Ultra-Orthodox protest bill to draft them into military
Much of Jerusalem was paralyzed March 2 by a demonstration by hundreds of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews against a bill that would require many of them to serve in the military. The main road between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv was closed, and offices and schools closed early.
The rally—part protest, part prayer vigil—was organized by the religious and political leadership of the haredi (ultra-Orthodox) community in Israel, which strongly opposes mandatory conscription on the grounds that it would tear yeshiva students from their full-time religious studies.
They and counterparts throughout the world are particularly incensed that the bill would criminalize yeshiva students who evade service.
