Charedi

Israeli Supreme Court strikes down ‘unconstitutional’ freeze on arrests of Charedi draft dodgers

Supreme Court Deputy President Noam Sohlberg said the law ‘constitutes clear discrimination in the enforcement of the law, based on sectoral-religious affiliation’

By Jacob Jaffa

1 min read

Supreme Court justices during a hearing on petitions against the law freezing arrests, investigations and enforcement measures against Charedi draft evaders on July 28, 2026 (Flash90)

Screenshot from a video posted by the IDF's Charedi Affairs account (X/DoronKadosh)

IDF

IDF posts then deletes AI video telling Charedi draft dodgers how to avoid being stopped at the border

By Jacob Jaffa

1 min read

Strictly Orthodox Jewish men protest the arrests of draft dodgers, near Bet Lid military prison in Kfar Yona in central Israel in June 2026 (Photo: AFP/Getty)

Charedi

Financial sanctions against Charedi schools allowing draft dodgers to study expanded

By Melanie Swan

1 min read

Shas

Strictly-Orthodox Shas party ordered to remove election ad featuring IDF soldier

By Jacob Jaffa

1 min read

Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, during a weekly teaching at the Yazdim synagogue in Jerusalem, on June 07, 2025 (Flash90)

Israeli Politics

Former Sephardi Chief Rabbi given greater control over Shas party after ‘reconciliation’ with leader

By Jacob Jaffa

2 min read

By Rabbi Karmi Gross

The Orthodox will not only join the IDF in large numbers – they will influence it

5 min read

Haredi men for illustration (Image: Getty Images)

Business

Charedi entrepreneur mentorship programme raises £46m

By Jamie Shapiro

1 min read

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Orthodox lawyer calls for rabbinic intervention as wig prices soar over £8,000

The Charedi community has also raised concerns over the rising cost of traditional fur shtreimels worn by some Chasidic men

By Melanie Swan

1 min read

August 5, 2026 11:48

An Orthodox Jewish woman shopping for wigs in Bnei Brak, Israel (Getty Images)

Charedi draft protests turn ugly as tax inspectors attacked in Bnei Brak

The unrest came despite the Knesset passing a bill this week freezing the arrest of draft dodgers

By Melanie Swan

1 min read

July 17, 2026 14:41

Charedi men block a road during a protest against the jailing of yeshivah students who failed to comply with an army recruitment order on Road 4, near Bnei Brak, on July 16, 2026 (Flash90)

Knesset restores Chief Rabbinate’s monopoly over Kashrut certification

The bill was a key part of an unofficial pact between the coalition and the Charedi parties, assuring mutual support for key legislative priorities

By Arthur Popivker

1 min read

July 16, 2026 14:57

A Charedi man stands outside the Chief Rabbinate headquarters in Jerusalem on October 31, 2024 (Flash90)

Israel's top court freezes law halting arrests of Charedi draft dodgers

A 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 Netanyahu

By Melanie Swan

3 min read

July 16, 2026 11:00

The Supreme Court sits during a hearing in Jerusalem on July 13, 2026 (Flash90)

By Stephen Pollard

If Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is easier to enlist than the Charedim, Israel has a problem

It 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 influence

2 min read

July 15, 2026 15:42

Israeli security forces attempt to disperse strictly Orthodox Jews trying to block the entrance to the Abu Kabir holding facility in Tel Aviv in protest against the arrests of Charedi draft dodgers on June 10, 2026. (Image: Getty Images)

IDF ‘will not sign mass exemptions’, warns army chief amid freeze on Charedi draft dodge arrests

Prime 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 narrowly

By Melanie Swan

1 min read

July 14, 2026 16:20

IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir attends a ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of Operation Entebbe at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem, July 12, 2026 (Flash90)

By Yaakov Katz

Netanyahu’s Torah study law is really about keeping the Charedi close

With 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 elections

4 min read

July 7, 2026 13:09

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) and Aryeh Deri, chairman of the strictly Orthodox Shas party (Image: Getty Images)

By Ashley Perry

Netanyahu signals shift as Likud voters sour on Charedi draft evasion

His 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 changing

4 min read

July 6, 2026 09:58

Prime Minister Netanyahu speaks during a press conference in Jerusalem on March 19, 2026 (Getty Images)

Knesset advances controversial Torah study Basic Law amid draft exemption row

The law would designate religious education as a foundational value of Israel, but critics claim it could be used to help students avoid the draft

By Melanie Swan

1 min read

July 2, 2026 10:48

United Torah Judaism MK Moshe Gafni outside the office of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu at the Knesset on June 3, 2026 (Flash90)

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Charedi

Israeli Supreme Court strikes down ‘unconstitutional’ freeze on arrests of Charedi draft dodgers

IDF posts then deletes AI video telling Charedi draft dodgers how to avoid being stopped at the border

Financial sanctions against Charedi schools allowing draft dodgers to study expanded

Strictly-Orthodox Shas party ordered to remove election ad featuring IDF soldier

Former Sephardi Chief Rabbi given greater control over Shas party after ‘reconciliation’ with leader

The Orthodox will not only join the IDF in large numbers – they will influence it

Charedi entrepreneur mentorship programme raises £46m

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More from Charedi

Orthodox lawyer calls for rabbinic intervention as wig prices soar over £8,000

Charedi draft protests turn ugly as tax inspectors attacked in Bnei Brak

Knesset restores Chief Rabbinate’s monopoly over Kashrut certification

Israel's top court freezes law halting arrests of Charedi draft dodgers

If Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is easier to enlist than the Charedim, Israel has a problem

IDF ‘will not sign mass exemptions’, warns army chief amid freeze on Charedi draft dodge arrests

Netanyahu’s Torah study law is really about keeping the Charedi close

Netanyahu signals shift as Likud voters sour on Charedi draft evasion

Knesset advances controversial Torah study Basic Law amid draft exemption row