Yeshiva students

'We do whatever they say': Yeshiva students defer to rabbis over response to IDF draft enforcement

When a group of young men was asked whether some yeshiva students wanted to enlist but refrained because their rabbis forbade it, several agreed, with one answering, “of course.”

Tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews attend an election rally organized by the United Torah Judaism party in the ultra-Orthodox city of Bnei Brak, central Israel, two days ahead of Israel’s general elections, October 25, 2026.
An illustrative image.

Bread as a weapon: The ugly pedigree of ‘no service, no shekel’ - opinion

Benjamin Hassin overlooks the Western Wall, just weeks after returning to Israel following more than 11 years in Iraqi prisons, including nearly five years under a death sentence.

The long way home: Free after decade in Iraqi prison, Benjamin Hassin begins new life in Jerusalem

Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men block a road and clash with police during a protest against the jailing of yeshiva students who failed to comply with Israeli military draft orders, in Jerusalem, August 2, 2026.

Israel Police says 143 draft evaders were released as IDF failed to meet detention deadlines


Torah MiTzion marks 30 years of strengthening ties between Israel, Diaspora Jewry

Hundreds of former emissaries and community leaders gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate three decades of Jewish education and religious-Zionist outreach across more than 20 countries.

Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion addresses Torah MiTzion’s 30th-anniversary celebration at the International Convention Center in Jerusalem on October 13, 2026

Argentine President Javier Milei dances with yeshiva students after receiving Lover of Israel prize

In his speech at the yeshiva, Milei thanked his hosts for presenting him with the award and said he viewed it as a commitment to continue supporting the Jewish people.

Argentina's President Javier Milei attends a meeting of the Shield of the Americas on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, US, September 22, 2026.

25,000 seminary girls recruited to fund haredi yeshivas amid draft crisis - report

KAN reported that 25,000 seminary girls participated in the phone-calling campaign and raised over NIS 11 million. Each girl was given a personal fundraising goal of NIS 8,400.

 Haredim protest against the IDF draft on Highway 4 outside Bnei Brak; illustrative, April 6, 2025.

Why Israel’s Arab-Jewish coexistence is stronger than its racists - opinion

A hospital visit offered hope for Arab-Jewish coexistence. A light rail encounter revealed how much hatred still threatens it.

View of Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center in Jerusalem, July 1, 2026.

Netanyahu warns that an attack from Tehran would be 'one of their last decisions'

Netanyahu made his remarks during an event at a Sderot hesder yeshiva, with N12 News reporting that some of the students began to sing anti-Palestinian songs in front of the prime minister.

An F-35 adir from 140 squadron take part in an Israeli air force air show during the graduation ceremony for soldiers who have completed the IAF Flight Course, at the Hatzerim Air Base in the Negev desert, June 29, 2023.

Smotrich calls on Netanyahu to conquer Gaza under military rule, re-establish settlements

"There is no one in the world who will do the work for us. There is no country in the world that will send its soldiers to shed their blood and forcibly disarm Hamas," he told the students.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich at the Sderot Yeshiva, August 16, 2026.

Petition seeks to block yeshiva project for foreign students on east Jerusalem public land

The petitioners also asked the court, sitting as an Administrative Affairs Court, to freeze the plan while it considers their challenge.

An Ultra-Orthodox Jewish man walks in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of east Jerusalem, on November 17, 2025.

Knesset passes contentious haredi-backed bill to enshrine Torah study in Israel's Basic Law

The haredi-backed Basic Law passed its final Knesset votes after weeks of coalition tensions and warnings that it could encourage draft evasion.

MK Yitzhak Goldknopf (United Torah Judaism) attends a House committee meeting at the Knesset, July 12, 2026.

Israel's hysterical Torah study bill will backfire on the ultra-Orthodox - opinion

What’s really happening is a payoff to the haredi (ultra-Orthodox) political parties, against the will of an overwhelming majority of Israelis and in direct defiance of the Supreme Court.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives at Knesset plenum to vote in favor of Basic: Law Torah Study bill, shaking hands with Degel Hatorah leader MK Moshe Gafni, Wednesday, July 1, 2026.

Laundering human capital: The reckless amnesty bills and their debasement of the Torah - opinion

Under the guise of concern for the world of Torah, two bills are on the table: the Basic Law: Torah Study on the one side, and the Law of Exemption from Arrests on the other. 

Haredi anti-draft protesters block Highway 4 near Bnei Brak denouncing the detention of a draft dodger, February 9, 2026.