Israel Police forge new collaborations with ultra-Orthodox communities

In a series of new programs, the Israel Police are testing new methods of partnering with the country’s religious community and improving badly strained ties.

Relations between the police and the Haredi or ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in Israel have long been tenuous, and the deficiency in trust between these groups has often been on display during protests and even in spurts of anti-police violence.

Most recently during the COVID-19 pandemic, the lack of confidence caused tensions. The close-knit and densely populated Haredi communities were the hardest hit by the disease, with death rates estimated to be nearly four times higher than the general population.

Haredi social structure gives ultimate authority to the rabbis and religious community leaders. The police, on the other hand, have traditionally been viewed as an external secular force. So without rabbinical involvement in promoting distancing measures and communicating health standards, the virus easily spread across the entire community.

“During times of trouble, the Haredi response is to increase religious Torah study, prayer, and devotion,” said Israel Police spokesperson for the religious and Haredi community, Superintendent Shabtay Garbarchik. “Then here comes the government and the Health Ministry to tell the public that this is exactly what they cannot do. And the police must enforce the rules.”

There are currently over 1.3 million Haredim in Israel—roughly 13% of the population—and while religious, their communities are far from crime-free.

“We don’t have the same crimes in the Haredi community. We don’t often deal with murder. There is drug use, but it’s not the same hard drugs that you see elsewhere,” Garbarchik told The Media Line.

“There’s also property crime, but generally it is caused by people from nearby communities that come in and commit the acts,” he said, adding that there is also a largely underreported issue with sexual and domestic abuse.

But traditionally, the community first directs its attention to the religious leadership for answers before reporting to the police, especially if the crime is committed during the Sabbath, between Friday evening and Saturday night, when phone and electronic use is generally forbidden.

This is what the police are trying to change, through new partnerships with the Haredi sector and particularly by absorbing Haredim into every police unit possible.

Master Sgt. Yair Drori, for example, is community liaison to Modiin Illit, a 100% Haredi city in the West Bank with some 100,000 residents. He’s been serving the city for nine years, as the only Haredi officer at the station. He tells The Media Line that it took him many months to be accepted in the community, but his efforts have paid off with great returns.

“My job is basically to work with the community’s authorities in security, community, and youth,” Drori said. “We run youth programs to make sure they’re not at risk, not dropping out [of school], we catch them and hold them, so they don’t fall into bad places.”

“Our goal is also to preserve a homogenous community like they want, as well as to preserve the religious character in the city as much as possible without harming quality of life,” he continued.

Drori’s job also involves training his colleagues in the nuances of Haredi society, so that the trust he builds can be extended to and maintained by every officer in the station.

Among other changes, the police work discreetly with the rabbinical hierarchies whenever possible and they refrain from entering the gated city limits over the weekend, in violation of the Sabbath. In return, the community is more understanding and cooperative in reporting crimes, even during Sabbath hours.

Garbarchik explained that unless a situation is considered immediately life-threatening, an observant Jew will not pick up the phone to call the police on the Sabbath—and criminals take advantage of this. So, in the event of a robbery, for example, many Haredim would wait until after the Sabbath to report it, if at all.

After speaking with local rabbinical authorities, however, an explanation was disseminated to the community that one cannot know the intentions of the suspect, and that things could potentially become violent if a suspect were to encounter a victim or witness. Therefore, if there’s even a 1% chance of violence, breaking Sabbath law to report and potentially save a life is permissible.

Drori likewise told a story of how the police needed to arrest a suspect who was inside a religious seminary, or “yeshiva.” Rather than causing a scene with dozens of officers and risking an escalation, he approached the rabbi at the head of the yeshiva, who not only promised that the suspect would be turned in, but that he’d personally see the suspect to the station.

“The rabbis play a big part in the day-to-day life of the community, from keeping the peace in the home to raising and educating children, and even in criminal matters with at-risk youth,” said Modiin Illit city manager, Yair Kirshenboim.

“So it’s important that there are people here who understand how to ‘speak the language’ of the rabbinical establishment.”

The ultra-Orthodox also volunteer regularly: searching for missing persons, serving as EMTs with the United Hatzalah and Magen David Adom organizations, and more recently, partnering with local police forces.

“I have nothing but pride” for this dedicated volunteerism, Drori said.

Not every ultra-Orthodox police officer serves as a community liaison, either. There are several all-Haredi graduating classes within the police force, including many Haredi women, and they are placed in units that serve them and their communities best.

Ultra-Orthodox education is often lacking in core subjects like math, science, and English. But Torah study strongly develops critical thinking skills, says Maj. Gen. Aharon Aksool, former operations commander for the Israel Police.

Because of these critical thinking skills, Aksool told The Media Line, Haredim learn quickly and excel in intelligence, analytics, and cyber units, so the “police learn what people are best at and put them in the right unit.”

To address the underreporting of sexual and domestic violence in the ultra-Orthodox sector, the police have trained several all-female and Haredi investigation units that serve various ultra-Orthodox communities.

The realities of victimhood

“Women who are victims of crime are less likely to report because of the fear that they will be questioned by male officers,” Aksool said, adding that to be in such a situation is a threat to their modesty. “So now, [Haredi] women are more comfortable reporting crime.”

However, while things are changing, stereotypes against police largely persist and Haredi attitudes toward the force remain skeptical if not altogether poor. As of now, out of nearly 35,000 police officers across the country, only 100 or so identify as Haredi.

The primary concern is that joining secular organizations like the police or the military will put their faith at risk as they may be forced into situations that break religious law and tradition—from mixing genders or breaking dietary restrictions to not finding time to pray.

“I personally wouldn’t advise my kids or friends to join the police,” Bnei Brak resident Elior Rosenstein told The Media Line. “It’s not suitable for Haredi people. Those who think differently, that’s their business. But the question is how Haredi they are.”

Leibel Helman, another Haredi resident of Bnei Brak, agreed, saying, “You can’t, for example, send a Haredi officer to confront Haredi protesters. It’s a major problem. I think it’s probably even worse than sending a secular officer to confront the secular community.”

When challenged, Helman admitted that perhaps a Haredi officer might prevent confrontation to begin with, but ultimately, “the Haredi officer wouldn’t be able to conduct [his duties] fully.”

Still, Aksool says the police go to great lengths to respect and accommodate all religious traditions, and that when Haredim or other religious persons give the police a chance, they’ll see that they are both saving lives and retaining their faith.

“Then we’ll see more and more of them joining the police as well as the army,” he said.