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Radical Haredi Faction Announces "Mass Protests" Over Yeshiva Students' Arrests
The Jerusalem Faction, an ultra-Orthodox group also known as the Committee to Save the World of Torah, has called for large-scale protests in Jerusalem and the Gush Dan region on Thursday, October 8, 2026, starting at 4:00 PM. The demonstrations are expected to draw thousands of participants and cause major traffic disruptions and road closures during peak hours.
8 newsrooms · 2 languages · since
What happened
- 01The Jerusalem Faction has called for mass protests in Jerusalem and Gush Dan on Thursday, October 8, 2026, at 4:00 PM.
- 02The demonstrations are a response to the recent arrests of ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students and kollel members for evading military conscription.
- 03Rabbi Azriel Auerbach ordered the protests and criticized the ultra-Orthodox establishment for abandoning the arrested students.
- 04A draft dodger was arrested in Beersheba on Wednesday morning, and another from the Hebron Yeshiva was detained in Eilat on Tuesday.
- 05A major disturbance occurred in Modi'in on Monday when a crowd prevented military police from arresting a draft-dodging student.
- 06The Ministry of Justice decided to resume the search and detention of yeshiva students avoiding military service, according to NEWSru Israel.
- 07Organizers expect thousands of participants and warn of significant traffic disruptions and road closures on major transportation routes.
The protests were ordered by Rabbi Azriel Auerbach, also referred to as Gershon Auerbach, in response to the recent arrests of yeshiva students and kollel members by military authorities for refusing military conscription. Recent detentions include a draft dodger apprehended by military police in Beersheba on Wednesday morning, and another from the Hebron Yeshiva arrested in Eilat on Tuesday evening. Additionally, a major disturbance occurred in Modi'in on Monday when a crowd gathered to prevent military police from arresting another draft dodger. According to NEWSru Israel, these actions follow a Ministry of Justice decision to resume searching for and detaining yeshiva students who evade military service.
Rabbi Auerbach sharply criticized the ultra-Orthodox establishment, accusing it of abandoning the students and leaving them unprotected despite prior pledges of support. Organizers described the arrests as an attack on Torah scholars and a desecration of the honor of the Torah, warning that the protests are necessary to object to the imprisonment of students while others remain silent.
Summarized by baba from the reports of 7 newsrooms. Updated
Latest report: i24NEWS. Read i24NEWS’s original
The coverage
8 newsrooms on this story
Who covered it
- LeftNone
- Centre2
- Right2
- Haredi3
- ArabNone
- Other1
Not in the Left or Arab press