Ultra-Orthodox

Jerusalem court sends senior Lev Tahor cult leader Elazar Rumpler to prison in child abuse case

Elazar Rumpler, a Lev Tahor haredi cult leader, was sentenced to two years in prison and ordered to pay a total of NIS 22,000 in fines and compensation for assaulting a 10-year-old child.

Elazar Rumpler, a senior leader within haredi cult Lev Tahor, appearing in the Jerusalem District Court for a hearing in 2020; illustrative.
Opposition head Yair Lapid arrives for a court hearing at the Supreme Court on a petition against the transfer of funds to ultra-Orthodox educational institutions, January 8, 2026

Knesset stole billions from Israelis to fund haredi schools, Lapid claims

the scene where a teenager was killed and three others were injured after being hit by a bus near rally against the recruitment of Ultra orthodox Jews to the IDF, in Jerusalem, January 6, 2026.

Court releases bus driver who fatally rammed haredi teen to three days of house arrest

 Attorney-General Gali Baharav Miara attends the swearing-in ceremony of Justice Isaac Amit as president of the Supreme Court, at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem in February 2025.

Israel must halt funding of haredi schools lacking legal standards, court rules


IDF's haredi Hashmonaim Brigade completes first operational activity in southern Syria

Also on Thursday, soldiers of the IDF's Brigade 636 killed a terrorist who threw stones at them near the village of Luban al-Sharqiyya in the West Bank during an overnight ambush.

Soldiers of the Hashmonaim Brigade complete first operational activity in southern Syria, January 1, 2026.

High Court to hear two cases blocking haredi education funds amid legal disputes

Supreme Court Justice Yael Willner ordered that hearings in both cases be held by January 8, and instructed the parties to submit preliminary responses up to 24 hours beforehand.

Supreme Court justices preside over a hearing at the High Court of Justice in Jerusalem, December 1, 2025

Petah Tikva declared 'red city' for measles outbreak, six-month-old children to be vaccinated

According to the ministry’s statement, the exceptional step was taken due to the rapid spread of the disease in the city and the makeup of the population.

Cases of the measles rise in Israel.

High Court freezes Tel Aviv chief rabbi election, citing flawed consultation process

A High Court order has postponed the Tel Aviv chief rabbi election after judges found procedural shortcomings in how ministry representatives were presented to the city council.

 SUPREME COURT President Isaac Amit presides over a hearing last Tuesday on petitions against the cabinet’s firing of Shin Bet head Ronen Bar.

Two policemen injured at religious youth protest in Jerusalem marking Ahuvia Sandak's death

The protesters, a group of young right-wing nationalists, took to the streets to mark five years since the death of hilltop youth Ahuvia Sandak.

A police officer's bandaged hand is seen during protests in Jerusalem, December 27, 2025

Between ultra-Orthodox draft and Knesset coalition, Israel's democracy is too complicated - opinion

The composition of our fragile coalition in the Knesset, mirrored in the cabinet, makes governing our already volatile population factions extremely difficult.

Protests against haredi draft begins in Jerusalem, October 30, 2025.

Why Israel's draft law will not solve the IDF's manpower problem - opinion

Total victory is not achieved through false faith, but through difficult decisions. It requires serious, painful thinking, especially regarding the immediate term. This draft law does not do that.

Ultra-Orthodox Jews carry a banner in Hebrew that reads, “to prison and not the army,” during a “million man” protest against military conscription, in Jerusalem October 30, 2025.

Israel Hofsheet petitions High Court to freeze haredi national-civic service track

Israel Hofsheet asked the High Court to freeze the national civic service track it says lets haredi men avoid IDF enlistment without a legal basis.

 Ultra orthodox Jews scuffle with police during a protest against the drafting of ultra orthodox jews outside an IDF Recruitment Center in Jeursalem, November 12, 2025.

Ultra-Orthodox rioters throw stones at bus carrying IDF soldiers during Jerusalem protest

Soldiers tried to help the police disperse the rioters, but were forced to go back inside the bus violently. The police had to use stun grenades to disperse the rioting crowd.

Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men clash with police during a protest following the issuance of a parking ticket on Bar-Ilan Road in Jerusalem, on December 18, 2025.

Thirteen officers injured as ultra-Orthodox Jews riot over parking ticket, four arrested

Rioters hurled stones, vandalized a police vehicle and property, and threw trash cans at officers after police tried to issue a routine parking ticket in Jerusalem.

Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men clash with police during a protest following the issuance of a parking ticket in Jerusalem, December 18, 2025

Israel’s 'supreme' democracy: Who really decides the nation’s values - opinion

From Barak to today’s High Court, a quiet revolution has ignited a fierce debate over democracy in Israel.

Former high Court president Aharon Barak is seen at a conference of the Israeli Association of Public Law (IAPL) in Haifa, earleir this month. Arguments over judicial overreach and activism in Israel have been ongoing for years, the writer notes.