Prosecutors Charge Four Men Over Violent Protest Outside Judge Solberg's Home

Israeli prosecutors filed indictments in Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court against Nachman Platnik, 20, Avraham Fried, 20, Gershon Hanun, 21, and Shimon Atap, 41, all from Beit Shemesh, over their alleged role in a violent riot near the Alon Shvut home of Deputy President of the Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg. The prosecution is also seeking to keep the four in custody until the end of proceedings, while the investigation into additional suspects continues.

According to the indictment, posters were put up in Bnei Brak on June 3, 2026, including in several synagogues, announcing a protest that day near Sohlberg’s home, following rulings involving enforcement of military conscription for yeshiva students. The prosecution says an unidentified person arranged two buses and a minibus, which left Bnei Brak around 6:30 p.m. with more than 100 people aboard, including the defendants. Around 8:20 p.m., the vehicles arrived in Alon Shvut and the passengers walked toward the house, guided by an unidentified person.

The indictment alleges that dozens gathered outside the home, shouted, including “Gevald,” and caused the Sohlbergs to lock their doors. Prosecutors say the purpose was to intimidate the justice over his decisions in petitions concerning yeshiva student enlistment. During the riot, windows were smashed, glass shards entered the home, damage was done to a car and other property, stones were thrown at the house, the access road was blocked, and some participants entered the yard and adjacent parking area. Flyers bearing Sohlberg’s picture and the text, “Mr. Sohlberg, remove your hand from the persecution of ultra-Orthodox Judaism,” were thrown into the yard, and blue-and-white flags with swastikas were also tossed into the street.

A neighbor who came to stop the unrest was attacked, some residents feared a security incident and went into protected rooms, and a police vehicle was forced to pull back after participants ran toward it shouting, among other things, “Nazis” and “We will die and not enlist.” The charges allege all four defendants took part in the riot, and two also entered the home’s parking area, bringing charges of riot for all four and trespass for two. In its detention request, the prosecution called the case “serious, unusual and unprecedented,” and said it has evidence including video footage, admissions by some defendants that they were near the house, investigative simulations in which some implicated themselves in entering the parking area, digital lab analysis matching one defendant’s photo to the video, witness statements, and photos of the damage. The Shai District police investigation into the remaining suspects is ongoing.