JERUSALEM: Hundreds of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews took to Jerusalem’s streets for a mass prayer vigil Sunday in protest at plans to conscript their young men for Israeli military service.
Wearing white shirts under dark suits and donning black hats, a sea of ultra-Orthodox men and boys representing the three major streams — Lithuanian, Hassidic and Sephardi — were united in a rare show of power against impending legislation that could change their legal status in the Jewish state.
Bearing signs with slogans such as “war on religion” and “we will not join the military,” the masses took part in a prayer led by a cantor through huge loudspeakers set up at Jerusalem’s main road in and out of the city.
Yaakov Biton, a 28-year-old resident of the ultra-Orthodox city of Bnei Brak, told AFP that he and the rest of his peers from his theological seminary came to Jerusalem “to show that we are not afraid of the criminal sanctions, we are united.”
“We will win in the end, the torah will win,” said Biton.
Police said “hundreds of thousands” were taking part in the demonstration, which saw major disruption of traffic. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said 3,500 police were deployed to maintain order.
The protests were sparked by cuts in government funding to Jewish theological seminaries, or yeshivas, and a planned crackdown on young ultra-Orthodox men seeking to avoid Israel’s compulsory military draft.
The Cabinet last year agreed to end a practice under which tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox were exempted from military service if they were in full-time yeshiva study.