'A pogrom': Haredi rioters smash windows, damage home of deputy Supreme Court chief

Key Points:

• Dozens of ultra-Orthodox extremists vandalized Supreme Court Deputy Chief Justice Noam Sohlberg’s home during a riot protesting the arrest of Haredi draft dodgers, causing property damage including shattered windows and a car windshield.
• Sohlberg and his wife were home during the attack, which included hateful symbols like a swastika replacing the Star of David on an Israeli flag; police detained dozens of suspects after stopping rioters fleeing on a bus.
• The violence follows Sohlberg’s criticism of the government’s failure to enforce conscription and his role in a Supreme Court ruling invalidating long-standing military service exemptions for ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students.
• Israeli officials, including President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, condemned the attack as a dangerous threat to democracy and judicial independence, with calls for law enforcement to act decisively against the perpetrators.
• Political reactions were mixed: United Torah Judaism condemned violence but supported draft dodgers, while opposition leaders criticized the government’s handling of the situation and warned of escalating extremism and lawlessness.