Jerusalem – Clad in traditional black suits and hats, hundreds of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews have rallied in Jerusalem, protesting a bill that would see members of the community drafted into Israel’s armed forces.
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Police say Sunday’s protest saw some 300,000 ultra-Orthodox Jews march through the streets. Some carried the Torah as loudspeakers blared prayers. Women and children also took part, with a major thoroughfare in Jerusalem closed so ultra-Orthodox women could gather in accordance with the community’s strict separation of the sexes.
Since Israel’s founding in 1948, the ultra-Orthodox, who make up about 8 percent of Israel’s 8 million citizens, largely have been allowed to avoid military service, compulsory for most Jewish men, to pursue their religious studies. The draft bill would require the army to draft an increasing number of ultra-Orthodox Jews each year, with the goal of enlisting 5,200 ultra-Orthodox soldiers — roughly 60 percent of those of draft age — by mid-2017.
Here’s a gallery of images showing Sunday’s protest by ultra-Orthodox Jews in Jerusalem.
Photos Credit Moishe Wulliger/VINNews.com
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There were 600,000, just like in the Midbor.
It’s Hashgacha Protis to remind us what Moishe Rabeinu told the Yidden who did not want to join the battle, “Acheichem Yov’yu Lamilchomo V’atem Teishvu Poh?”
Moishe Rabeinu doesn’t want hear reasons and excuses why we should be exempted. There is just no such a thing as letting your brother endanger his life to protect Klal Yisroel, without you joining him, period.
Hashem Yerachem, that nobody should ever have to go battle.
Mamesh gevaldig unbeleivably awsome,now lets get down to the real world thats in front of us.
I’m speechless.
Look at these bums – dancing, singing, having a great time while other Jews are in mortal danger – putting their lives on the line – on the borders of Syria, Lebanon, even with Ramallah. How is an ordinary freyer Israeli supposed to see this??
Terrible Chilul Hashem!
So many B’H healthy and able bodied yidden. I wonder what would have happened in 1939 if there had been a Jewish army.
In my opinion, both the Israeli government and the Chareidim deserve each other, they’re both a bunch lying hypocrites.
I think that the Israeli Government should give a piece of land to the chareidim and let the chareidim Police themselves. All their Yeshivos and Kollelim would go out out business very quickly.
Sure dance at your childrens chasunas while other parent’s children are defending them. Very nice.
Wow what a kiddush hashem, wish I could of attend
Wether you agree or not, look how we protest vs. the other nations…
I believe that some service should be done by the fruI dont seem to see any indication of rock throwing or wilding. Kudos to the protestors for showing proper behavior..
Such a chillul Hashem, Im sure every single one at the rally is osek in TORAH 24/7. May Hashem bless Yesh Etid and hopefully they will save the financial situation in EY
No need for them to go into the army. There are plenty of Americans, Brits, Russians, Germans, etc. who have served in their respective militaries who are now out of the service and are looking for jobs. Why don’t we hire them to serve in the IDF. No problem with Shabbos, no problem with food, no tznius problems. And all the yidden can stay home and learn whatever Torah they want.
..The Jewish people always had an army when they were in their own land.
ביטול תורה ברבים
Maybe the חילונים should refuse to serve too?
Our strength is that the Arabs are more צומישט than we are.
The pictures are awesome. I can’t believe the way they behaved at this most serious event. By the way, why isn’t there “one” picture of chassidim attending. Is it that pictures were omitted or they didn’t attend or they attended but didn’t mingle with crowd.
Yair Lapid is the best thing that has happened to the hareidi community.
The first picture takes the cake.
There is no other place on the planet where Chareidi Jews can possibly live and assemble as they are in these photos. In New York there would be police everywhere looking out for Muslim attackers. Only in Israel can they have this safety and freedom. The lack of appreciation to Zahal and the Zionist government is appaling!
Wonderful photographs of the protestors. My wedding photos did not come out so nice.
VIN presents very warped and leftist slighted coverage from such an awesome event where 600000 Jews say we are willing to go through fire and water to preserve in a pristine way our Torah heritage
Lots of courage to demonstrate, none to defend and protect other Yidden. What a shanda.
Looking at all of these pictures reminds me of Jerusalem Syndrome.
Bar-el Y, Durst R, Katz G, Zislin J, Strauss Z, Knobler HY. (2000) Jerusalem syndrome. British Journal of Psychiatry
unbelievable, Blind leading the blind.
I have simple solutions:
1. REPEAL the law that mandates army service in order to get a job. This will allow the frum people into the workplace and thus more taxpayers.
2. As far as “share the burden, ” ALL Israelis should be forced to learn Torah, Gemorah, etc. Why should the frum be the only ones?
3. All jews in Israel should be forced to keep Shabbos
Can one seriously defend the army as a place where a FRUM jew can do all mitzvos as he does now when he is yeshiva or kollel. How many chillul shabbos will he have to endur
How many kahsrus issues will have? How many tznius issues will arise?
NON of the charedim ever asked for a jewish state, the diffrence
Beautiful rally! All the DL and Bayit Yehudi who supposedly care so much for the wellfare of the country should stop building settlements which cause irrevocable harm to Israel. Less settelments + less outposts = less tension and less need for more soldiers.
All those that believe that the IDF and Israel are the protectors of the Jews should think again. Israel and the IDF are nothing without American support. As a matter of fact the state of Israel probably causes more anti-semitism than it prevents.
wow so much bitell Torah , who is going to make up for all that time lost ?
the litvacs are learning from the haimesha to leave the yeshiva and spen there days and nights demonstrating and making a big chilul hashem
They have good reason to be dancing and singing. They’ve gotten a free ride for all these years.
I don’t get this whole thing. The Israeli government does not want to draft chareidim into the military, but rather ahavas yisroel. What’s wrong if the yeshivas set up some sort of sheirut leumi in which yeshiva bochrim and kollel yungerleit do ‘service’ in hospitals, old age homes, schools etc. This can only bring a kiddush hashem as well as actually enforcing the mitzvahs of the Torah. Bringing their learning to practicality – Hamaaseh hu ha’ikar!
Mass Prayer is not exactly a true event of human anticipation of G-ds Word. G-d does not reunify Jerusalem by a mass showing of human problems in a public fashion. G-d does not limit Jewish thought to higher anticipation of patient lives against the word of human attrition. It is very unlikely that the “asifa” is the way of Hashem and it is equally very unlikely that the Asifa for the futures worry is really a true pathway to peace and true Human Prosperity.
You take Asifa, I will take Judgment.
Never Again.
I am stunned at the degree of Chilul Hashem that is being committed here. The Arabs will tell the Gentiles that how can the Jews lay claim to Israel when they pray to G-d to not have to defend it?
raboisai, you have it wrong! chareidim have nothing against the army, we daven for them and worry for their safety and appreciate their mesirus nefesh, the only reoson we dont join the army is bec it is not chareidi, just like we have a seperate education system and live seperate lives altogether, one cannot expect us to send our kids into the israely melting pot and retain the values that we are moser nefesh for! iy”h the day will come when there will be a real chareidi army mamesh like a yeshiva with thousands of chareidi soldiers its just a matter of time! the rambam has hilchos milchomos and we will abide to that – i give it max 20 years until it happens
so these are all the people that my tax shequels are funding & whose lives I am defending. That’s got to stop soon.
Did they pray for the Jews in the Ukriane? The Jews that are living t inhe
Muslim countries? Were the prayers one sided for themselves ? Th leaders or
so called leaders should be ignored on all issues
Just to set the record, and put certain commentators in place with regards to yesterdays gathering;
R’ Steinman reportedly made clear that in light of such a phenominal chilul Hashem, caused when it was announced that the Israeli government of a Jewish state made clear that any Jew refusing the draft law would eventually be sent to jail for one “crime”, just the one, “the study of the torah”, that of which has never, ever occured in the history of the jews-to such an extent-that a Jews would act in such a manner towards there brethren-warrants a gathering of a Kiddush Hashem to counteract the degrace caused, in which jews from all walks of life will gather, unite and pray for salvation in leu of the evil decrees pending upon them.
This is what the rally was about, placards and comments which may be seen- do not neccessairly reflect the view and genreral spirit of the gathering.
The bochurim whom I know who protested drink vodka every night, smoke cigarettes and never have any homework. Why can’t they at least work in a military office answering phones? I have asked them this question countless times and the answer is always the same. “We don’t believe in the State of Israel and the seculars should protect us.”
It is because of the very IDF that they mock, that they are able to protest en masse.
can anybody tell me why they were dancing? wasn’t this supposed to be something serious?
to all so hot zionist hotys ln america a litel civilty facts>> the reboren yewsh who call themself zionist colinolised e isroel had abig problem with the shomrei tora the “yisef hajsen” the yewish natives who were lving in e yisroel for centuries since the “chorben” try to control them but noweil cuting of all incom sorses…morders…did not help this after w w 1 during the british mandate they controlt the certificates very limted alowed for” somrey tore ” after ww2 zionist in full power ” yaldey theran” yaldey timon”” yaldey moroco” the col adas hasfardim bchlal and chilig godol ascnasim the same goal porpose is the present low they actualy speling it out sure it is very good slogon for political demogogery all the problems are cosed by the dirdy cheridi yewish an exact copy from the “stormer” the croseders the incvosion not there dieds but there gools to dislodge klal yiroel from toras moyse nezach yisroel loy yesaker
Reply to 71- It equates to the same thing. If one would want to sit and study he will be breaking the “law” and will eventually be jailed for doing just that.
Reply to 75- Firstly I admire you, and secondly the difference between yourelf and the yeshiva boys and kollel men who are in full time learning – is that they have chosen this path and feel they are in a position to learn torah the whole day, hence they are being punished for their “crime” – of wanting to fulfill a biblical commandment!
Oif Yenem’s Cheshbon is git tsu koifen..