Thousands Of Ultra-Orthodox Protest Israeli Military Draft
Image by getty images
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Thousands of haredi Orthodox men demonstrated against Israel’s military draft in the streets of a Jerusalem neighborhood.
The protesters filled the streets of Jerusalem’s Geulah neighborhood, located near the central bus station, on Tuesday evening. The Associated Press put the crowd total at about 10,000.
Though the protest was unauthorized, police chose to monitor the proceedings rather than disperse the crowd, which they believe could have led to violence, the Times of Israel reported.
The demonstration reportedly was spurred by the arrest of the son of a haredi rabbi who had failed to show up for his draft summons.
“We lived through the Pharaoh, we lived through the Spanish Inquisition, we lived through Hitler, we’ll outlive you. We’ll fill the prisons the way we filled the Diaspora,” the crowd chanted, according to the AP.
Haredi Orthodox men who are studying in yeshiva are exempt from army service, but they must show up for their draft call in order to receive the exemption.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and the protests on college campuses.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
