Haredi

MK Dan Illouz quits Knesset after switch to Yisrael Beytenu, haredi man takes Likud spot

Illouz will be replaced in the Knesset by the next person on Likud's list, Shabtai Katash, a haredi (ultra-Orthodox) member of Lod's Religious Council.

|ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM
MK Dan Illouz attends a House committee meeting at the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament in Jerusalem on, June 28, 2026.
Ultra-Orthodox jewish men block a road during a protest against the jailing of yeshiva students who failed to comply with an army recruitment order, in Jerusalem, July 1, 2026; Illustrative.

Ultra-Orthodox protesters attempt to block roads near Jerusalem light rail site

Officers ordered protesters to clear the roadway as demonstrations disrupted traffic near the light rail construction site.

|ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Beit Shemesh mayor and Mayoral candidate Aliza Bloch seen during the second round of Municipal Elections, in Beit Shemesh, March 10, 2024.

Israeli elections: Ex-mayor of Beit Shemesh Aliza Bloch joins Erdan, Edelstein's right-wing party

Announcing her jump into national politics, the former mayor expressed her ambition to become the next education minister.

|ByNACHUM PERRY
Haredi protesters gather to demand the release of a draft dodger, Ahisamach, August 9, 2026.

Haredi suspect found to be draft dodger after being detained over disruptively loud noise - report

The suspect was released approximately half an hour later, before the Military Police could arrive, an organization that aids haredi draft dodgers stated.

|ByTZVI JASPER

High Court names nine-justice panel to hear petitions on law halting arrest of haredi draft dodgers

The dispute comes after a succession of increasingly forceful High Court judgments on inequality in military service and the government’s failure to enforce the existing draft law.

JULY 16, 2026BySARAH BEN-NUN
President of the Supreme Court Isaac Amit arrives for a hearing on petitions alleging flaws in the legislative process of the Communications Bill at the Supreme Court in Jerusalem, July 13, 2026.

Are there other lessons from October 7? - opinion

The October 7 massacre fell on 22 Tishrei – Shmini Atzeret and Simchat Torah, two days that signify the highest joy: one completing the festival of Sukkot, the other our rejoicing in the Torah itself

JULY 16, 2026ByELIYAHU HADDAD
Rabbi Baruch Mordechai Ezrachi delivers a torah lesson at Ateret Yisrael Yeshiva in Jerusalem, November 19, 2019.

Ultra-Orthodox protesters block Israel's Highway 4, call police 'antisemites,' injure one officer

The highway was closed between the Aluf Sade Interchange, south of Ramat Gan, and the Em Hamoshavot Interchange, north of Bnei Brak, police added.

JULY 16, 2026ByJAMES GENN
Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) children hold a sign reading that "Ir was better to die as a Jew in the Holocaust than to spiritually die in IDF camps," at a protest on Highway 4 near Bnei Brak, July 16, 2026.

Shas leader Arye Deri accuses IDF chief of 'helping the Left' with ultra-Orthodox draft stance

Deri on Zamir: 'He has lost it. What the chief of staff did... was an attempt to help the left-wing bloc' • PM hopefuls Bennett, Eisenkot swiftly condemn Shas leader's attack on IDF chief

JULY 16, 2026ByKESHET NEEV
Shas chairman MK Arye Deri attends the State Comptroller elections at the plenum of the Knesset, in Jerusalem, June 3, 2026.

Haredi women, academics file petition against Israel's new gender-segregated education law

The petition was filed hours after the Knesset approved an amendment to the law which expressly allows the Council for Higher Education to approve separate programs for men and women.

JULY 16, 2026BySARAH BEN-NUN
Activists protest against a bill promoting gender-segregated academic study tracks, introduced by MK Limor Son Har-Melech, outside the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, July 6, 2026.

Knesset approves gender-segregated graduate degree programs in late-night vote

The legislation, Amendment No. 12, 2026, was sponsored by MK Limor Son Har Melech and passed by a vote of 52-43.

JULY 16, 2026ByNAHUM PERRY
MK Limor Son Har-Melech reacts during a National Security committee meeting at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament on March 5, 2024; illustrative.

Ultra-Orthodox protesters block roads demanding end to IDF recruitment

Some protesters were seen holding signs asking US President Donald Trump to "save" the haredis from being recruited.

JULY 15, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Haredi protesters holding signs asking US President Donald Trump to save them from being drafted, July 15, 2026.

When Shabbat becomes a battleground - opinion

I sat on my balcony watching around 50 haredi (ultra-Orthodox) men and children harass a new cafe’s patrons and staff in Jerusalem’s city center, angry that it was operating on Shabbat.

JULY 14, 2026ByATARA RUDERMAN
POLICE ARE seen dragging an ultra-Orthodox protester away during a demonstration against a cafe operating on Shabbat while secular protesters demonstrate in support of the cafe in central Jerusalem, on July 11, 2026.

Bnei Brak set to become Israel's first city with gender-segregated streets, municipality announces

The municipality issued a statement in response to the report, saying that the decision came after a letter from the city's rabbis, while it also said that it could be further expanded in the future.

JULY 14, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Ladies in Bnei Brak watching as the men leave to protest outsidem of Military Prison 10 on June 24, 2026.

Knesset votes to freeze arrests of ultra-Orthodox draft evaders amid IDF manpower crisis

Bill passes 58-54 despite legal warnings, IDF opposition • Netanyahu heckled by opposition lawmakers shouting 'disgrace' before leaving plenum ahead of the vote

JULY 14, 2026ByKESHET NEEV
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a Knesset vote on a bill to freeze arrests of haredi draft evaders, in Jerusalem, July 14, 2026