Haredi Judaism
Artem Dolgopyat of Israel, left, celebrates after winning the gold medal on the floor exercise during the artistic gymnastics men's apparatus final at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 1, 2021, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Israel's Olympic gold victory raises Jewish identity debate

By Ilan Ben Zion Aug. 02, 2021 02:52 PM EDT

A participant pauses in the annual Pride Parade, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Friday, June 25, 2021. Thousands of people attended the parade Friday in one of the largest public gatherings held in Israel since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
Tens of thousands attend Pride parade in Israel's Tel Aviv

By Ariel Schalit Jun. 25, 2021 06:09 AM EDT

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, center, chairs the first weekly cabinet meeting of the new government in Jerusalem, Sunday, June 20, 2021. Bennett opened his first Cabinet meeting on Sunday since swearing in his new coalition government with a condemnation of the newly elected Iranian president, whom he called “the hangman of Tehran.” (Emmanuel Dunand/Pool Photo via AP)
Israel launches official probe into deadly festival stampede

Jun. 20, 2021 08:30 AM EDT

Israeli left-wing protesters chant slogans and hold flags during a demonstration for the forming of a new government in the central Israeli city of Ramat Gan, Wednesday, June 2, 2021. Hebrew sign reads: "We are the hope". (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)
Netanyahu opponents reach coalition deal to oust Israeli PM

By Josef Federman Jun. 02, 2021 11:37 AM EDT

Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men attend the funeral of Yossi Kohn, 21, from Cleveland, Ohio, who died during Lag BaOmer celebrations at Mt. Meron in northern Israel, in Jerusalem, Sunday, May 2, 2021. A stampede at a religious festival attended by tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews in northern Israel killed dozens of people and injured about 150 early Friday, medical officials said. It was one of the country's deadliest civilian disasters. (AP Photo/Oren Ben Hakoon)
Israeli watchdog to investigate deadly festival stampede

By Ilan Ben Zion May. 03, 2021 07:00 AM EDT

FILE - In this Tuesday, April 28, 2020 file photo, Ahmad Kamel, right, performs the Maghrib prayer with his wife, Nadia Chaouch, as their son Ahmad Kamel runs past after the family broke the Ramadan daily fast just after sunset in their home, during the coronavirus outbreak in Seattle. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
Holy days arrive for the faithful as pandemic eases in US

By David Crary And Mariam Fam Mar. 31, 2021 09:08 AM EDT

Israeli politician Benny Gantz gestures as he speaks during a conference in Jerusalem, March 7, 2021. Israel is holding its fourth election in two years after two deadlocked votes and a government that collapsed after less than a year. It is widely seen as a one-issue referendum — with the electorate almost evenly divided — on whether longtime Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu can remain in power. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)
EXPLAINER: Israelis vote in fourth election in 2 years

By Ilan Ben Zion Mar. 23, 2021 02:13 AM EDT

Ultra-Orthodox Jews some wearing costumes scuffle with police officers during celebrations of the Jewish holiday of Purim, in the Mea Shearim ultra-Orthodox neighborhood of Jerusalem, Sunday, Feb. 28, 2021. The Jewish holiday of Purim commemorates the Jews' salvation from genocide in ancient Persia, as recounted in the biblical Book of Esther. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
Purim celebrations threaten fresh virus outbreak in Israel

Feb. 28, 2021 01:57 PM EST

FILE - In this Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021 file photo, an Israeli military paramedic prepares a Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, to be administered to elderly people at a medical center in Ashdod, southern Israel. After racing to a quick start, Israel is blaming online misinformation for a sudden slowdown in its campaign to vaccinate its adult population. Israel's Health Ministry, which is spearheading the vaccination efforts, is employing both carrots and sticks as it tries to persuade reluctant holdouts to get immunized. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov, File)
As vaccinations lag, Israel combats online misinformation

By Isaac Scharf And Ilan Ben Zion Feb. 15, 2021 01:09 AM EST

Two men from the Haredi Orthodox Jewish community arrive at an event to encourage vaccine uptake in the ultra-Orthodox community at the John Scott Vaccination Centre in London, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2021. In hopes of breaking down barriers that sometimes isolate the Orthodox from wider society, community leaders organized the pop-up vaccination event for Saturday night to coincide with the end of Shabbat, the Jewish day of rest. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)
Ultra-Orthodox Londoners roll up sleeves to fight COVID

By Danica Kirka Feb. 14, 2021 09:29 AM EST

File - In this Sunday, Jan. 24, 2021 file photo, Israeli police officers clash with ultra-Orthodox Jews in Ashdod, Israel. Ultra-Orthodox demonstrators clashed with Israeli police officers dispatched to close schools in Jerusalem and Ashdod that had opened in violation of coronavirus lockdown rules, on Sunday. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty, File)
Israel's ultra-Orthodox reject criticism, defy virus rules

By Ilan Ben Zion Feb. 10, 2021 01:24 AM EST

Thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews participate in the funeral for prominent rabbi Meshulam Soloveitchik, in Jerusalem, Sunday, Jan. 31, 2021. The mass ceremony took place despite the country's health regulations banning large public gatherings, during a nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
Thousands join in Jerusalem funerals, flout pandemic rules

By Ilan Ben Zion Jan. 31, 2021 07:52 AM EST

Israeli police officers stand by burning garbage during clashes with ultra-Orthodox Jews over the coronavirus lockdown restrictions, in Bnei Brak, Israel, Sunday, Jan. 24, 2021. As he seeks re-election, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has turned to a straightforward strategy: Count on the rock-solid support of his ultra-Orthodox political allies and stamp out the coronavirus pandemic with one of the world’s most aggressive vaccination campaigns. But with ultra-Orthodox communities openly flouting safety guidelines and violently clashing with police trying to enforce them, this marriage of convenience is turning into a burden. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
Ultra-Orthodox unrest threatens Netanyahu reelection hopes

By Josef Federman Jan. 28, 2021 01:06 AM EST

Men walk amid smoke from a dumpster fire, in an ultra-Orthodox neighborhood in Jerusalem, Sunday, Jan. 24, 2021. Ultra-Orthodox demonstrators clashed with Israeli police officers dispatched to close schools in Jerusalem and Ashdod that had opened in violation of health regulations on Sunday. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)
Israel targets flights, religious scofflaws, as virus rages

By Josef Federman Jan. 24, 2021 07:16 AM EST

Ultra-Orthodox attack Israeli police amid lockdown tensions

Jan. 22, 2021 03:24 AM EST
JERUSALEM (AP) — Ultra-Orthodox Jews attacked an unmarked Israeli police vehicle overnight, pelting it with stones and smashing the windows while officers were...

Court upholds religious challenges of NY pandemic limits

Dec. 28, 2020 09:25 PM EST
NEW YORK (AP) — A federal appeals court on Monday upheld challenges to New York state’s attendance restrictions at houses of worship to curb the spread of the...

Ultra-Orthodox Jews wear face masks and keep social distancing amid concerns over the country's coronavirus outbreak, during a protest to what they say is incitement against the city and country's religious population in the southern Israel city of Arad, Israel, Monday, Oct. 19, 2020. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
A pandemic atlas: A virus widens Israel's religious rifts

By Josef Federman Dec. 16, 2020 12:08 AM EST

Rabbi Yehuda Teichtal, left, and Rabbi Segal Shmoel, second from left, inspect a giant Hanukkah Menorah, set up by the Jewish Chabad Educational Center ahead of the Jewish Hanukkah holiday, at the Pariser Platz in Berlin, Germany, Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
US Jews plan smaller Hanukkah celebrations amid virus

By Elana Schor And Luis Andres Henao Dec. 10, 2020 12:27 PM EST

In this provided by the State of New York, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo holds up a new Thanksgiving-themed face mask during his daily coronavirus briefing at the Wyandanch-Wheatley Heights Ambulance Corp. Headquarters in Wyandanch, N.Y. After disclosing that he will no longer be celebrating Thanksgiving with his 89-year-old mother in-person, Cuomo asked New Yorkers to abandon plans for in-person Thanksgiving festivities. (Kevin P. Coughlin/State of New York via AP)
High court blocks NY virus limits on houses of worship

By Jessica Gresko Nov. 26, 2020 12:22 AM EST

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, center, arrives at the Israeli Knesset, or Parliament in Jerusalem ahead of the discussion of the peace treaty with the United Arab Emirates, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2020. (Alex Kolomoisky/Pool Photo via AP)
Israel eases some lockdown measures as virus cases decline

By Tia Goldenberg Oct. 15, 2020 12:02 PM EDT