A day after hundreds of ultra-Orthodox protesters clashed with female soldiers and police, calm appeared to return Monday morning to Bnei Brak, even as tensions over military service continued to simmer.
In the Zikhron Meir neighborhood, home to several large yeshivas, the sound of Torah study drifted from study halls as residents resumed their routines.
Riots in Bnei Brak
(Video: David Kashti)
The unrest erupted Sunday when demonstrators confronted female soldiers in the predominantly ultra-Orthodox city, leading to violent clashes with police. Videos circulating online showed protesters attacking security forces and setting objects ablaze. Police later dispersed the crowd.
By Monday morning, all suspects detained in connection with the violence had been released, despite many participants being clearly visible in video footage.
Residents expressed sharply differing views on the unrest.
“We are not looking for fights or friction,” said Shlomo, a yeshiva student. “On the contrary, if there is a police or military presence nearby, the instruction is to remain in the yeshiva and not be dragged into confrontation. That is not our way and not what our rabbis instruct.”
He added that many ultra-Orthodox men avoid contact with authorities out of concern they could be identified as draft evaders and transferred to military police.
Another student, Shmuel, said that anyone from his yeshiva who took part in such protests would be disavowed. “We prefer to act differently,” he said, describing quiet legal and practical support for those detained rather than public demonstrations. “For 2,000 years in exile we had to manage with the authorities, not fight them.”
Riots in Bnei Brak
Others, however, defended the unrest as a response to efforts to enlist ultra-Orthodox men into the military.
“It’s not like in the past, when we didn’t respond,” said one student who declined to be identified. “You want to draft us, and we don’t want the army coming near us. Even if those soldiers weren’t directly connected to the draft issue. The army needs to learn: Don’t make provocations and don’t enter ultra-Orthodox cities.”
Some residents criticized police conduct in dispersing the protest.
“I would never attack a soldier, but the police did not act wisely,” said a married yeshiva student. He alleged that officers threw stun grenades after the soldiers had left and used excessive force against bystanders. Police have not publicly detailed their tactics.
Another resident said he came out to protest what he described as police violence rather than the presence of soldiers. “When it comes to ultra-Orthodox, they allow themselves to act without restraint,” he said.