Bnei Brak Violence: Rabbinic Incitement & Draft Protests

A mob of hundreds of ultra-Orthodox men attacked two female Israel Defense Forces soldiers in Bnei Brak on Sunday afternoon, overturning a patrol car and setting fire to a police motorcycle. The incident follows increasing harsh rhetoric from leading rabbis against the military and support for draft evaders.

Incident Details

The soldiers, squad commanders in the Education and Youth Corps, were making an official home visit to a fellow soldier when they were confronted by the mob. They were not affiliated with the Military Police. The attack occurred after a resident reportedly contacted a hotline run by the Jerusalem Faction, falsely claiming the soldiers were attempting to deliver conscription orders.

The Jerusalem Faction, an extremist ultra-Orthodox group with approximately 60,000 members, regularly protests against military enlistment of yeshiva students. The group operates a telephone hotline to mobilize the community when the IDF enforces draft laws and has distributed funds to yeshiva students arrested for draft evasion.

Conflicting Accounts

A spokesman for the Jerusalem Faction denied responsibility for the incident, claiming the riots were “not something organized” and that the participants were “all from the mainstream” of the Haredi community. This contradicts claims from coalition politicians who asserted the violence was perpetrated by a fringe element.

Dr. Gilad Malach, a researcher at the Israel Democracy Institute, noted that the rhetoric from Haredi leadership is “very sharp,” making it difficult to control the situation. He added that the violence extends beyond the Jerusalem Faction, including “at-risk youth and those just looking for ‘action.’”

Recent Protests and Rabbinical Rhetoric

The incident follows a massive anti-draft demonstration in Jerusalem last month, during which protesters set fires, blocked roads, and attacked a passenger bus, resulting in the death of a 14-year-old protester. These demonstrations are a response to a 2024 High Court of Justice ruling that invalidated decades-long exemptions from army duty for full-time yeshiva students.

Approximately 80,000 ultra-Orthodox men between the ages of 18 and 24 are currently eligible for military service but have not enlisted. The IDF has stated it urgently needs 12,000 recruits due to the ongoing war in Gaza.

Recent protests have included blocking highways, attacking senior IDF officers, and targeting ultra-Orthodox lawmakers perceived as insufficiently opposed to conscription. In January, a mob broke into an IDF conference in Bnei Brak, attacking soldiers and commanders.

Rabbinical Statements

Rabbi Dov Lando, a prominent Haredi leader, previously called on his followers to avoid demonstrations but has refrained from moderating his anti-conscription rhetoric. He recently stated that anyone complicit in arresting draft dodgers could face “divine judgment.” Rabbi Moshe Maya, a member of the Shas party’s ruling Council of Torah Sages, stated that those who arrest draft evaders “have no portion in the world to come” and deserve excommunication.

Former chief Sephardic rabbi Yitzhak Yosef condemned the violence, stating that rioters should be “denounced and cast out from the community.” However, he had previously called on yeshiva students to destroy conscription orders and warned of the ultra-Orthodox community leaving Israel if draft dodgers were arrested.

Political Response

Deputy Minister Yisrael Eichler (United Torah Judaism) attributed the violence to “indiscriminate governmental violence” and warned against a “revenge campaign” by authorities.