Haredim hang effigies of IDF soldiers in Beit Shemesh and Jerusalem

Tensions over Haredi conscription into the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) escalated as effigies of ultra-Orthodox Jewish soldiers were found hanging in two predominantly Haredi neighborhoods.

In Jerusalem’s Mea Shearim, a large doll dressed as a Haredi soldier was photographed dangling from a wire alongside a Palestinian flag early this morning. Residents removed the effigy later in the day, according to the Jerusalem District Police, though the reason for its removal remains unclear.

In Beit Shemesh, a similar scene unfolded with a doll in IDF uniform strung up on a mock gallows along a building on Ma’apilei Egoz Street. A sign next to it declared, “We will die before we are drafted,” signaling fierce opposition to mandatory military service. Police dismantled the display, confiscating the doll and taking it to the station.

The incident in Beit Shemesh drew a sharp response from Deputy Mayor Moshe Shitrit, who condemned the act in the strongest terms: “Extremists cannot be Jews; we must show zero tolerance toward them,” he said. “A city that has buried 18 of its sons, especially after October 7, should have no patience for such scum. Personally, I’ve lost patience with extremists on all sides. I don’t have much issue with the sign—at least its first word—but people who hang a doll in IDF uniform cannot be Jews, and I feel no need to save them from their desire for collective suicide.”

The provocative displays come amid ongoing debates over Haredi exemptions from military service, a deeply divisive issue in Israel. Authorities have not yet identified those responsible for the effigies.

Times of Israel contributed to this article.