Dozens of protesters block road in Bnei Brak in demand for ultra-Orthodox military draft

Ultra-orthodox men clashed with protesters in Bnei Brak on Friday, as dozens of demonstrators blocked the main entrance to the Haredi-majority city demanding that yeshiva students be drafted to the military.

The initial protest, which blocked the so-called Coca-Cola Bridge on Route 4, was led by the “Mothers at the Front” organization, a group of women whose children are in the military or reserve duty.

Reservists also joined the protest.

The demonstration came in response to recent protests by ultra-Orthodox men opposing the arrest of those evading mandatory military service.

“Our children didn’t go out to defend a state that protects the right of Haredim to be draft-dodgers,” the movement’s founder, Ayelet Hashachar Saydof, told the Ynet news site.

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“It’s unheard of, anywhere in the world, where instead of arresting draft dodgers, they are able to shut down the country,” she continued. “We came here to say: Enough.”

המפגינים חוסמים את הכביש וקוראים "אין זכויות בלי חובות". (ידיעות בני ברק pic.twitter.com/Kp1Zaqre1K

— לירי בורק שביט (@lirishavit) June 26, 2026

Fridays demonstration caused traffic jams hours before Shabbat, and drew masses of locals to counterprotest, with some chanting the anti-draft slogan: “We will die and not enlist!” At one point, the ultra-Orthodox men scuffled with law enforcement.

The pro-draft demonstrators, meanwhile, chanted: “There are no rights without duties!”

Police struggled to break up confrontations between the two groups, as protesters shoved each other.

One woman took off her shirt, according to Ynet, amid the crowd of ultra-Orthodox men, who observe extremely strict modesty norms.

Michal, one of the “Mothers on the Front” activists, told the Hebrew outlet: “On our way back from the protest, two other mothers and I were walking in the direction of our vehicle. A pedestrian attacked me, a guy who was three times bigger than me.”

“When we got to the car, a motorcyclist who was part of the attack blocked our way, and he wouldn’t let us drive. He called out to others to block us,” she recalled.

“One of the assailants smashed the rear window with his helmet. I was on the phone with the police,” she said.

Then, “we got to the police checkpoint and the cops saw them attacking us. I cried out to one of them – and he simply didn’t move, didn’t come to us, just photographed us.”

“The attackers continued to run after us, they attacked us at every intersection, smashed the windshield, tore off the car’s license plate,” she told Ynet. “I was sure I’d get a brick to the head. No one helped us.”

המשטרה החלה להשתמש באלימות כלפי החרדים בבני ברק pic.twitter.com/f9bWn0toCE

— לירי בורק שביט (@lirishavit) June 26, 2026

Last Wednesday, Haredi protesters blocked traffic near Bnei Brak as morning rush hour reached its peak, amid an anti-draft demonstration that became violent, with police using stun grenades and batons to disperse participants.

Later that day, thousands of Haredi demonstrators gathered outside the IDF’s Beit Lid military prison to protest the arrest of an ultra-Orthodox draft evader being held at the facility.

Calls for conscription of Haredi men have mounted as Israel has fought a multifront war since the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, invasion and massacre amid a growing manpower shortage. women who graduate from all-girls religious high schools are automatically eligible for an exemption from army service on religious grounds.

The IDF has repeatedly said it urgently needs 12,000 more recruits; some 80,000 ultra-Orthodox men aged between 18 and 24 are currently believed to be eligible for military service, but have not enlisted.

The Knesset voted 56-43 earlier this month to advance a quasi-constitutional Basic Law to declare Torah study a foundational value of the State of Israel. The bill is being promoted by the ultra-Orthodox parties to shield draft evaders from sanctions and prosecution.

Even if the legislation ultimately passes in the Knesset, it is considered highly likely the High Court of Justice would ultimately strike it down, or at least any interpretation of it equating Torah study with military service.