Several thousand ultra-Orthodox men took to the streets of Jerusalem on Tuesday in another day of protest against military officials. The protest was organized by two staunchly anti-IDF sects within the haredi community, the Jerusalem Faction and Eda Haredit, which have been outraged over the recent arrest of a rabbi's son after he refused to report to a draft office, as well as other haredi men who did not cooperate with military authorities. Demonstrators held signs attacking the Israel Defense Forces and ultra-Orthodox youth who enlist in the military. "Over our dead body," read one sign. Another read "Those who abide by the anti-Jewish draft are haredi kapos." Demonstrators also held pictures of Joseph Stalin, Saddam Hussein and Moammar Gadhafi, as well as a picture of Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman. Rabbi Shmuel Auerbach, the leader of Jerusalem Faction, a staunchly anti-Zionist group that opposes any cooperation with military officials, told demonstrators that they were "fighting to save Judaism, because the villains in our nation have faltered, and we must wake up and stand firm, and not be dragged into this [the IDF]." Another speaker said that Zionism was worse than the "seed of Amalek" referring to an enemy of the Israelites in biblical times. After the rally dispersed, some 400 haredim tried to block one of the city's main intersections and clashed with police. Although haredim are generally exempt from compulsory military service, they still have to report to military authorities upon reaching draft age for preliminary processing and in later years in order to maintain their eligibility for exemption (which is essentially a deferment that is renewed on a yearly basis). If they do not do so, they may get detained by military authorities like others who evade the draft or fail to report for duty. Over the past several weeks haredim have staged sporadic protests in major intersections across Israel to protest similar cases involving haredi men who failed to cooperate with military officials.
Ultra-Orthodox rail against military officials in Jerusalem rally
Fringe sects rally troops to protest the arrest of haredi men who had failed to cooperate with military authorities • Leader of staunchly anti-IDF faction: "We are fighting to save Judaism" • Demonstrators hold signs equating haredi soldiers to kapos.
Load more...