Haredi

Grapevine, January 9, 2025: An embassy row in Jerusalem?

Movers and shakers in Israeli society.

Micky Maltz.
A government supporter gestures as he participates in a march calling for the release of Venezuela’s ousted President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, after they were captured in a U.S. operation in the capital on January 3, in Caracas, Venezuela, January 7, 2026.

Maduro's downfall: Was the US capture of Maduro legal?

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

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

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

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


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.

Ultra-Orthodox protests erupt across Israel on haredi IDF enlistment day

Disturbances occurred when protesters attempted to block vehicles by lying on the roadway in Kiryat Ono, Israel Police said.

Ultra-Orthodox protests erupt across Israel on haredi IDF enlistment day

IDF's haredi Hashmonaim Brigade completes first operational activity in southern Syria

Also on Thursday, soldiers of the IDF's Brigade 636 killed a terrorist who threw stones at them near the village of Luban al-Sharqiyya in the West Bank during an overnight ambush.

Soldiers of the Hashmonaim Brigade complete first operational activity in southern Syria, January 1, 2026.

High Court to hear two cases blocking haredi education funds amid legal disputes

Supreme Court Justice Yael Willner ordered that hearings in both cases be held by January 8, and instructed the parties to submit preliminary responses up to 24 hours beforehand.

Supreme Court justices preside over a hearing at the High Court of Justice in Jerusalem, December 1, 2025