Haredi anti-draft protesters block roads at IDF induction center for second day
Protests come as IDF prepares to receive hundreds of ultra-Orthodox recruits; several hold signs saying 'it was better to die as a Jew in the Holocaust than to spiritually die in IDF camps' The post Haredi anti-draft protesters block roads at IDF induction center for second day appeared first on The Times of Israel .
Anti-draft protesters attempted to block roads leading to the Tel Hashomer IDF recruitment base on Monday morning, aiming to prevent haredi enlistment into the military, as the second day of the August 2026 haredi draft cycle began. The blocked roads, from Yaakov Dori Street in Kiryat Ono to Levi Eshkol Street, prompted drivers to take alternate routes.
Footage showed protesters clashing with security personnel outside the base, as police worked to disperse them and reopen the roads. The protesters reportedly spent the night outside Tel Hashomer to be present during the recruitment process that started early Monday morning. The enlistment wave, expected to continue over the next two weeks, includes hundreds of young men from the haredi sector assigned to combat roles.
Shomer Yisrael, a national organization supporting the integration of haredim into the IDF, expressed satisfaction with the progress, highlighting the effectiveness of their pre-military academies and hesder yeshivas. Lt. Col. Yossi Levi, CEO of Shomer Yisrael, emphasized that the new recruits demonstrate that it is possible to maintain a Torah-based identity while contributing to the country's security.
Enthusiasm was evident among the new soldiers, with Itamar Reinhold, a Nitzotz Ba emunah pre-military academy graduate, expressing his desire to serve in the Netzah Yehuda Battalion, inspired by his brother's war experience.
Written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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