From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, January 6, 2026
Fights erupt between Haredi demonstrators in Jerusalem and journalists, ushers
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleSam Sokol is a former political correspondent at The Times of Israel. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
Addressing the anti-conscription demonstration in Jerusalem, Rabbi Ben Zion Mutzafi, 75, one of the top Sephardic Haredi spiritual leaders, complains that the government is jailing Torah students.
“Torah scholars are not for sale. Under no circumstances will yeshiva students be conscripted,” he says, arguing that even the “wicked gentiles” don’t conscript yeshiva students.
Hundreds of Haredim scream at The Times of Israel’s reporter and others at the demonstration after they use smartphones to take pictures of the crowd from a scaffolding.
Multiple Haredim in the press area approach this correspondent afterward, insisting that using a smartphone is forbidden.
The crowd at the demonstration grows so large that it begins to strain against the barricades separating it from the rabbis and media. People are pushed against the metal fences and begin climbing over with the help of others within the enclosure, prompting rabbis to call on the demonstrators to back up before a disaster ensues.
Protesters continue to overflow the barrier, filling the press area, leading to fights with ushers attempting to control the crowd. One haredi knocks down a journalist’s smartphone.
The Times of Israel Community.