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[Videos below.] Massive demonstrations organized by Peleg Yerushalmi brought major highways in Yerushalayim and central Israel to a standstill Thursday afternoon, as hundreds of protesters blocked roads for approximately two hours in opposition to the renewed arrests of yeshiva bochurim over military enlistment. The protests erupted into confrontations with police, who deployed stun grenades and batons, while footage showing officers violently removing demonstrators, including a policewoman tearing a protester’s tzitzis, generated widespread attention.

The demonstrations, which began at approximately 4 p.m., shut down Route 4 near Bnei Brak and the main entrance to Yerushalayim near the Chords Bridge. The disruptions caused extensive traffic congestion, interfered with light rail operations in the capital, and prompted warnings to travelers heading to Ben Gurion Airport.

The protests followed the arrests of two chareidi men in Be’er Sheva and Eilat earlier in the week after authorities determined that they were wanted for failing to report for military service. According to additional reports, two yeshiva bochurim were sentenced to 20 days in military detention, further intensifying anger within Peleg Yerushalmi.

Rav Azriel Auerbach, a leading figure in Peleg Yerushalmi, issued a call for widespread demonstrations in response to the arrests. The appeal was directed to the broader membership of the movement, rather than only those activists who ordinarily participate in highway blockades.

The Committee to Save the Torah World, an organization associated with the movement, accused military authorities of arresting bnei yeshiva because of their continued Torah learning and called for large-scale protests throughout the country.

In Yerushalayim, hundreds of demonstrators gathered near the Chords Bridge, occupying the roadway and blocking one of the city’s principal entrances. Additional protesters assembled along Bar Ilan Street, where traffic was also disrupted.

Police redirected motorists to alternative roads as traffic backed up across the surrounding area. The demonstrations also forced interruptions to the Yerushalayim light rail system, particularly near the Central Bus Station, with some services suspended and others operating along shortened or divided routes.

One of the most serious incidents occurred when a chareidi IDF soldier driving through the area found himself surrounded by demonstrators. Protesters blocked his vehicle, prompting police to intervene and extract him from the crowd.

Officers deployed stun grenades and other crowd-control measures during the rescue operation. Video footage from the scene showed police attempting to force demonstrators away from the vehicle as the confrontation intensified.

Other recordings from the Yerushalayim protest showed officers striking demonstrators with batons while attempting to clear the roadway.

In one widely circulated video, a female police officer was seen grabbing the tzitzis of a protester lying on the road and pulling on them until they tore. The footage drew particular attention because of the religious significance of the garment and the force used against the demonstrator.

Another recording appeared to show a police officer throwing a stun grenade directly toward the upper body of a protester, raising questions about whether the device was used in accordance with appropriate safety procedures.

A separate confrontation near the Chords Bridge involved a vehicle that began moving while demonstrators were gathered around it. A protester was dragged or struck by the vehicle, and reports indicated that a yeshiva bochur suffered minor injuries.

Police rejected allegations that the driver had deliberately attempted to run over the demonstrator. Authorities maintained that the protester had grabbed onto the vehicle and said they possessed footage supporting their account.

Meanwhile, in the Bnei Brak area, hundreds of demonstrators entered Route 4 near the Coca-Cola Bridge, sitting across the traffic lanes and bringing traffic to a halt in both directions between the Aluf Sadeh and Em Hamoshavot interchanges.

Protesters chanted, “We will die rather than enlist,” as police attempted to clear the highway.

The closures created major traffic backups along Route 4 and nearby roads. Congestion had already begun developing before the scheduled start of the demonstrations, as authorities prepared for the anticipated disruptions.

Israel’s National Roads Company reported heavy traffic stretching from the Rishon LeZion area toward Givat Shmuel, while Route 1 experienced significant congestion between Latrun and Shoresh and between Motza and the Harel interchange.

The Israel Airports Authority advised passengers traveling to Ben Gurion Airport to leave earlier than usual because of the possibility of serious delays on surrounding roads.

Police declared the demonstrations unlawful after protesters refused instructions to leave the roadway. Mounted officers and other police units were deployed to remove demonstrators, resulting in further confrontations.

Police said some protesters shouted “Nazis” at officers and physically confronted motorists attempting to pass through the affected areas.

Initial reports indicated that two demonstrators had been arrested on suspicion of assaulting police officers. A subsequent police update reported three arrests on Route 4 on suspicion of attacking officers, with additional arrests reported in Yerushalayim.

Police Commissioner Daniel Levy instructed officers to disperse demonstrations involving roadblocks and public disturbances.

“Protest is a right; disturbing public order is not,” Levy said in a statement issued during the unrest.

The protests came after several unsuccessful attempts by military police to arrest chareidi men wanted for failing to report for enlistment.

In Modi’in earlier in the week, military police attempting to arrest a bochur at a residential building were surrounded by hundreds of protesters after activists circulated an emergency alert.

Demonstrators entered the building and reportedly reached the apartment itself, gathering around the wanted man and preventing officers from taking him into custody.

Police reinforcements were eventually called to extract the military personnel, who left without making the arrest.

A similar incident unfolded Thursday morning in Bat Yam, where military police arrived at the residence of another wanted chareidi man. Activists associated with the emergency alert network known as Tzeva Shachor summoned protesters, and the officers ultimately withdrew without arresting him.

During Thursday’s demonstrations, protesters also surrounded a building in Modi’in Illit where Shas was holding an election campaign gathering. Shas chairman Aryeh Deri was present at the event, according to a party spokesperson.

The protests therefore extended beyond the principal highway blockades, with demonstrators also directing their anger toward political figures amid the continuing controversy over the military draft of bnei yeshiva.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu condemned the highway closures, arguing that the demonstrators did not represent the broader chareidi community.

“These blockades do not represent the overwhelming majority of the chareidi public; an extremist faction of Kaplan, Kaplan, is organizing this,” Netanyahu said, referring to the anti-government protest movement associated with Kaplan Street in Tel Aviv.

By approximately 6:30 p.m., police reported that the main demonstrations had ended and that Route 4 near Bnei Brak and the entrance to Yerushalayim had reopened to traffic.

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A chareidi organization has demanded the immediate removal of a controversial election advertisement depicting a chareidi man taking money from the pocket of a battered and bound IDF soldier, calling the AI-generated video a “visual blood libel” against the chareidi community.

The organization Emet L’Yaakov B’Yisrael submitted an urgent appeal to Central Elections Committee Chairman Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg and separately issued a legal warning to MK Sharren Haskel and her Yisrael Techila party, giving them 24 hours to remove the video.

The campaign video, titled “Captive Audience,” depicts an IDF soldier sitting in a darkened room in uniform, with bruises on his face and his hands held behind his back in a manner suggesting that he has been bound and taken captive.

An AI-generated chareidi-looking man then approaches the wounded soldier, reaches into his pocket, removes a banknote and tells him, “Thank you, tzaddik.”

The video concludes with the words “Chareidim for the future of the country” and the party’s branding.

In accompanying campaign material, Yisrael Techila described the chareidi public as one that “extorts and evades” and treats IDF soldiers as a “personal ATM and human shield.”

The video sparked an immediate backlash from chareidi lawmakers and activists, who accused Haskel and her party of employing antisemitic imagery and inciting hatred against chareidim.

Through attorney Natan Mashat, Emet L’Yaakov B’Yisrael argued that the advertisement constitutes a “visual blood libel” by portraying the chareidi community and Torah learners as thieves who exploit helpless people.

The organization also argued that the campaign ignores the contributions of chareidim serving in the military and the thousands involved in emergency-response, rescue and chesed organizations.

According to the legal complaint, using the image of a bruised and apparently captive IDF soldier as a political weapon crosses a serious moral line, particularly given the painful associations surrounding Israeli hostages and soldiers in the years since the Oct. 7 massacre.

The organization warned that portraying an entire population in such a manner could intensify hostility toward chareidim and potentially contribute to physical violence.

The legal warning demands that Haskel and Yisrael Techila remove the advertisement from every platform within 24 hours, immediately halt all paid promotion of the video and issue an unequivocal public apology to the chareidi community, Torah learners, IDF soldiers and their families.

The organization is also demanding that the party accept public and personal responsibility for approving and distributing the campaign.

At the same time, Justice Sohlberg was asked to use his authority under Israel’s election advertising laws to order an immediate halt to distribution of the video and its removal from all platforms. The organization also requested that the chairman of the Central Elections Committee issue an official condemnation of the campaign.

The controversy began shortly after Yisrael Techila released the advertisement earlier this week as part of an election campaign focusing heavily on chareidi military service and government funding.

United Torah Judaism chairman MK Yaakov Asher responded by calling the video an “antisemitic incitement video” and said it reflected “haters of people and haters of religion.”

“This is permitting the blood of chareidim in a style remembered from dark periods in history,” Asher said. “If a chareidi is harmed as a result of this incitement, the blood is on Sharren Haskel’s hands.”

MK Meir Porush also condemned the advertisement, saying, “Why should we complain about the Green Party in Britain when a former deputy foreign minister here in Israel publishes antisemitic election propaganda?”

Emet L’Yaakov B’Yisrael said that if its demands are not met within the 24-hour deadline, it intends to pursue additional legal proceedings.

Copies of the complaint were also sent to the President of Israel, the State Comptroller, the Knesset Ethics Committee and the Justice Ministry’s Government Unit for Coordinating the Fight Against Racism.

Just days after surviving the terrifying drama aboard the FlyDubai flight, a group of passengers who emerged safely from the ordeal traveled to Kever Rochel to thank Hashem for what they described as the extraordinary miracle that saved their lives.

Among those taking part was Dr. Shota Musaev, the Holon dentist who played a key role during the emergency aboard the aircraft, assisting in efforts to save the pilot and stabilize the situation during the most frightening moments of the flight.

Arriving at Kever Rochel, Musaev said that while the holy site is ordinarily associated with people coming to pour out their hearts and ask for yeshuos, this visit had an entirely different purpose.

“I know that this is a place of prayer and asking for salvation, but this time I chose to come here to say thank you. After everything we went through, there are moments when a person simply needs to stop and thank Hashem,” Musaev said.

The special gathering was held together with avreichim from the network of kollelim operated by Mosdos Kever Rochel and led by Rav Moshe Menachem Kluger.

Upon reaching the kever, the survivors first spent time in personal tefillah. They then joined the avreichim and other participants in reciting Mizmor Lesodah and Nishmas Kol Chai, giving thanks for their extraordinary rescue.

The survivors spoke during the gathering about the fear they experienced aboard the plane and how, in the moments when their lives appeared to be in danger, they turned to tefillah and emunah. After emerging safely from the ordeal, they said they felt a powerful need to visit a makom kadosh specifically to express their gratitude for the tremendous chasadim they had witnessed.

They said the impact of the episode extended far beyond those who had actually been aboard the aircraft.

“Many people in Israel and around the world followed the story,” the survivors said. “As they learned more of the details, they saw how the hand of Divine Providence guided the events step by step. For many, it was a tremendous strengthening of faith and another illustration that Hashem’s kindness accompanies His people at all times.”

Musaev said that since the incident, he has felt a personal obligation to publicly express his gratitude for the miracle.

“When a person sees the kindness of Heaven with his own eyes, he understands how much he must recognize the good and give thanks for every moment and every breath,” he said.

The gathering culminated with an emotional outpouring of hoda’ah as the survivors and avreichim broke into singing and dancing in the area alongside the kever. For several minutes, the sounds of celebration and gratitude filled the site, replacing the terror and tension the survivors had experienced aboard the aircraft only days earlier.

For the passengers, the visit offered a poignant moment after several tumultuous days: standing at the kever of Rochel Imeinu, where countless Yidden have come throughout the generations to daven for yeshuos, they had come this time not to ask for a miracle, but to give thanks for one they believe they had already received.

The survivors also joined the avreichim who learn near Kever Rochel throughout the year, maintaining around-the-clock shifts of Torah and tefillah on behalf of Klal Yisroel.

שוטה מוסייב בקבר רחלצילום: באדיבות המצלם

נפתלי כהן כתבה מקודמת

08:30

בשיתוף ועד הרבנים

11:23

תוכן מקודם

17:17

תוכן מקודם

03:08

תוכן מקודם

04:08

תוכן מקודם

10:03

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[Videos below.] A late-night attempt by Israeli military police to arrest a yeshiva bochur classified as a draft evader ended with his release after hundreds of chareidim rushed to the scene, blocked the roadway and prevented authorities from taking him into custody.

The dramatic confrontation unfolded at 20 Ya’ar Yerushalayim Street in Modiin-Maccabim-Reut, near Modiin Illit. According to reports from the Tzeva Shachor organization, military police arrived at the young man’s home shortly before midnight. The bochur, Yair, is reportedly scheduled to get married in just several weeks.

His rov, Rav Dor Salti, said the young man’s parents, who were abroad, had learned two days earlier that military police were searching for their son and contacted him about the situation.

“Two minutes before midnight, military police soldiers knocked on the door and his sister opened it. They didn’t let him change his clothes, because he was already in pajamas,” Rav Salti said.

Word of the arrest attempt spread rapidly, and within a short period dozens of protesters began arriving from nearby Modiin Illit and surrounding communities. Their numbers soon swelled into the hundreds as demonstrators sought to prevent the military police from removing the bochur from the building.

Stormy confrontations erupted both inside the building and outside it as the crowd surrounded the area. Demonstrators repeatedly shouted, “Yair, we are with you,” while others moved into the roadway and blocked traffic.

As the standoff continued, protesters sitting and standing in the street began singing “Utzu eitzah vesufar,” as additional people continued arriving at the scene.

Police said during the incident that officers from the Modiin station were responding to a public disturbance that had developed during a military police operation to arrest a draft evader. Large numbers of police officers were dispatched to extract the military personnel from the area and restore order.

As the situation escalated, the Central District Police declared the incident a district-level emergency requiring an intensified response. Large contingents of Israel Police, Yasam riot-control officers and Border Police personnel from the Central District and the Shfela region were summoned to the scene.

At the same time, negotiations reportedly began between police officials and activists from Tzeva Shachor, the organization that mobilizes in response to arrests of bnei yeshivos over military-service issues.

According to reports from the scene, an agreement was ultimately reached under which the bochur would be released and the demonstrators would disperse.

Military police subsequently released Yair, bringing the hours-long confrontation to an end without his being taken into military detention.

Following his release, the bochur traveled to the entrance of Modiin Illit, where supporters gathered around him and celebrated the outcome of the standoff.

{Matzav.com}

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