a 40 kilometer journey all throught the night of Feb 16 2010.

There is nothing in the news that is new - opinion

I desperately hope that by the time this is published, it will all be out of date – that, happily, will be something new.

 COULD A visit to my hairdresser lift my gray mood?