Hundreds of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews rallied in a massive show of force against plans to force them to serve in the Israeli military last Sunday in Jerusalem.
- Israel wants to extend its compulsory military service to some of its most religious residents
- Many ultra-Orthodox Israelis see this as a form of religious persecution
- The demonstration was a show of solidarity with Israeli ultra-Orthodox who've been protesting the proposal for weeks
- Last Sunday, hundreds of thousands of the devout Jews brought Jerusalem to a stand still in a massive show of force
The gathering took up a stretch of Water Street, with demonstrators standing behind police barricades amid tight security as they prayed in solidarity with their brethren in Israel.
'These kids, a lot of them don't know how to hold a gun. They don't know what physical warfare is,' said Long Island rabbinical student Shmuel Gruis.
The throngs of demonstrators briefly shut down Water and Wall Streets in Manhattan's financial district.
Israel's parliament, the Knesset, is expected to vote on the conscription bill later this month.
The bill, to go into effect in 2017, would impose criminal sanctions on ultra-Orthodox draft dodgers. However, yeshiva students would have the right to defer service until age 26.
Gruis, 18, from Phoenix clutched two tomes of Jewish prayers as he hurried to the male section of the rally.
Organizers kept to tradition, with men and women in separate groups as they are at religious events.
Peace and love and mitzvahs: The ultra Orthodox of Israel have recently found themselves on the wrong side of the political tides and fear their relative autonomy hangs in the balance.
Sea of black: The protestors' traditional garb made for a vivid sea of dark cloth flowing down Manhattan streets.
Sunday's prayer event brought together a community of New York's most Orthodox Jews, based in Brooklyn and in the village of Kiryas Joel in Orange County, north of the city.
'We're all united against military service for religious men in Israel because it doesn't allow for religious learning,' said Peggy Blier, an interior designer from Brooklyn. 'The Israeli government is looking to destroy religious society and make the country into a secular melting pot.'
Unwilling to fight: Thousands of the devout Jews filled 10 city blocks in Manhattan on Sunday to protest changes to Israel's proposed changes to its draft.
Spilling over: Barricades are secured as thousands of the ultra-Orthodox Jews gathered on Water Street.
'The change is beginning,' Ofer Shelah, whose Yesh Atid party stands behind the push to draft the ultra-Orthodox, told Israeli Channel 10 TV. 'This (law) will create a deep cultural change in the ultra-Orthodox public.'
Shelah and his party believe integrating the ultra-Orthodox into the military ultimately will lead to their inclusion in the workforce and help sustain Israel's economic growth. Israel's central bank chief, as well as international bodies like the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, warn that high unemployment in the ultra-Orthodox and Arab sectors threaten Israel's economic prospects.
Thousands of ultra-Orthodox streamed toward the entrance of Jerusalem as a heavy haze settled on the gathering. Men clad in traditional black suits and hats bowed and swayed in prayer as others danced in circles. Spectators packed the balconies and roofs of nearby buildings as a loudspeaker blared prayers. Many held signs reading 'the Torah shall not be forgotten.' Police said more than 300,000 people attended.
Dance it off: A dance circle is formed amidst the praying protestors.
Show of solidarity: The event stretched across ten tightly packed city blocks.
Standing In Solidarity: New York Ultra-Orthodox Jews Demonstrate In Show of Support for Brethren in IsraelUsually only men attend such public demonstrations, but ultra-Orthodox community leaders encouraged women and young children to take part. A major thoroughfare in Jerusalem was closed for traffic and reserved for ultra-Orthodox women in accordance with the community's strict separation of the sexes. Many women, wearing long skirts and head coverings, held prayer books close to their faces as they prayed, while young children ran between them.
Sunday's demonstration on the streets of New York City briefly shut down Wall Street and Water Street in Manhattan's Financial District, but it was a shadow of the massive waves of protests that crippled the holy city of Jerusalem just last weekend.
The ultra-Orthodox in New York took to the streets in a show of solidarity for their brethren in Israel.
The Israeli government has long exempted the super devout from their near-universal conscription, but in recent weeks have proposed changing that rule for at least some of the ultra-Orthodox.
The ultra-Orthodox aim to live a life strictly dedicated to the study of the Torah and many see a government requirement that they serve in the military as a form of religious persecution.
Police in Jerusalem said a staggering 300,000 protestors attended the event last Sunday.
Organizers of the New York City sister protest put their own numbers at 50,000.
As the largest Jewish community outside Israel, the New Yorkers have tight bonds with Orthodox Israelis, some of whom emigrated from the United States.
The mass rally blocked major thoroughfares and brought Jerusalem to a standstill.
According to the draft bill up for a vote in Israel's parliament, only a fraction of eligible ultra-Orthodox Jews would be expected to serve, said Inna Dolzhansky, spokeswoman for lawmaker Shelah, who is also a member of the committee drafting the bill.
Ultra-Orthodox Jews have for years been exempt from military service, which is compulsory for other Jewish Israelis. The arrangement has caused widespread resentment and featured prominently in last year's election, after which the ultra-Orthodox parties lost ground and found themselves outside the governing coalition.
The issue of army service is at the core of a cultural war over the place of ultra-Orthodox Jews in Israeli society. The ultra-Orthodox, who make up about 8 percent of Israel's 8 million citizens, largely have been allowed to skip compulsory military service to pursue their religious studies. Older men often avoid the workforce and collect welfare stipends while continuing to study full time.
According to the draft bill up for a vote in Israel's parliament, only a fraction of eligible ultra-Orthodox Jews would be expected to serve, said Inna Dolzhansky, spokeswoman for lawmaker Shelah, who is also a member of the committee drafting the bill.
Leaders of the community, which in Hebrew is known as 'Haredim,' or those who fear God, say their followers would rather sit in jail than join the military. They charge their ancient brand of Judaism is under siege and warn of an uprising if parliament approves the draft plan.
Yair Sheleg, an expert on the Israeli religious sector at the nonpartisan Israel Democracy Institute, said the outbursts reflect a genuine rage over the proposed plan but also a show of strength to try to limit its impact.
'They understand that things can't go on the way they have and they will have to make some concessions to the state, but they are hoping to limit the damage,' he said. 'For the first time, they are starting to really be affected.'
The issue is the most serious point of contention between ultra-conservative Israeli Jews and their more secular counterparts, who find it unfair that the super devout are immune to the draft.
Voices have begun to emerge criticizing the ultra-Orthodox education system, which teaches students about Judaism but very little math, English or science. More than a quarter of all Israeli first-graders are ultra-Orthodox and government statistics project that if these trends continue, the ultra-Orthodox could make up 15 percent of the country's population by 2025.
The tide has already begun to turn. In 2011, for instance, 55 percent of ultra-Orthodox women and 45 percent of the men held jobs, up from 48 percent and 33 percent respectively nine years earlier, according to Israel's central bank and its central bureau of statistics. The numbers, while still far below the national average of around 80 percent, show the community is far from the homogenous mass viewed by outsiders.
For their sons: The protestors hope changes in Israel won't mean little boys like this will one day end up serving in the military, interrupting their life of religious studies.
Reader Comments
I hope that the Orthodox Jews will take into account the plight of these brave young people that stand up for their own convictions, even though it means that they have to spend two or three years in prison, while their precious lives are being wasted. But of course that doesn't matter to their psycho leaders.