Israeli Ultra-Orthodox Draft Riot Occurs Outside of Judge’s House

Dozens of ultra‑Orthodox extremists rioted outside the home of Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg on the night of June 3rd, 2026, in protest of Israel’s military draft. The police said 65 protesters were detained. Property at the judge’s home in Alon Shvut was damaged, and no injuries were reported.

It was unclear why Sohlberg’s house was targeted. The Supreme Court had ruled two years ago to end the long‑standing draft exemption for Haredi men, though most still do not enlist.

The exemption is a major point of division in Israel and is expected to be a central issue in elections planned for the fall. Military service is compulsory for most Israelis at 18. The war in Gaza, which began after a Hamas‑led attack in October 2023, and other conflicts have increased the army’s need for soldiers. The exemption had been granted to Haredi men who say they study Torah full‑time.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the violence and said he expects law enforcement to take a hard line on protestors. His government relies on ultra‑Orthodox parties and has not secured enough support to pass a draft bill that would encourage some enlistment but that critics say would still exempt most Haredi men.

The military says it is short thousands of soldiers. Reservists have been called up repeatedly, sometimes for hundreds of days, leading to resentment toward Haredim, who many Israelis say are not sharing the national burden. Small numbers of Haredi men have enlisted since the exemption was lifted, but some in the community fear the army could make young men secular.

The military has arrested some Haredi draft evaders. Protests against the arrests have intensified, with highway blockages and a recent storming of a police station in Beit Shemesh.

Two ultra‑Orthodox coalition parties condemned the violence but accused the Supreme Court of persecuting Torah scholars. They said they had warned that such actions would lead to radicalization and anarchy.

The riot occurred as Netanyahu’s coalition continued efforts to curb the judiciary’s authority, a major source of division in Israel.

President Isaac Herzog recently warned of a “terrible process of brutalization” in Israeli society, citing mob violence and abuse of detainees. On Thursday he condemned the riot and called for unity, saying the country is “a step away from disaster.”

OP-ED

Pommelien Thijs, a popular singer in the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium, has been relatively ignored by the French-speaking community. This has raised concerns on whether singers should work in more common languages, such as English, so more people can understand it, or if they should use their native languages. I think singers and other creators should strive to work in their native language, due to how they can work better with a language they are more used to.

Pommelien Thijs is one of the top stars in Belgium, but only in the Dutch speaking part. The French speaking part has mostly ignored her however, with one of the few statements being about her voice having “not yet crossed the language barrier,” according to the country’s French-language public broadcaster, RTBF. Even though more people are beginning to listen to music that isn’t in their language, like the emergence of K-pop, which is often in Korean, Belgium is still split along a language line, into the two regions of Flanders and Wallonia. In Belgium, the only musicians that have gained popularity in both regions and originated in their original communities sing in French. The line is further reinforced by how Flanders and Wallonia each have their own radio stations that are in their respective languages. Thijs herself doesn’t find anything strange about the divide in the country.

Thijs has also been gaining popularity in the Netherlands. Thijs decided that there was no need to compromise over language just to gain more fans. The difficulty of changing languages is expressed when she says, “If that would mean completely flipping my language, I wouldn’t know how to start.” She can still gain fans even though she is not using a universal language, showing that using a less-popular language isn’t detrimental to an artist’s career.

The Belgian government has started to work on removing the language barrier. Since 2023, students in Wallonia have begun learning a second language, and it is mandatory for it to be Dutch in Brussels, as well as regions near Flanders. If Belgium can try to breakdown language barriers, other countries could probably do this as well.

Despite these efforts, most children only speak one language at home. This shows how even though they have learned a new language, they will still be using the one they are more comfortable with, the one they have used longer. This is why it would be better if singers stuck to their own language, as it is what they are more comfortable with, allowing them to produce better work.

However, many people believe that singers should sing in a universal language. This is so everyone can understand it, no matter where they are from. However, I disagree, as it can take away the potential for better work, because a singer will usually be better in their own language.

Ultimately, the loss of potential from singing in an unfamiliar language leads me to think that singers should work in a language they would be more familiar with, instead of a language that would attract more fans that are unable to understand the original language.