The ultra-Orthodox newspaper Yated Ne'eman, on Thursday, August 7, headlined on the front page in bold black letters: "War." In Gaza against Hamas? No, against the government of Benjamin Netanyahu, accused of undermining ultra-Orthodox Judaism after the recent arrest of several young haredim (those who "tremble" before God), members of a community that refuses conscription − mandatory for all Jewish citizens in Israel. On Thursday, ultra-Orthodox rabbis thus called for religious mobilization against military mobilization, urging their male followers to demonstrate in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv to condemn attempts to forcibly enlist their youth. Several thousand men responded to the call.

In front of the demonstrators, who danced and sang sacred texts on the outskirts of one of Jerusalem's main Orthodox neighborhoods, Rabbi Moshe Tsadka advocated religious disobedience: "Go to the yeshivas [religious schools], not the army! Those who do not go to the yeshivas should be punished, not those who refuse to serve in the army. God saved us when we left Egypt and gave us the Torah to guide us!" Another rabbi, Yehuda Cohen, addressed the crowd: "We have followed the Torah for the 3,337 years since God gave it to us, and we do not follow the government."

You have 72.45% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.