Prosecutors file charges against a man who allegedly participated in an anti-draft riot outside the Beit Shemesh police station at the start of the month, when Haredi extremists broke into the facility’s premises.
Yosef Friedman, a 46-year-old resident of the city, is accused of setting fire to shrubbery three times during the overnight riot on May 31, in which hundreds of ultra-Orthodox men gathered to protest the arrest of a draft evader.
“Over the course of the night, hundreds of demonstrators gathered in the area, and the protest deteriorated into violent riots,” prosecutors say of the incident.
Rioters broke through the station gate, attacked officers, threw stones and other objects, damaged property and set fires, according to the State Attorney’s Office.
Friedman was arrested alongside seven other suspects during the disorder. He in particular is charged in the Jerusalem District Court on three counts of arson and one count of rioting.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Monday, June 22, 2026
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
