Protests Erupt Over Planned Autopsies Following Yerushalayim Daycare Tragedy

Widespread demonstrations broke out across Israel Monday night after authorities moved to carry out autopsies on two infants who died in a Yerushalayim daycare center.

Acting on instructions from leading rabbinic figures within the Charedi community, thousands took to the streets, warning that the procedure would violate kavod hameis. The protests rapidly escalated, with serious confrontations reported in multiple locations. In Beit Shemesh, police deployed stun grenades in an effort to disperse demonstrators.

The protests followed the decision by the prosecutor’s office and police to insist on autopsies for investigative purposes. The Badatz of the Edah Charedis ordered a forceful campaign against the move. That directive sparked mass demonstrations.

In a rare and emphatic message from Hagaon Harav Moshe Shternbuch shlita, the Rav instructed his talmidim and the wider public to go out into the streets and protest the intention to perform the autopsies.

His p’sak underscored how gravely rabbanim view the matter.

Protests quickly spread to several central major streets in Yerushalayim, including Shmuel Hanavi, Yechezkel, Bar Ilan Junction, and Givat Moshe. At the same time, demonstrations flared beyond the capital, with major flashpoints reported in Beit Shemesh and as far north as Har Yona. Accounts from the scene described escalating clashes with security forces, and in Beit Shemesh police were documented using stun grenades to restore order.

Earlier on Monday, the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court approved the autopsies of the toddlers. In response, ZAKA announced that its legal department would appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court, stating that the appeal was being filed “with the aim of exhausting every legal option to preserve the toddlers’ dignity and minimize the harm to them as much as possible.”