By Pesach Benson • June 14, 2026
Jerusalem, 14 June, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Four men were indicted Sunday over their alleged role in a violent riot outside the home of Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg earlier this month.
The defendants, all residents of Beit Shemesh, in central Israel, are accused of joining a crowd of more than 100 Orthodox (Haredi) extremists who gathered on June 3 in protest against military conscription policies and proceeded to attack the judge’s property. Prosecutors said the suspects were charged with rioting, while two were also charged with trespassing, after allegedly entering the garage area of the home.
According to the indictment filed in the Jerusalem Magistrates Court, the group was transported to the scene in Alon Shvut, south of Jerusalem, on two buses and a minibus arranged by an unknown organizer after notices calling for a protest were posted in Bnei Brak. Upon arrival, dozens converged on the residence, shouting and surrounding the house as the Sohlberg family locked themselves inside.
Rioters smashed windows, damaged a vehicle belonging to the judge’s wife, threw stones, and blocked access roads. They also attempted to break into the home and distributed pamphlets bearing the judge’s image and slogans accusing him of “persecution of Haredi Judaism.” Blue and white flags defaced with swastikas were also reportedly thrown into the street.
The indictment further states that one neighbor who came outside in an effort to stop the violence was beaten and had his skullcap forcibly removed. Other residents, fearing a security incident, retreated to protected spaces.
Prosecutors said that when police arrived, rioters ran toward the patrol car while shouting “Nazis” and “We will die before we are drafted,” forcing officers to withdraw before reinforcements arrived.
Authorities have yet to determine who coordinated the transportation of the demonstrators.
Attorney Ariel Illoz of the Jerusalem District Attorney’s Office described the events as “a serious, unusual and unprecedented incident in which a violent riot occurred outside a judge’s home, including damage to property, motivated by his judicial rulings.”
The governing coalition has been strained by its failure to pass legislation addressing conscription exemptions for Haredi yeshiva students.
An estimated 80,000 Haredi men eligible for military service have not enlisted. Coalition leaders dependent on Haredi political support have repeatedly struggled to find a compromise acceptable both to Haredi leadership and to Israelis demanding equal military service obligations.
The military has begun preparations to conscript yeshiva students after Israel’s High Court of Justice ruled in 2024 that exemptions for the Haredi community were illegal.
Military service is compulsory for most Israeli citizens. However, Israel’s first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion, and the country’s leading rabbis reached an informal “status quo” arrangement that deferred military service for Haredi men studying in yeshivot, or religious institutions. At the time, no more than several hundred men were studying in yeshivot.
