Members of a fringe ultra-Orthodox faction brought traffic to a standstill across several of Israel’s busiest highways on Wednesday, protesting the arrest of young men who refused military enlistment.
The group, known as the Jerusalem Faction, organized the demonstrations near Prison 10 but instead fanned out across central and northern Israel, blocking major junctions on highways 2, 4 and 6.
Ultra-Orthodox protesters block Highway 2
(Video: Used in accordance with Section 27A of the Copyright Law)
The protests snarled traffic for hours, with major disruptions at the Netanya Interchange on Highway 2, the Beit Lid junction on Highway 4, and the Nitzanei Oz–Baqa-Jatt segment of Highway 6. In Bnei Brak, a heavily ultra-Orthodox city east of Tel Aviv, police temporarily shut down Jabotinsky Street due to what they called an “illegal gathering.”
The demonstrators, mostly young men from the anti-Zionist wing of Israel’s Haredi community, oppose conscription into the IDF on religious grounds. Many of them are part of insular communities that reject the legitimacy of the Israeli state and believe Torah study should be prioritized over military service. Though most ultra-Orthodox Israelis receive exemptions, those who fail to secure official deferrals can face arrest.
Ultra-Orthodox protesters block Highway 6
(Video: Used in accordance with Section 27A of the Copyright Law)
At several protest sites, confrontations broke out between drivers and demonstrators. In one incident, a driver trapped by protesters at a highway junction told Ynet: “They lay down in front of my car. I couldn’t move.” Footage shared on social media showed one protester clinging to the hood of a car as it drove forward. In another case, demonstrators beat on a vehicle trying to bypass the blockade.
Tensions flared further when a group of women appeared at a protest site with signs calling on the ultra-Orthodox to enlist. Protesters shouted derogatory slurs, including “shiksa,” and called police officers “Nazis,” chanting slogans like “We will die before we enlist” and “Jail, not the army.”
Ultra-Orthodox protesters block major Israeli highways over army draft arrests
(Video: Ido Erez)
Police deployed water cannons and mounted officers in an effort to clear the roads. Traffic units were sent to reroute vehicles and disperse crowds.
The protest was organized by the so-called “Committee to Save the Torah World,” a group closely aligned with Rabbi Shmuel Auerbach, a leading authority in the Jerusalem Faction until his death in 2018. In a statement, organizers accused the Israeli government of persecuting Torah scholars “simply for studying,” and vowed to continue their “uncompromising struggle.”
While organizers had initially announced a demonstration outside Prison 10 at 5 p.m., protesters instead spread out to highway junctions “to the right and left of the prison,” claiming they would bring traffic to a halt across multiple major roads.
The unrest comes amid growing legal and political pressure to enforce Israel’s military draft law more uniformly. A recent arrest in Or Yehuda sparked renewed outrage in the Haredi community, though the young man was later released after claiming he had not received proper notification.
Ultra-Orthodox newspapers have called for a full day of protests, prayer, fasting and work stoppage on Thursday, describing the situation as a battle against “the persecution of Torah.”