Haredi

'I don’t care about optics': Inside United Hatzalah’s Jerusalem daycare disaster response

United Hatzalah responders treated children, managed a possible toxic threat, and supported parents during a crisis at a Jerusalem daycare.

Israel Police take a woman in for questioning.
The weekly news roundup with Jacob Laznik, host of The Deep Dive.

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First responders at the scene where dozens of toddlers were suspected to have been badly poisoned at a daycare in Jerusalem. January 19, 2026.

High Court of Justice blocks autopsies of dead infants from Jerusalem daycare disaster

Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men block a road and clash with police during a protest against the autopsy of toddlers who died in a daycare, in Jerusalem, January 20, 2026

Ultra-Orthodox rioters throw stones, call police 'Nazis' in protests over dead infants' autopsies


Jerusalem court sends senior Lev Tahor cult leader Elazar Rumpler to prison in child abuse case

Elazar Rumpler, a Lev Tahor haredi cult leader, was sentenced to two years in prison and ordered to pay a total of NIS 22,000 in fines and compensation for assaulting a 10-year-old child.

Elazar Rumpler, a senior leader within haredi cult Lev Tahor, appearing in the Jerusalem District Court for a hearing in 2020; illustrative.

Knesset stole billions from Israelis to fund haredi schools, Lapid claims

“The money was transferred to schools that do not teach the core curriculum, that are subject to no oversight of any kind, in violation of the law,” Lapid said.

Opposition head Yair Lapid arrives for a court hearing at the Supreme Court on a petition against the transfer of funds to ultra-Orthodox educational institutions, January 8, 2026

Israel must halt funding of haredi schools lacking legal standards, court rules

In the opinion sent to Education Minister Yoav Kisch, the Attorney-General’s Office stated that the continued funding of institutions that do not meet statutory obligations “cannot persist.”

 Attorney-General Gali Baharav Miara attends the swearing-in ceremony of Justice Isaac Amit as president of the Supreme Court, at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem in February 2025.

Netzah Yehuda: Bridging faith, service, and national unity

The IDF battalion’s leadership will take the stage at The Jerusalem Post Miami Summit to discuss integrating faith, military service, and social cohesion.

 NETZAH YEHUDA soldiers at the dedication of a Torah scroll at the Erez Crossing.

Millions transferred to haredi schools without Knesset approval, state admits to court

During the hearing, a state representative acknowledged that a significant portion of the funds had already been transferred prior to the Finance Committee discussion.

Opposition head Yair Lapid arrives for a court hearing at the Supreme Court on a petition against the transfer of funds to ultra-Orthodox educational institutions, January 8, 2026

Rabbi Uri Lupolianski, first haredi mayor of Jerusalem and Yad Sarah founder, dies at 74

He served as mayor of Jerusalem from 2003 to 2008, becoming the first haredi (ultra-Orthodox) politician elected to the role.

 Former Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupolianski is greeted by supporters as he arrives to Yad Sarah foundation in Jerusalem. Lupolianski, founder of the Yad Sarah, the largest national volunteer organization in Israel. December 29, 2015.

Court extends detention of bus driver who rammed into ultra-Orthodox protesters

The court ordered the suspect held until January 15 to allow investigators to complete inquiries into the circumstances of the incident.

Signs from mass haredi protest against draft law in Jerusalem, January 6, 2026.

Bus driver rams into ultra-Orthodox protesters in Jerusalem, 14-year-old killed

Thousands of haredi (ultra-Orthodox) protesters gathered in Israel's capital on Tuesday evening • Driver arrested after killing one, injuring three others • Shas: "Haredi blood is not cheap."

Security and rescue forces are seen at the scene where a teenager was killed and three others were injured after being hit by a bus in Jerusalem, January 6, 2026

From yellow badges to ‘extermination ovens’: Toxic rhetoric of haredi draft protests - editorial

The latest affront occurred on Sunday when UTJ chairperson Yitzhak Goldknopf compared enforcing yeshiva students’ conscription to “placing a yellow badge on them.”

Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) protesters gather in Mea She'arim, Jerusalem, to celebrate draft dodgers' release from miiltary prison, November 30, 2025; illustrative.

Shas threatens to vote down 2026 state budget if haredi draft law not passed

Without the support of Shas lawmakers, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government could lack the votes needed to pass the budget.

 Shas faction meeting in the Israeli parliament on December 8, 2025.