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yeshiva students

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is welcomed by yeshiva students in the southern city of Sderot, September 2, 2026. (Michael Shemesh/X)
September 3, 2026, 7:05 pm
Netanyahu nods and smiles as yeshiva students sing of taking vengeance on Palestinians
Footage shows PM standing by as students welcome him to Sderot yeshiva with song popular with the far right, based on a verse from the story of Samson
By ToI Staff
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (foreground) walks past ultra-Orthodox MKs as the Knesset prepares to pass a law banning the arrests of draft dodgers that will effectively freeze ultra-Orthodox enlistment into the IDF for at least the next seven months, July 14, 2026. Netanyahu left the chamber before the vote itself. At center, with hands around his mouth, is UTJ MK Meir Porush. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
July 14, 2026, 8:28 pm
Knesset passes law banning arrests of Haredi draft dodgers, legitimizing ongoing mass non-enlistment
Petitions against law filed to High Court; deputy minister quits in protest; Netanyahu skips vote, is denounced as ‘traitor’ by opposition MK; all ultra-Orthodox MKs proudly acknowledge they have relatives who could benefit from the law
By Ariela Karmel, Jeremy Sharon and Charlie Summers
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left) speaks to United Torah Judaism lawmakers Moshe Gafni (right) and Yitzhak Goldknopf in the Knesset plenum in Jerusalem, July 1, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
July 11, 2026, 11:43 pm
Coalition aims to pass raft of contentious bills in final week before Knesset dissolution
Legislation includes declaring Torah study a ‘foundational value,’ banning arrest of ultra-Orthodox draft evaders; unclear if bill establishing political Oct. 7 probe will pass in time
By ToI Staff and Ariela Karmel
Ultra-Orthodox demonstrators block Route 1 near Jerusalem during a protest against the imprisonment of yeshiva students who failed to comply with military recruitment orders, June 24, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
June 25, 2026, 12:58 am
Haredi convoys spark clashes, traffic chaos; most protesters fail to reach IDF prison
Police assess 1,000 cars joined anti-draft demonstration; video shows some members of public reacting violently to protesters; pregnant woman reportedly hurt in car accident caused by convoy
By Sam Sokol
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen Eyal Zamir (center) monitors Israeli strikes on Iran from the IAF war room on June 8, 2026. (IDF)
June 24, 2026, 4:27 pm
IDF chief to rabbis: We’re short thousands of troops, need female combat soldiers
In meeting with religious Zionist leaders angry over women’s inclusion in tank crews, Zamir says integration is ‘of tremendous operational importance’
By Emanuel Fabian and ToI Staff
Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Boaz Bismuth at a committee meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem, September 3, 2025. (Sam Sokol/Times of Israel)
November 15, 2025, 10:17 pm
Likud MK says IDF conscription bill aims to draft half of Haredim ‘not in yeshiva’
Controversial legislation, apparently set to enable most Haredi young men to continue to evade service in the coming years, is almost ready, says Defense Committee chair Bismuth
By Sam Sokol
Ultra-Orthodox students study Talmud at the Ateret Shlomo Yeshiva in Rishon Lezion, June 11, 2025. (Shlomi Cohen/Flash90)
September 9, 2025, 7:42 pm
Lawmakers mull lowering military exemption age for ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students
Finance Ministry says law regulating Haredi enlistment should not contain any exemption age; MK Tur-Paz calls for ‘strong sanctions, no exemptions’
By Sam Sokol
Illustrative: Ultra-Orthodox students seen at the Ponevezh Yeshiva in Bnei Brak, February 27, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/ Flash90)
July 28, 2025, 10:12 pm
Government to cut budgets of so-called ‘drop-out yeshivas’ whose students don’t enlist
‘We will do what the government refuses to do – put a complete stop to government subsidies for draft evasion,’ says Israel Hofsheet, which petitioned against funding
By Sam Sokol
Housing and Construction Minister Yitzhak Goldknopf arrives at a United Torah Judaism party meeting at the Knesset, in Jerusalem, on May 19, 2025. (Oren Ben Hakoon/Flash90)
May 28, 2025, 10:06 pm
UTJ said upping threats to ditch coalition over failure to pass Haredi draft exemptions
Reports say party will weigh quitting or moving to dissolve Knesset if law isn’t passed after Shavuot; Shas reportedly trying to keep party in government
By ToI Staff
Then-Sephardi Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef sells the hametz (leavened food) of the State of Israel ahead of the upcoming Passover holiday, in Jerusalem, April 21, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
June 30, 2024, 6:59 am
Outgoing chief rabbi says High Court justices ‘can’t hold a candle to our rabbis’
Assailing top court over ultra-Orthodox draft one last time before ending his 11-year tenure, Yitzhak Yosef adds another controversial remark to his résumé
By ToI Staff
Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men near a sign reading 'army recruitment office' during a protest against the drafting of Haredim to the military, in Jerusalem, May 1, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
June 25, 2024, 2:05 pm
In historic ruling, High Court says government must draft Haredi men into IDF
Unanimous decision also says state is barred from financially supporting yeshivas whose students are eligible for the draft, noting, ‘Burden of inequality is more acute than ever’
By Jeremy Sharon
Ultra-Orthodox men study at the Kamenitz Yeshiva, in Jerusalem, on August 22, 2023. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
February 7, 2024, 8:36 am
Inside the government-funded group arranging IDF exemptions for yeshiva students
Israel’s wartime budget includes millions of shekels for the Vaad HaYeshivot, despite a manpower shortage forcing the army to extend reservists’ mandatory service period
By Sam Sokol
Illustrative: Yeshiva students study at the Mir Brachfeld yeshiva in Modi'in Ilit on August 26, 2018. (Aharon Krohn/Flash90)
July 30, 2023, 5:37 am
Cabinet to discuss siphoning NIS 164 million from ministries to fund yeshiva students
Proposal, put on agenda late Saturday night, would include an across-the-board budget cut to fund move demanded by Haredi parties; Lapid: This government ‘doesn’t have a heart’
By Michael Bachner
Illustrative: Students study at a yeshiva in Jerusalem, September 2, 2019. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
July 17, 2023, 12:35 pm
Coalition said working to budget another NIS 100 million for Haredi yeshiva students
Report says ministers considering across-the-board spending cut to raise stipends for ultra-Orthodox men who choose religious study over work and mandatory military service
By ToI Staff
Illustrative: Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men study in the Lithuanian Slabodka yeshiva in the ultra-Orthodox city of Bnei Brak, July 8, 2013. (Yaakov Naumi/Flash90)
May 9, 2023, 8:51 pm
Stipends for married yeshiva students to nearly double in state budget – reports
Other projects set to receive millions of shekels include education program to counter Jewish assimilation abroad and advice on Orthodox family purity
By ToI Staff
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