Thousands of haredim protest in Jerusalem against military conscription: "We are scap

Thousands of ultra-Orthodox extremists, primarily from the Jerusalem Faction and affiliated Sephardic yeshivas, gathered Thursday on Shmuel Hanavi Street in Jerusalem for a "prayer rally" against military conscription. The event, attended by rabbis and yeshiva heads, featured fiery speeches against conscription.

One of the rally's leaders declared: "Who went to war against Amalek? Moses himself did. The great leaders and righteous figures of the generation went out to battle. How do we fight? By refusing to hand over even a single soul to spiritual destruction!"

During the demonstration, dozens of participants attempted to block the nearby Shmuel Hanavi-Yeheskiel intersection, preventing cars and buses from passing.

The protesters recited prayers together before a series of speeches by prominent rabbis and activists. Rabbi Moshe Tzadkah, head of Yeshivat Porat Yosef, told the crowd, "If our Torah leaders say not to go [to the army], then we must not go. In the time of King David, people went to the army, but today, due to our sins, you don't need an explanation. Our great rabbis have ruled against it because of the spiritual dangers."

He continued: "A law should be passed that everyone goes to yeshiva, not to the army. We are people of faith, and we believe in the coming of the Messiah's birth pangs—and this is it. The remedy is to go to the study hall, not to the army. We are waiting for the army of King David, not theirs. The army leads to spiritual corruption — it is against God's will. If a law mandated that everyone learn Torah, redemption would already be here."

Rabbi Daniel Zada condemned the military's handling of the war, saying: "What kind of crime is it to send a soldier into Gaza’s tunnels without a bulletproof vest and helmet? Who is their real protection if not us? Who is guarding them if not the yeshiva students and scholars? Soldiers should be the ones protesting on behalf of the yeshiva students. They should declare that without Torah scholars, they refuse to follow orders. We are the ones providing protection."

He added: "Anyone who keeps the Sabbath but isn't studying in a yeshiva should still stand with us. He must not go to the army. We love every Jew, and even those who are not learning Torah still have great merit as long as they do not enter a place of spiritual danger."

Rabbi Tzion Boaron, a religious court judge, sparked controversy by questioning the timing of hostage releases during the war: "Why are they always freed specifically on the Sabbath? They want to show the whole world that we have no Sabbath anymore. There was once a party called 'United Torah Judaism and the Sabbath,' but today, there is no Sabbath and nothing else."

He called on ultra-Orthodox Knesset members to take a stand, saying, "If you do not protect yeshiva students, leave the government. If half of them are drafted, woe to us. If we do not fight for our survival, what will become of us? The future of the Torah world is truly at risk. Meanwhile, Shas politicians are busy threatening rabbis not to attend the rally against the draft decree."

Rabbi Binyahu Shmueli took the stage and emphasized the severity of the issue, saying, "Have we ever seen anyone as devoted as Rabbi Moshe Tzadkah when it comes to opposing the draft? He cares about every yeshiva student’s soul — that is the purpose of this gathering, to prevent them from falling into spiritual oblivion. He even prays for those who have unfortunately been drafted. They are our brothers, our flesh and blood. But at the same time, there is no doubt that it is absolutely forbidden to join the army. This has been the directive of Torah leaders for generations, warning against the immorality and corruption within it. You, the Torah scholars, are the real Neturei Karta — the true guardians of Israel through your learning."

The protest, spearheaded by extremist elements within the Jerusalem Faction, was primarily aimed at Sephardic yeshiva students. Among the prominent figures leading the event were Rabbi Reuven Elbaz, a member of Shas' Council of Torah Sages, and Rabbi Ben Tzion Matzafi, also affiliated with Shas.

The demonstration came just a day after an ultra-Orthodox yeshiva student was arrested at Ben Gurion Airport for draft evasion but was later released. According to military data, over 3,000 ultra-Orthodox young men have ignored their draft notices and currently face either arrest warrants or immediate enlistment orders under a military directive known as "Order 12."

Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces recently decided to tighten its enforcement policies regarding draft dodgers caught at Ben Gurion Airport. The new directive mandates the immediate detention of any individual attempting to evade service rather than allowing case-by-case discretion. The military has also announced plans to increase the number of representatives stationed at border crossings to handle the rising number of ultra-Orthodox draft evaders refusing to cooperate.