Ex-general called ‘traitor’ as Haredi demonstrators riot at event for ultra-Orthodox draftees

Dozens of ultra-Orthodox protesters on Tuesday rioted outside a conference in central Jerusalem about special tracks for Haredim to enlist into the Israel Defense Forces, the latest violent demonstration by opponents of mandatory military conscription.

Some of the demonstrators blocked a taxi transporting the event’s organizers, kicking and shouting and spitting at them as they left, footage showed.

Protesters at one point chased after media adviser Rafi Perlstein, who supports efforts to enlist ultra-Orthodox men, according to Hebrew media outlets. Police who intervened to protect him were called “Nazis” and “murderers” by the demonstrators.

Perlstein said the assailants snatched his kippa and tried to steal his laptop, before police hustled him into the cab. According to Perlstein, the driver’s son — who has special needs — was in the taxi as it was surrounded by demonstrators, who he said offered to pay the driver to kick him out out the cab but were rebuffed.

“You can argue or protest but whoever raises a hand, spits, vandalizes property and terrorizes a helpless child isn’t defending the Torah or honoring God,” Perlstein wrote on X. “We cannot legitimize violence.”

Police did not report any arrests though footage from the scene showed officers detaining at least one of the protesters, who were affiliated with the extremist Jerusalem Faction.

מארגני הכנס למלש"בים חרדים מותקפים ביציאתם על ידי מפגינים בחוץ pic.twitter.com/g3bXadVy7o

— שילה פריד???????? (@shilofreid) August 4, 2026

דרמה ברחובות ירושלים: חרדים רודפים אחרי פעיל חרדי שמנסה לקדם גיוס לצה"ל תחת קריאות "רוצח", שוטרים הגיעו למקום לחלץ אותו pic.twitter.com/IakU56CK33

— יואלי ברים yoeli brim (@yoeli_brim) August 4, 2026

The demonstrators also assailed Brig. Gen. Ofer Winter, who gave a presentation at the event. As he left, he was surrounded by protesters, who called him a “traitor to the Jewish nation.”

“They [the Jerusalem Faction] won’t deter me,” said Winter in a statement quoted by the Ynet news site. “We must deal with extremists with a strong hand, without harming the Torah world.”

Winter added that he would “recommend to the Military Police to enlist those who chased after me this evening. They are definitely not learning Torah.”

Yoaz Hendel, of the Reservists party, condemned the the violent demonstration as “a disgrace that has no place in the State of Israel.”

“Draft dodgers get backing, while those who enlist are given the cold shoulder,” he wrote.

“Where is the national security minister? Where is the prime minister? Where is [Finance Minister] Bezalel Smotrich,” he asked, adding that the latter was “afraid” of Haredi political activists.

Some 72,000 ultra-Orthodox men aged 18 to 24 are currently believed to be eligible for military service, but have not enlisted, despite mounting calls for their conscription as Israel has fought wars on multiple fronts since the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack, while facing what the IDF says is an urgent manpower shortage.

Haredi officials have been pushing for continued blanket exemptions from the draft for their communities after the High Court of Justice ruled in 2024 that the government must draft ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students into the military absent a legal framework to continue the decades-long exemptions.

After a months-long fierce legislative battle over the issue, which has seen recurring Haredi street protests, the Knesset voted 63-52 earlier this month to pass a deeply divisive quasi-constitutional Basic Law declaring Torah study a “foundational value” of the Jewish people.

The law was intended by its backers to make it harder for the High Court of Justice to continue to rule that Haredi draft exemptions are illegal and discriminatory, because it enshrines Torah study as an essential aspect of the state.

A second law, passed in a vote of 58-54, granted tens of thousands of Haredi draft evaders immunity from arrest until late January 2027, and extends that protection to those who become eligible for military service after it takes effect, effectively eliminating the threat of arrest and making it easier to refuse to enlist during that period. It also suspends ongoing criminal proceedings against those already facing enforcement measures.

The High Court of Justice froze implementation of that law a day later to hear appeals against the legislation.

The war with Iran has been draining for all of us in Israel. But when I heard about a high casualty incident – ballistic missile impacts in Arad and Dimona that left nearly 200 people wounded – I drank a cup of coffee, packed a bag, and headed south.

There, I spoke with Shilgit, the head of an after-school program for underprivileged youth. Standing outside her destroyed center, Shilgit said it was a miracle that no children were hurt and spoke about the community coming together in the hours since.

As a Times of Israel reporter, I’m committed to telling stories of resilience like Shilgit’s. But my colleagues and I can't do this alone. If you value work like this, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to keep real human reporting like this going.

— Stav Levaton, military reporter

We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.

That’s why we started the Times of Israel – to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.

So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.

For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.

Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel