A riot broke out in Bnei Brak on Sunday during an event from the Hashmonaim Brigade, the IDF's ultra-Orthodox brigade, with the brigade commander, Col. Avinoam Emunah, needing to be rescued from the scene.
The event was interrupted by a group of several dozen haredi extremists associated with the Jerusalem faction, who tried to break into the compound where the informative meeting for parents of soldiers enlisted in the brigade was taking place.
Because of the commotion, the Israeli Police and the Border Police had to intervene, with only two soldiers being injured according to the official reports.
The situation was brought under control, but both Col. Emunah and Lt. Col. Elhanan Wasserman - another commander from the Hashmonaim Brigade - had to leave the premises under heavy police custody.
"The IDF strongly condemns any manifestation of violence against its commanders and soldiers," said the army in a statement shared by Army Radio, where it also assured that no soldiers were injured during the riots.
One of the parents who assisted the conference told The Jerusalem Post sister site Walla that his children enlist and serve in the IDF out of choice and faith.
"Encountering violence, curses, and pressure from members of that same community is a difficult, hurtful, and painful experience. I'm ashamed that this is how we haredim are seen externally," he shared.
Anti-draft protests on Highway 38, Beit Shemesh
Another protest was held on Sunday at the entrance to Beit Shemesh on Highway 38, where members of the ultra-Orthodox community blocked traffic and refused to leave.
The police were then forced to use force in order to disperse the protest, assuring that it was creating a real risk to road users.
Protests intensified during the last couple of weeks, with current data indicating that 19 ultra-Orthodox recruits are being held in military prisons due to draft evasion.