Haredi

Israel picks between 'secular democracy or theocracy' in election, chess master Garry Kasparov says

"Just as Abraham Lincoln observed that the government could not persist 'half slave and half free,' Israel cannot go on half theocratic and half secular," Kasparov, whose father was Jewish, said.

|ByESTHER DAVIS
Israel’s election campaign is gathering pace, with the country’s political parties competing over the questions of security, leadership and the direction Israel takes after three years of war.
Haredi Public chairman and Deputy Mayor of Beit Shemesh Moti Leitner.

Can the new Haredi Public party change the rules on military service, women in politics?

The Haredi Public party seeks to preserve Torah study while expanding participation in Israeli society, challenging the priorities and authority of the established ultra-Orthodox parties.

|ByGABRIEL COLODRO/THE MEDIA LINE
‘THE ESCAPE’ stars Ido Tako as Yoel, a young man born into a sect that, despite a disclaimer, will remind many of the Lev Tahor cult.

‘The Escape’ makes its debut, ‘Shalom’ enchants - review

In addition, "Cupertino" is a new series from Robert and Michelle King, the husband-and-wife duo behind "The Good Wife" and "The Good Fight."

|ByHANNAH BROWN
Haredi draft protesters attempt to break into IDF office in Bnei Brak, October 14, 2026.

Two haredi protesters arrested after attempting to break into IDF office in Bnei Brak

The office belonged to the IDF's Kodkod program, which allows haredi men aged 23 and older who are not eligible for combat service to serve in technology-related positions in the IDF.

|ByALON HACHMON

Hundreds of haredim arrive at Tel Hashomer to enlist in IDF as anti-draft protesters gather

“The young men who walked through those gates this morning show you can be fully committed to Torah study and still defend this country on the front line," said Lt.-Col. (res) Yossi Levi.

AUGUST 30, 2026ByTZVI JASPER
A haredi (ultra-Orthodox) man at the Tel Hashomer IDF base, August 30, 2026.

Elul teaches us a Jewish lesson: The last siren has not sounded - opinion

For us, though, the final siren is not until the shofar is blown on Yom Kippur. We still have time to score more points.

AUGUST 29, 2026ByJONATHAN LIEBERMAN
A man blows the shofar in the Mea Shearim neighborhood of Jerusalem, ahead of the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah, September 17, 2025

Israel 'abandoned' haredi students, education reform needed, Aliza Bloch tells 'Post' - interview

She criticized the structure of Israel's education system, arguing that the government has ceded too much responsibility for decisions affecting students to bodies outside the public sector.

AUGUST 25, 2026BySHIR PERETS
Former Beit Shemesh mayor and Unity Party member Aliza Bloch in an interview with 'The Jerusalem Post.'

Israel’s second War of Independence: The end of strategic illusions - opinion

Israel needs a government capable of combining military power with diplomatic judgment and building regional alliances.

AUGUST 24, 2026ByILAN MOR
A PLENUM session at the Knesset.

Shas invokes IDF soldiers in election campaign ad, drawing Gadi Eisenkot's ire

The Shas campaign video features a family gathered for a Shabbat dinner before a son returns home from his army base and embraces his family members.

AUGUST 23, 2026ByKESHET NEEV
Gadi Eisenkot, head of the Yashar party attends a conference in the northern Israeli city of Haifa, July 9, 2026.

'Malchieli is a murderer!' Shas condemns protests against MK over haredi draft law

Malchieli has stated that yeshiva students should be able to defer service as long as Torah study is their occupation, and recently said he would "not ask for a collective exemption for haredim."

AUGUST 23, 2026BySHIR PERETS
Shas MK Michael Malchieli attends a conference for West Bank sovereignty at the Knesset, July 21, 2025.

National-religious men overrepresented in IDF reserves as haredim stay absent, IDI analysis finds

National-Religious men were found to have increased in service substantially from the start of the war until 2025, while the participation of secular men decreased the most of any group.

AUGUST 23, 2026ByJONAH DAVIDOV
THE ZIONIST identity didn’t overcome the Jewish identity, nor did the opposite occur: An IDF soldier puts on tefillin.

Haredi protesters block Jerusalem cafe amid ongoing months-long dispute over Shabbat opening

This marks the eighth consecutive week of protests. Several MKs, including Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman, have joined counterprotests in previous weeks.

AUGUST 22, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Ultra-Orthodox protesters demonstrate against a cafe operating on Shabbat and clash with Israeli police, while secular protesters hold a counter-demonstration in support of the cafe in central Jerusalem, August 8, 2026.

IDF arrests three Palestinian suspects related to attack on Jewish West Bank hikers

Following the attack, Israeli settlers started a fire in one of the village's homes, according to Army Radio, with a 65-year-old Palestinian evacuated due to smoke inhalation.

AUGUST 22, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
IDF soldiers operate in the village of Tell, near the West Bank city of Nablus, July 25, 2026; Illustrative.

Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef to lead Shas, participate in launch conference with Deri's approval - report

Shas is expected to win seven seats in the upcoming October elections, according to a KAN poll published on Wednesday.

AUGUST 20, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, during a weekly teaching at the Yazdim synagogue in Jerusalem, on June 7, 2025.