Copyright The Boston Globe
That privilege has long stirred widespread public resentment that has become more acute since the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which ignited the wars in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon. Hundreds of soldiers have died in those conflicts, and tens of thousands of reservists have served multiple tours of duty. 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,” called the demonstration Thursday a “march of the million” and advertised it as a prayer vigil rather than a protest. Demonstrators were seen climbing on lampposts and bus stops and perching on the terraces of hotels as loudspeakers blared psalms in Yiddish-accented Hebrew. As people crammed into wide boulevards, some strained to get a glimpse of one revered rabbi or another, while others swayed in prayer. Shortly before dusk, tragedy struck when a young man fell to his death from a high floor of an apartment building under construction where onlookers had gathered. Police said they were looking into the circumstances that led to his fall. 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. One demonstrator, standing in front of a mural featuring portraits of Israeli hostages recently released from Gaza, held a banner that read: “God of the Jews, please save all the Jews from the immodest and promiscuous army.” A banner featuring a quotation it attributed to a rabbi said: “A boy who enlists in the military is evading service in the Lord’s army and is betraying the God of Israel.” It added: “His punishment will be great.” The military said that since the court ruling last year, it had sent draft notices to 80,000 young Haredi men who were eligible to serve. Most have not shown up to be enlisted. A small number were arrested as draft dodgers, further inflaming Haredi sentiment against the military and state authorities. Many Israelis were outraged by Haredi leaders who characterized the arrests as being “for the crime of studying Torah,” rather than for evading the draft. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long relied on the support of ultra-Orthodox parties to remain in power. The government is working on a version of a bill that aims to go some way toward addressing the military’s needs while keeping Netanyahu’s right-wing and religiously conservative coalition intact. Critics of the proposed bill say it would continue to allow most ultra-Orthodox Israelis to avoid being drafted, with low quotas for enlistment and minimal, delayed sanctions on those who do not comply. The gathering in Jerusalem was centered around the western entrance to the city and caused major disruptions. A long section of the main Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway was closed in both directions to all traffic except for buses ferrying demonstrators, and the city’s train station was shut. The founders of modern Israel exempted Haredi seminary students from military service when the state was created in 1948, in part to try to rehabilitate the ranks of Torah scholarship that were decimated in the Holocaust. At that time, there were only a few hundred such students, but the Haredim now make up at least 13 percent of Israel’s population of 10 million. The anguished national debate over enlisting the Haredim goes to the heart of a culture war in Israel around religious and cultural identity. Many mainstream Israelis accuse the ultra-Orthodox of enjoying government benefits while shirking the burdens of citizenship. Opposition to the draft among the Haredim is also a point of contention within Netanyahu’s government and threatens to split it. The non-Haredi, observant Jews in his coalition represent some voters who see military service as sacred, saying that they are able to combine studying the Torah with their duties. Yair Lapid, a centrist and secular opposition leader, said this week that 40 percent of the Israeli soldiers killed in battle over the past two years wore skullcaps, suggesting that there were varying degrees of religious observance within the military. Organizers announced that the rally was over after the death of the man. By nightfall, most of the demonstrators had begun to disperse. But there were disturbances as some lit bonfires and hurled stones, fencing, and other objects at police officers, injuring one, according to a police statement. Several rioters were arrested, police said. Television footage showed police officers on horseback, forcefully scattering stragglers and using a water cannon as they tried to clear a junction at the entrance to the city.
