Copyright nytimes
Military service is compulsory in Israel for most Jewish 18-year-olds, both men and women. Israel’s Supreme Court ruled last year that there was no legal basis for allowing the military exemptions and that, in the absence of new legislation, the army must begin drafting ultra-Orthodox Jewish men. The military has said that it needs 12,000 more soldiers to fill its ranks. Tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox men of draft age do not serve. Leaders of the ultra-Orthodox community, known in Hebrew as the Haredim, or “those who tremble before God,” have called the demonstration on Thursday a “march of the million” and advertised it as a prayer vigil rather than a protest. The Haredim argue that the military, as a secular institution, is not able to support their strictly observant lifestyle. They say that they contribute to the nation’s security and protection through study and prayer.
