Police: Women prohibited from saying Kaddish at Western Wall

Published on April 4, 2013

Women will be prohibited from saying the Mourner's Kaddish and other prayers at the Western Wall, Jerusalem police told Women of the Wall.

London Orthodox, non-Jews face off over planning laws

Published on March 11, 2013

Non-Jewish residents of the heavily haredi Orthodox-populated London neighborhood of Hackney have launched a campaign to prevent Orthodox Jews from changing city planning regulations.

Haredi draft: Optimistic and pessimistic scenarios

By Shmuel Rosner
Published on February 27, 2013

Women of the Wall Megillah reading undisturbed by Israeli police

Published on February 25, 2013

A women’s Megillah reading at the Western Wall took place on Shushan Purim without incident or arrests.

In Antwerp, a Charedi pariah forces school to go coed

Published on January 8, 2013

With a soft smile and two young boys in tow, a mild-mannered Moshe Aryeh Friedman appeared undeserving of his reputation as the scourge of the local haredi Orthodox community as he walked his sons to school on Monday.

Brooklyn man indicted for throwing bleach in rabbi’s face

Published on December 27, 2012

A Brooklyn fishmonger was indicted for allegedly throwing a cup of bleach in the face of a Chasidic rabbi who had accused the man's father of being a sexual predator.

E. Jerusalem Arabs arrested for attacking Jewish man

Published on December 13, 2012

Three Arab teenagers from eastern Jerusalem were arrested on suspicion that they attacked a haredi Orthodox Jewish man.

Leading haredi rabbi in Israel: Say no to national service

Published on December 11, 2012

The senior rabbi of the Lithuanian haredi Orthodox, Rabbi Aharon Leib Shteinman, said yeshiva students should not agree to enlist in National Service.

In ‘Fill the Void,’ haredi filmmaker Rama Burshtein aims lens inward

Published on September 28, 2012

On a dark Tel Aviv terrace, a young haredi Orthodox man and a younger haredi woman discuss love and heartbreak. There is tension and animosity, hurt feelings and broken promises. Then, in an emotional crescendo, the man steps toward the woman, stopping inches from her face. His breathing is heavy, their noses nearly touching.

Haredi rabbi in Israel tells followers to burn iPhones

Published on September 25, 2012

A prominent haredi Orthodox rabbi in Israel ordered his followers to burn their iPhones.

Lawsuit filed against haredi radio station for excluding women

Published on August 29, 2012

The religious women's organization Kolech filed a class-action lawsuit against a haredi Orthodox radio station for excluding women.

Shame at the Holiest Site in Judaism

By Rabbi John Rosove
Published on August 20, 2012

Foxman: Draft Israeli Arabs, haredim to defend their neighborhoods

Published on August 17, 2012

Israel should consider drafting its Arab and Haredi population to defend their neighborhoods, according to a prominent American Jewish leader.

Israeli military begins drafting haredi Orthodox

Published on August 9, 2012

The Israel Defense Forces have begun drafting haredi Orthodox 18-year-olds without encountering significant protests, one week after a new law requiring haredi military service took effect.

New glasses blur women for haredi Orthodox men

Published on August 7, 2012

Charedi Orthodox men in Israel are buying glasses that will prevent them from seeing the immodest women that threaten their way of life.

Barak orders haredi Orthodox conscription

Published on August 1, 2012

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak ordered the Israeli Defense Forces to draft haredi Orthodox men as it does other Jewish Israelis.

Extremist haredi Orthodox protest universal conscription

Published on July 16, 2012

Thousands of members of a haredi Orthodox sect protested in Jerusalem against a planned universal military service law.

Cartoon depicts haredi Orthodox Jews praying to Wall Street

Published on July 12, 2012

A cartoon depicting three stereotypically haredi Orthodox Jews praying in front of the Western Wall, which is labeled Wall Street, won an Iranian cartoon contest.

Religion vs. Religion

By David Suissa
Published on July 11, 2012

It’s tempting to look at the latest crisis in Israel — over whether the Charedim should serve in the military — as pitting religion against the state. Just look at some of the comments from both sides. On the fervent religious side, Shas spiritual leader Ovadia Yosef has declared a state of emergency. In his weekly sermon on July 7, as reported in Ynet, the rabbi is quoted as saying.

Netanyahu wants two teams to examine draft alternatives

Published on July 6, 2012

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Friday that he has ordered the formulation of two teams to examine universal draft alternatives.

Beit Shemesh segregation signs removed

Published on July 5, 2012

A sign calling for women to avoid using sidewalks in order to avoid contact with men was removed from a neighborhood in Beit Shemesh.

Netanyahu disbands haredi draft committee

Published on July 2, 2012

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu disbanded the committee charged with formulating a new law on haredi Orthodox military service.

Prosecutors drop charges in Brooklyn sex abuse case

Published on June 27, 2012

Prosecutors dropped all charges against a group of men who were accused of sexually abusing a young Brooklyn haredi Orthodox woman for eight years.

Haredi Free-Pass

By Noga Gur-Arieh
Published on June 26, 2012

Four haredi Orthodox men indicted in alleged sex abuse cover-up

Published on June 25, 2012

Four haredi Orthodox men in Brooklyn were charged with attempting to intimidate and bribe an alleged sexual abuse victim and her boyfriend in a criminal case against a local counselor.

Op-Ed: Respect haredi life while offering criticism

Published on May 30, 2012

A recent article by Israeli journalist Yaron London headlined “We Need Fewer Haredim” and two major pieces in The New York Times about the haredi approach to sex abuse cases highlight the challenge and the need to address serious issues emanating from the haredi world without demonizing an entire community.

Hynes’ shift on sex abuse cases puts him on collision course with Agudah

Published on May 29, 2012

Pressure is growing on the Brooklyn district attorney and the country’s major haredi Orthodox umbrella organization to change the ways they handle allegations of sexual abuse and molestation in the Orthodox community.

Hynes singles out haredi community as harassers of sexual assault victims

Published on May 24, 2012

Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes reportedly said that the haredi Orthodox community is the only one in his jurisdiction in which sexual assault victims are harassed and intimidated.

Haredi politician’s failure to shake hands riles female Belgian minister

Published on May 23, 2012

Belgium’s health minister said she was “profoundly troubled” by the behavior of her Israeli counterpart, Yaakov Litzman, after the haredi Orthodox minister refused to shake her hand at a conference.

For haredi Orthodox, Internet threat harkens back to the Enlightenment

Published on May 22, 2012

To the outside observer, the Charedi Orthodox anti-Internet rally at New York’s Citi Field may have looked uniform: a single mass of black hats, white shirts and brown beards.

Haredim fill N.Y. stadium to decry Internet’s dangers

Published on May 21, 2012

The sellout crowd that filled the New York Mets’ Citi Field on Sunday night wore black and white, not the Mets’ blue and orange.

Haredim fill N.Y. baseball stadium to decry error of Internet’s ways

Published on May 21, 2012

The sellout crowd that filled Citi Field on Sunday night wore black and white, not the New York Mets' blue and orange.

Haredi Orthodox burn Israeli flag in Antwerp

Published on May 14, 2012

Dozens of haredi Orthodox schoolchildren participated in a Lag b'Omer bonfire in Antwerp that featured the burning of an Israeli flag.

For new Israeli coalition, haredi army exemptions issue is front and center

Published on May 9, 2012

Israel’s new unity government may not alter Jerusalem’s strategy for curbing Iran’s nuclear weapons program or do much to revive the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

Teens arrested for implementing gender segregation on buses

Published on April 9, 2012

Police arrested two secular Jewish teenagers hired to implement gender segregation on Jerusalem buses.

Haredi Orthodox website executives arrested for extortion

Published on April 2, 2012

The owner and three senior employees of a haredi Orthodox website based in Israel were arrested on suspicion of extortion.

Haredi Orthodox man attacked with axe on way to Western Wall

Published on April 2, 2012

A haredi Orthodox man on his way to the Western Wall for morning prayers was attacked by an axe-wielding Arab youth near the Damascus Gate.

‘Lack of recognition in Israel raises some question about the legitimacy of Reform and Conservative’

By Shmuel Rosner
Published on March 9, 2012

Israel: More Reform, Conservative than Charedi Jews

By Shmuel Rosner
Published on February 29, 2012

Eight percent of Israeli Jews define themselves as Conservative or Reform Jews, compared to just 7 percent of Israelis who define themselves as “Charedi” (ultra-Orthodox). Amazing?

Conservative and Reform Jews vs. the AVI CHAI Foundation

By Shmuel Rosner
Published on February 29, 2012

Bill would provide financial aid to youth who leave haredi world

Published on February 6, 2012

A Knesset member from the left-wing Meretz Party has authored a bill that would provide financial aid to young people who leave the haredi Orthodox fold.

Controversy grows in Israel over extension of Tal Law granting haredim army exemptions

Published on January 31, 2012

When Israel’s first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, granted a few hundred haredi Orthodox Jews an exemption from army service, it’s likely he never dreamed that 63 years later, tens of thousands of haredi Israelis would claim the exemption -- or that the issue would be among the most contentious in modern Israel.

Opinion: Haredi leaders must speak out against zealots

Published on January 30, 2012

The recent violence in Beit Shemesh and Jerusalem’s Mea Shearim neighborhood has led me to speak out against the so-called "sikrikim" in the harshest possible terms, equating their actions to terrorism. Sikrikim is the name given to a fringe anti-Zionist vigilante group, loosely linked to Neturei Karta and said to have been at the head of many of the recent violent attacks against innocent Israelis.

Israeli women’s rights moving to front of bus

Published on January 25, 2012

Anat Hoffman, the progressive Israeli activist who made headlines two summers ago when she was arrested for carrying a Torah at the Western Wall, comes to California next week with a clear message for American Jews: What’s happening in Beit Shemesh is as big a threat to Israel as what’s happening in Tehran.

Woman assaulted by haredi men in Beit Shemesh

Published on January 24, 2012

A woman hanging posters for Israel's national lottery was assaulted by haredi Orthodox men in Beit Shemesh.

Opinion: The back of the bus

By Susan Freudenheim
Published on January 11, 2012

If Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy teaches us one thing, it’s that the fight for civil rights is not particular to a time, a place, a people or a gender. It’s still shocking to watch vintage 1960s TV footage and see moms and dads yelling at someone else’s children for simply walking up the steps of a high school.

Opinion: The response to extremist Judaism lies within Judaism

Published on January 11, 2012

In an attempt to better understand the problem that arose as a result of the recent events in Beit Shemesh — the one that succeeded to light a fire under so many people — most of us always return to our comfort zone by declaring that the problem lies in the Jewish religion.

Israel moves to outlaw use of Nazi symbols

Published on January 11, 2012

Israel's parliament gave initial approval on Wednesday to laws to curb public use of Nazi symbols after ultra-Orthodox protesters caused outrage by calling police Nazis and wearing concentration camp garb.

More suspected pedophiles arrested in haredi Orthodox neighborhood

Published on January 10, 2012

Israeli police arrested three men in a suspected pedophile ring that is alleged to have abused at least 70 children in a haredi Orthodox Jerusalem neighborhood.

Doctors ordered to pull out of gender-separated conference

Published on January 10, 2012

The Israel Medical Association has barred its member physicians from participating in an infertility conference geared for haredi Orthodox men and women that did not invite female speakers.

Beit Shemesh Women Flashmob

By JewishJournal.com
Published on January 9, 2012

Opinion: A spit of death

Published on January 5, 2012

I am sickened to hear the recent reports from Israel concerning eight-year-old Naama Margolese who is afraid to go to school because “orthodox” extremists spat on her and called her a whore for dressing "immodestly."

Israel’s religion minister fears Jewish divides

Published on January 4, 2012

Israeli society could be torn apart if disputes between ultra-Orthodox and less observant Jews continue to heat up, Israel's religious affairs minister said on Wednesday.

Military rabbi resigns haredi recruitment post

Published on January 4, 2012

The chief rabbi of the Israeli Air Force has resigned from a program that recruits haredi Orthodox men over the issue of female soldiers singing at events.

Opinion: Judaism's walking billboards

By David Suissa
Published on January 4, 2012

It never occurred to me that I’d have to visit the Los Angeles County Men’s Central Jail to get a deeper understanding of the Charedi crisis in Israel. I call it a crisis because, in my mind, anything that makes the Jewish religion look really bad is a crisis.

Haredi Orthodox children attacked in Jerusalem

Published on January 4, 2012

Two haredi Orthodox children say they were attacked in Jerusalem by non-Orthodox Jews in recent days.

Females sit in the front to protest gender-segregated buses

Published on January 2, 2012

Dozens of female demonstrators in Israel sat near the driver at the front of gender-segregated buses to protest the separation of men and women.

Where do Israeli haredim stand on haredi violence?

Published on December 30, 2011

The cascade of condemnations started pouring in almost as soon as the Israeli TV report aired. It's subject was an 8-year-old girl harassed by haredi men on the way to her Modern Orthodox girls’ school in the Jerusalem suburb of Beit Shemesh.

Haredi man indicted for harrasment after insulting female Israeli soldier on bus

Published on December 29, 2011

A haredi Orthodox man who insulted a female soldier after she refused to sit in the back of a city bus was charged with sexual harassment.

Israel will take action against haredi extremists, Netanyahu says

Published on December 28, 2011

Israel will take action against haredi Orthodox extremists who harass women in the public sphere, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned.