Protests erupted at Tel Hashomer IDF center on Jan. 4, 2026, after a religious recruitment push sparked backlash over haredi conscription.

On January 4, 2026, protests erupted at the IDF Recruitment Center in Tel Hashomer after haredi extremists clashed with security forces over military conscription of haredi men. The unrest followed the release of a new IDF bulletin by the Haredi Hashmonaim Brigade, which promotes enlistment through religious narratives and soldier stories, sparking backlash from anti-draft activists who called it coercive and dangerous. The material, distributed in haredi neighborhoods, aims to encourage service in a specialized unit but has deepened tensions over military conscription, religious exemptions, and national integration.