Dozens of chareidi extremists staged a volatile protest outside the Bnei Brak home of UTJ MK Rabbi Yaakov Asher—just hours after Shas MK Rabbi Yoav Ben Tzur survived a frightening assault in Yerushalayim that left his car smashed and police scrambling to rescue him.

Police vehicles lined the narrow Bnei Brak streets as the disorganized crowd gathered outside MK Asher’s home, chanting and shouting over the coalition’s controversial conscription bill. Though the demonstration did not reach the level of violence seen in Yerushalayim, the atmosphere was tense, and officers remained on edge as protesters pressed against barriers.

The Bnei Brak protest came on the heels of a shocking incident earlier in the evening, when a mob of extremist chareidim surrounded MK Ben Tzur’s vehicle as he left a weekly shiur delivered by HaRav Yitzchak Yosef. Footage from the scene showed the crowd swarming the car—smashing the windshield, throwing garbage bags, ripping off the license plate, and even jumping onto the vehicle.

Witnesses described the violent attack as an “attempted lynching.” Police officers eventually pulled Ben Tzur from the chaos. He was physically unharmed, but his vehicle sustained significant damage. Police later confirmed that dozens of rioters had “ambushed an elected official,” calling it a serious attempt to harm a public servant.

Shas issued a sharply worded statement condemning the attack as “a severe act of violence carried out by a small group of rioters,” calling the behavior a chillul Hashem and emphasizing that it “is not the way of the Torah.”

The extremists appear to have targeted both MK Ben Tzur and MK Asher due to their involvement in ongoing coalition discussions surrounding the government’s proposed draft bill. While chareidi leaders have long opposed any effort to conscript large numbers of yeshiva bochurim, mainstream representatives have been participating in negotiations—a move that has drawn fury from fringe factions who reject any compromise.

Police say they dispersed the rioters and are actively working to identify and arrest the attackers, with Border Police units involved in the response. The force said it views the events with utmost seriousness and will not tolerate violence against elected officials.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)