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ultra-Orthodox soldiers

Rabbi Dov Lando speaks on April 26, 2026. (Courtesy)
July 20, 2026, 7:30 pm
Top Haredi rabbi says religious soldiers committing murder; Netanyahu issues rare criticism
Degel HaTorah spiritual leader suggests Israel sends soldiers to war ‘for the honor of the state,’ which ‘incites murder’; Haredi lawmakers defend his comments
By ToI Staff
Rabbis Dov Lando (left) and Moshe Hillel Hirsch (center) attend an anti-enlistment conference organized by the Vaad HaYeshivot (Yeshiva Committee), July 31, 2025. (Shuki Lehrer)
January 22, 2026, 12:28 am
New recordings indicate Haredi rabbis see conscription law merely as way to buy time
In leaked conversations, ultra-Orthodox leaders admit bill will eventually be canceled by High Court, but insist no members of community will be forced to serve in IDF
By Stav Levaton and ToI Staff
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi at a press conference at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem, on September 28, 2023 (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
November 28, 2025, 5:01 pm
Haredi draft exemption bill ‘endangers Israel’s future,’ says PM’s former security adviser
Hanegbi says legislation ‘enables evasion’; head of NGO supporting Haredi soldiers calls for major changes, says bill lacks structured plan for integration
By ToI Staff
Ultra-Orthodox protesters against the jailing of yeshiva students who failed to comply with an army recruitment order, outside the military prison in Beit Lid, near Kfar Yona, August 20, 2025. (Gili Yaari /Flash90)
August 20, 2025, 11:21 pm
Haredi anti-enlistment protesters block roads, clash with motorists in ‘day of rage’
Demonstrators yell ‘shiksa’ and throw water on woman who kicked protester; one climbs atop car breaking highway blockade, another arrested for spitting on police officer
By Sam Sokol, Charlie Summers and ToI Staff
Rabbi Dov Lando addresses an anti-enlistment conference in Bnei Brak, July 31, 2025. (Daniel Nafusi)
August 6, 2025, 9:55 pm
Senior Haredi leader threatens ‘global struggle like never before’ to avoid IDF draft
Ultra-Orthodox party source says community has plans for ‘quiet civil disobedience,’ while other sources say it has little power to prevent arrests of draft dodgers
By Sam Sokol
Ultra-Orthodox soldiers from the Hasmonean Brigade take part in a ceremony, after completing seven months of basic and advanced training, at the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City on August 6, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
August 6, 2025, 4:26 pm
New Haredi brigade finishes combat training amid ongoing schism over enlistment
Hasmonean Brigade troops are meant to demonstrate that military service can go hand in hand with ultra-Orthodox observance: ‘There is nothing more Jewish than defending the Land of Israel’
By Emanuel Fabian and Sam Sokol
Illustrative: An Israeli soldier on a tank salutes in front of an Israeli flag at an IDF gathering point in a field near the Israeli border with Gaza, 2014. (Edi Israel/FLASH90)
July 19, 2025, 8:09 am
Alone in uniform: Israel’s overlooked sabra lone soldiers come from broken or Haredi homes
Thousands of native-born Israelis serve in the IDF without family support — but unlike immigrant volunteers, their struggles rarely make headlines
By Stav Levaton
A Memorial Day ceremony honoring fallen soldiers from Haredi tracks in Jerusalem on April 29, 2025. (Haim Twito)
April 30, 2025, 3:40 am
As IDF draft battle rages, Haredim gather on Memorial Day to mourn their fallen soldiers
Over 3,000 people attend special ceremony in Jerusalem honoring those who died while serving in army’s ultra-Orthodox tracks: ‘A Torah scroll in one hand and David’s sword in the other’
By Rossella Tercatin
Rabbi David Leybel, founder of Achvat Torah, in his Jerusalem office, March 2025. (Rossella Tercatin/Times of Israel)
March 25, 2025, 5:14 pm
‘Our shared nation is under attack’: A Haredi rabbi explains how to draft the ultra-Orthodox
Rabbi David Leybel has already registered significant achievements in integrating Haredim into the workforce. Now he’s turning his sights on military service
By Rossella Tercatin
Ultra-Orthodox protesters hold up a sign reading 'We will die rather than enlist,' while blocking a road during a protest against the military draft, in Bnei Brak, November 17, 2024. (Erik Marmor/ Flash90)
November 17, 2024, 8:13 pm
First 1,000 of 7,000 new Haredi enlistment orders sent out, sparking protests
Hundreds of ultra-Orthodox men block Route 4 near Bnei Brak, as extremist faction’s rabbi says sending Haredim to IDF ‘destroys the Torah, destroys Judaism and destroys everything’
By Emanuel Fabian and ToI Staff
Thousands of ultra-Orthodox -- photographed here through a metal fence -- attend a rally against the conscription of Haredi yeshiva students to the military, in Jerusalem's Mea Shearim neighborhood on June 30, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
November 17, 2024, 3:53 pm
Haredi draft is no longer a mere political issue: The IDF’s readiness depends on it
Over the past year, the outgoing head of the Personnel Directorate devoted most of his time to quiet diplomacy with rabbis in the ultra-Orthodox community. It didn’t work
By Amir Bar Shalom
Illustrative: Israeli soldiers operate in the Gaza Strip, in photos released on October 10, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
October 10, 2024, 10:47 pm
New top Sephardic rabbi backs rulings that soldiers in combat must eat on Yom Kippur
Seeking to allay concerns of ultra-Orthodox troops in Gaza, David Yosef notes existing protocols barring them from fasting, says when in doubt they should turn to IDF rabbis
By Mati Wagner
A Haredi draftee is received by a soldier at the Tel Hashomer base in central Israel, August 6, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
August 22, 2024, 2:32 am
IDF: Only some 70 Haredi men have reported to induction centers since High Court ruling
Landmark decision in June declared there is no legal basis to excuse ultra-Orthodox from compulsory service, but less than three percent of 3,000 drafted have so far cooperated
By Emanuel Fabian
Illustrative: The hesder yeshiva in the Itamar settlement in the West Bank, May 2, 2021. (Sraya Diamant/Flash90)
August 19, 2024, 5:50 pm
Report: Gallant approved 7 new ‘hesder’ yeshivas for ultra-Orthodox soldiers
Decision to launch more Haredi establishments that combine military service with Torah studies comes amid bitter dispute over High Court mandating yeshiva students’ enlistment
By ToI Staff
Iran's acting foreign minister Ali Bagheri (L) welcomes his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi ahead of their meeting in Tehran on August 4, 2024. (AFP)
August 8, 2024, 1:52 pm
Daily Briefing Aug. 8: Day 307 – Who is on ‘Team Israel’ as the waiting game continues
Editor David Horovitz weighs in on the diplomatic efforts to contain a potential Iran strike, discusses the need for dialogue to solve the issue of universal conscription
By ToI Staff
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