IsraelCharedi draft protests turn ugly as tax inspectors attacked in Bnei BrakThe unrest came despite the Knesset passing a bill this week freezing the arrest of draft dodgersBy Melanie Swan1 min read
IsraelKnesset restores Chief Rabbinate’s monopoly over Kashrut certificationThe bill was a key part of an unofficial pact between the coalition and the Charedi parties, assuring mutual support for key legislative prioritiesBy Arthur Popivker1 min read
Israeli PoliticsIsrael's top court freezes law halting arrests of Charedi draft dodgersA Likud MK who resigned over the issue said his party had been ‘hijacked’ and claimed that a significant chunk of its lawmakers supported a move to oust Prime Minister NetanyahuBy Melanie Swan3 min read
By Stephen PollardIf Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is easier to enlist than the Charedim, Israel has a problemIt is increasingly clear that the October election will be about more than politics and security. It will be about Israel’s soul as hard liners and extremists who would once have been shunned are handed power and influence2 min read
IDFIDF ‘will not sign mass exemptions’, warns army chief amid freeze on Charedi draft dodge arrestsPrime Minister Netanyahu was heckled in the Knesset during the debate on the contentious bill and was not present for the final vote, which saw it pass narrowlyBy Melanie Swan1 min read
By Yaakov KatzNetanyahu’s Torah study law is really about keeping the Charedi closeWith opposition leaders hinting that they would be willing to work with the strictly Orthodox, the prime minister is rushing to keep his coalition partners inside the right-wing bloc after the elections4 min read
By Ashley PerryNetanyahu signals shift as Likud voters sour on Charedi draft evasionHis reference to a ‘broad national government’ was not simply a warning to the strictly Orthodox that he has other coalition options. It was an acknowledgement that his own electoral base is changing4 min read
Knesset advances controversial Torah study Basic Law amid draft exemption rowThe law would designate religious education as a foundational value of Israel, but critics claim it could be used to help students avoid the draftBy Melanie Swan1 min read||July 2, 2026 10:48
Gateshead welcomes its new RavRav Yisroel Mantel has been inaugurated in his new role as head of the north-east Charedi communityBy Simon Rocker1 min read||July 1, 2026 11:33
Netanyahu condemns Charedi rioters over attack on Supreme Court justice's homeStriclty-Orthodox men smashed the windows of Judge Noam Sohlberg’s West Bank home while he and his wife and children were inside amid violent protests about the enforcement of conscription on yeshiva studentsBy JC Reporter2 min read||June 4, 2026 14:51
Charedi mob tries to storm police station after ‘deserter’ arrestDemocrats leader Yair Golan blamed Benjamin Netanyahu’s ‘policy of evasion’ around the highly charged issue of Charedi conscriptionBy Lianne Kolirin 1 min read||May 26, 2026 11:32
Peer’s passionate defence of Charedi educationLord Marks appeals for understanding after passing of new law that will introduce regulation of yeshivotBy Simon Rocker2 min read||May 21, 2026 15:54
Spiritual leader of Charedi faction orders MKs to take steps to dissolve KnessetRabbi Dov Lando indicated a final split with the Netanyahu coalition as he called on lawmakers to force early elections amid the long-running row over yeshiva conscriptionBy Melanie Swan1 min read||May 13, 2026 14:44
Lag B’Omer chaos as Charedim break police blockade at Mount MeronThe latest unrest among the strictly-Orthodox community came after a disappointing IDF recruitment drive and continuing disputes over conscription from yeshivotBy Melanie Swan1 min read||May 5, 2026 15:10
The Schools Bill debate: ‘Yeshivot will not be classified as schools’New regulations should recognise the distinctive character of yeshivot and not adopt a one-size-fits-all approachBy Rabbi Jonathan Guttentag3 min read||April 10, 2026 15:02
Court rejects bid to extend free school meals to Charedi independent schoolsJudge said parents had choice to send children to Jewish state schoolsBy Simon Rocker2 min read||March 31, 2026 15:45
