A senior Israel Defense Forces officer responsible for advancing the draft of ultra-Orthodox soldiers to the military was attacked by a mob of Haredi men in Bnei Brak Thursday night.
Maj. Gen. David Zini, head of the Training Command and General Staff Corps and the “project manager” for drafting Haredi soldiers, was eating at a restaurant in Bnei Brak with one of his aides, a major, when dozens of Haredi men ganged up on the two officers, shouting “murderers” as they chased them through the streets of the ultra-Orthodox city, just east of Tel Aviv.
Police said that the two officers were rescued from the angry crowd and three suspects were arrested.
The suspects, aged 29, 24 and 19, will be brought to court later Friday.
Zini was attacked by a Haredi mob in Bnei Brak in July too, when he was in the central city following a meeting with Rabbi David Leybel, a proponent of programs that support members of the ultra-Orthodox community entering the workforce.
In that incident, he and Brig. Gen. Shay Tayeb, head of the Personnel Directorate’s Planning and Personnel Management Division, were set upon by dozens of ultra-Orthodox rioters who surrounded their car and shouted “murderer” and other epithets at them.
האלוף דוד זיני, שמקדם את גיוס החרדים לצה”ל, הותקף הלילה בבני ברק על ידי המון קיצוני לאחר שזוהה במסעדה בעיר. לפי התיעודים הוא חולץ על ידי המשטרה@AnnaPines_ pic.twitter.com/sn832JhQsW
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) January 10, 2025
The protesters on Thursday were affiliated with the Jerusalem Faction, an extremist ultra-Orthodox group numbering some 60,000 members that is considered among the most hardline opponents of efforts to extend enlistment requirements to yeshiva students and other Haredi men. The group has become known for periodically organizing large protests against the IDF in recent years.
Hours before the mob attacked the officers in Bnei Brak, members of the same extremist faction blocked traffic along a major highway nearby to demonstrate against intensifying efforts to conscript Haredi men into the military.
Mounted police disperse ultra-Orthodox Jewish men during a protest on Route 4 against Haredi enlistment to the IDF, near Bnei Brak, January 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
The incident, and the recruitment drive, came as the IDF suffers personnel shortages amid the ongoing war, and following a High Court ruling last year stating that there is no longer any legal framework allowing the state to refrain from drafting yeshiva students into military service.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday condemned the “outrageous” attack on Zini in Bnei Brak, and demanded that the perpetrators be brought to justice.
“This was a dangerous and shameful act of violence that has no place in a state governed by law,” the premier said, calling for “an immediate swift and thorough investigation” into the incident.
הערב האלוף זיני אכל טשולנט עם יועצו מולי בוימל במסעדת גולדיס בבני ברק, לפתע הופיעו בערך 100 מפגינים שקראו לעברו קריאות גנאי, המשטרה חילצה את האלוף ואת יועצו בוימל.
אפשר להשתמש בתיעוד ובתמונה בה הוא ממתין לחילוץ בתוך המסעדה, לא צריך לבקש אישור ולא צריך קרדיט pic.twitter.com/Xcupf1mghD
— יענקי פרבר | Yanki Farber (@yankihebrew) January 9, 2025
“We will fight any manifestation of violence with zero tolerance,” Netanyahu added.
Also commenting on the attack, Defense Minister Israel Katz declared that the ultra-Orthodox rioters had “crossed a red line.”
“Harming IDF commanders and soldiers, who dedicate their lives to the security of the state, will not be accepted under any circumstances,” Katz said. “Law enforcement authorities must act to bring the rioters to justice.”
אני מגנה בחריפות את התקיפה האלימה של האלוף דוד זיני בידי קומץ מתפרעים קיצוניים בבני ברק. זוהי חציית קו אדום חמור. פגיעה במפקדי וחיילי צה”ל, המקדישים את חייהם למען ביטחון המדינה – לא תתקבל בשום אופן, ועל רשויות החוק לפעול כדי למצות את הדין עם המתפרעים.
— ישראל כ”ץ Israel Katz (@Israel_katz) January 10, 2025
The army said it viewed the assault “gravely,” asserting in a statement that the chief of staff supports and encourages the important work of Maj. Gen. David Zini to recruit members of the ultra-Orthodox community.
“The IDF views gravely and condemns any violent behavior towards its servicemembers who work day and night for the security of the state and its citizens,” the statement added.
Earlier this week, state officials informed the High Court that starting in 2026, there would be no limit to the number of ultra-Orthodox servicemen the IDF is technically able to enlist.
At the same time, the government is attempting to pass a bill at the behest of the Haredi parties that would see some increased enlistment of ultra-Orthodox men, but would broadly maintain the decades-long wide-scale exemption of the community from military or national service.
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