Thousands of haredi Orthodox Jews protest Israeli military draft in New York City

JTA – Upwards of 10 000 haredi Orthodox Jewish men protested on Sunday night, 19 October, outside the Israeli consulate in New York City against the conscription of Orthodox Jews in the Israeli military. The protest, which was organised by the Central Rabbinical Congress, a consortium of Orthodox Jewish groups, comes amid one of Israel’s tensest political debates: whether haredi men should be subjected to the draft.

Last year, the Israeli Supreme Court unanimously ruled that Israel must draft haredi Orthodox Jews into its army, ending the longstanding exemption for Yeshiva students from military service that has existed since the country’s founding.

Since then, haredi men have staged frequent street protests in Israel, including outside the Knesset in Jerusalem, and the debate reached a new flashpoint last month when more than 100 haredi Orthodox men were arrested for draft-dodging while attempting to leave the country for an annual pilgrimage for Rosh Hashanah.

Now, the protest movement has spilled over to New York, home to the largest haredi communities outside of Israel. At the rally on Sunday night, rabbinic leaders from the anti-Zionist Satmar hasidic sect and grand rebbes spoke from cherry pickers above the protesters, who held signs reading “We would rather die as Jews than live as Zionist soldiers,” and “Stop terrorising religious Jews,” according to footage of the event.

“Americans are unaware of Israel’s horrific treatment of Orthodox Jews. From night raids in Orthodox neighbourhoods, to checkpoints, to arrests of Yeshiva students, Israel is persecuting the very religious people that it claims to protect,” said Rabbi Isaac Green, one of the New York protest’s organisers. Israel shouldn’t force Orthodox Jews to join an anti-religious army to fight wars against their religion.”

Rabbis Aaron and Zalman Teitelbaum, the two rival leaders of the Satmar sect, both urged their followers to join in the demonstration, marking one of the rare times they have organised over the past two years due to their policy of not protesting against Israel during times of war.

As more men arrived at the demonstration, the mass of protesters began spilling onto the street, leading to some clashes and shoving matches with police officers trying to control the crowd, according to amNewYork.

About 80 000 ultra-Orthodox men in Israel are believed to be eligible for service, and the Israel Defense Forces has called for 12 000 recruits to meet the needs posed by the war in Gaza.