United Torah Judaism

Torah study and Israeli military service are both sacred, but not the same - opinion

Public backlash over proposed legislation reflects a broader struggle over how Israel defines service, sacrifice and equality.

|ByMICHAEL FREUND
Haredim block a road and clash with police to protest the jailing of seminary students who fail to comply with IDF recruitment orders, June 1.
A LIKUD supporter waves the party’s flag at a gathering, a show of grassroots loyalty which has long defined the movement, even as critics say its primaries have reshaped, and at times distorted, who rises within its ranks.

Likud, Netanyahu dropping in public eyes amid Iran war, contentious legislation - poll

This is Likud’s lowest figure since August 2025, when it received 21 seats in a Maariv poll. However, the coalition bloc maintained its strength from last week at 50 seats.

|ByMOSHE COHEN
PRIME MINISTER Benjamin Netanyahu is seen walking past haredi lawmaker Yitzhak Goldknopf, at the Prime Minister’s Office in 2023.

Goldknopf protests 'exclusion' of haredi West Bank communities from budget in letter to Netanyahu

"How is it possible that the budgets, development, and benefits that reach the other communities never reach the ultra-Orthodox population centers in Judea and Samaria?" Goldknopf asked.

|ByANNA BARSKY
MK Tally Gotliv and and MK Ofir Katz attend a House committee meeting at the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament in Jerusalem on, June 9, 2026.

Knesset advances bill to enshrine Torah study into Basic Law, supporting haredi draft evaders

It proposes that the State of Israel "recognize those who commit themselves to long-term dedication to Torah study as performing significant service to the state and the Jewish people."

|ByKESHET NEEV

Purim Shpiel: Chabad reveals decades-old human-alien shidduch service

Purim Shpiel: The following is a satirical article from The Jerusalem Post's annual parodic Purim page, The Jerusalem Roast. Enjoy!

MARCH 3, 2026BySHIR PARSEC
‘Shadchan’ questions include: Do you prefer gray or green-skinned beings?

Knesset advances bill granting Chief Rabbinate authority over Western Wall prayer

The bill passed by a margin of 56-47 and will now be discussed in Knesset committee meetings. It will still need to undergo three more plenum readings to become a law. 

FEBRUARY 25, 2026ByKESHET NEEV
A Jewish woman prays at the Little Western Wall in Jerusalem’s Old City, February 18, 2026

Knesset panel advances bill to expand rabbinical courts’ power over civil matters

Critics have warned of the bill's democratic implications, including those involving women's rights, which may deepen the rift between the haredi and secular communities.

FEBRUARY 17, 2026ByKESHET NEEV
THE RABBINICAL Court’s Division for Agunot in Jerusalem.

High Court: Israeli gov't must explain why it funds haredi schools without core studies

The order, issued in a petition filed by Hiddush, demands that the Education and Finance ministries explain why state funding is not conditioned on the teaching of core-curriculum subjects.

FEBRUARY 17, 2026BySARAH BEN-NUN
HAREDI YESHIVA students

Lapid warns opposition could lose to Netanyahu without unity, says Yesh Atid is ‘key’ to victory

With elections scheduled to take place no later than October, the opposition leader stressed the importance of a united front against PM Benjamin Netanyahu.

FEBRUARY 16, 2026ByKESHET NEEV
Opposition leader Yair Lapid speaks at a press conference in the Knesset, February 16th, 2026.

Haredi draft bill could trigger 'collapse' of Israel's Right in elections, aliyah minister warns

The aliyah minister asserted in December that he would vote against the proposed haredi draft law even at the risk of being dismissed from the government, calling the current outline "shameful.

FEBRUARY 15, 2026ByKESHET NEEV
Minister of Immigration and Absorption Ofir Sofer holds a press conference at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, December 1, 2025.

Knesset votes to split Arrangements Bill amid haredi parties' threats over state budget

The two parties threatened to vote against the coalition amid disagreements over the controversial haredi draft bill being advanced in the Knesset.

FEBRUARY 9, 2026ByKESHET NEEV
MK's Moshe Gafni and Yitzchak Goldknopf seen during a vote on the state budget at the assembly hall of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, January 28, 2026.

State to High Court: Education data on haredi core studies incomplete, disputes A-G’s framing

At the January hearing, the High Court ordered the state to submit all documents in its possession relating to core-curriculum instruction in the networks.

FEBRUARY 1, 2026BySARAH BEN-NUN
HAREDI YESHIVA students

Knesset advances 2026 state budget in first reading amid coalition crisis over haredi draft

The Degel Hatorah faction within United Torah Judaism received a green light from spiritual leader Rabbi Dov Lando to vote in favor of the state budget, Lando's office said.

JANUARY 28, 2026ByKESHET NEEV
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seen after the vote on the state budget at the assembly hall of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, January 28, 2026.

Outcome of state budget vote uncertain amid coalition crisis over haredi draft

By law, if the state budget is not approved in all three readings by the end of March, when the fiscal year closes, the Knesset will automatically dissolve, and elections will be called.

JANUARY 27, 2026ByKESHET NEEV
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his cabinet seen at the Knesset plenum, June 11, 2025