Haredi Protest Erupts
Ultra-Orthodox Jews rallied in the Israeli city of Bnei Brak over the arrest of a yeshiva student wanted for draft evasion, as the bitter dispute over Haredi military conscription continues.
Footage shows police pushing protesters from the roads to clear a path for vehicles, while one officer restrains a demonstrator on the ground. Protesters filled the streets carrying banners reading ‘We will die rather than enlist!’ and ‘We will go to jail but not to the army.’
Protester Buchner Azriel accused the state of seeking the “cultural annihilation” of the Haredi community by pushing its members into the military and workforce.
“The army has been defined as a melting pot, after all. For us, it is regarded as a church, and, as you know, it is better to die than to enter a church,” Azriel said.
Community Opposes Draft
He said he hoped authorities would eventually abandon efforts to conscript members of the community.
“I hope that we too will reach the point where the state and the High Court of Justice simply leave us alone,” he said.
Another protester, Yehezkel Rotman, said the demonstration was triggered by the detention of a yeshiva student who he said had been taken to military prison two days earlier.
“Every time a young man is arrested, the Haredi public blocks the country, and this will only continue. As long as the state tries to conscript the Haredi community, does not leave them alone, and arrests them, the Haredi public will not enlist,” Rotman said.
Draft Debate Continues
Israel’s Supreme Court ruled in June 2024 that the state must begin drafting ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students, finding there was no legal basis for their sweeping exemption from military service.
Military conscription remains deeply divisive in Israel. Many Haredi leaders argue that full-time Torah study is fundamental to their way of life and fiercely oppose compulsory military service.
Article by Viory
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