A 300 thousand man protest made up of ultra-Orthodox Jews, known as Haredim, took place in Jerusalem on the 2nd of March in reaction to a new bill drawn in the Israeli government. This bill calls for a percentage of the growing Haredim population in Israel to serve in the military. While traditionally the Haredim in Israel were protected from serving in the military under their privileged status as Yishuv, many Israelis are pressing for an equal obligation to share the burden of citizenship.
The Israeli Parliament plans on passing the bill later this month. The bill does not require that all Haredim men conscribe in the military immediately, but that the recruitment levels of Haredim men would increase every year. The Haredim population strongly disagrees with this bill as all Haredim men spend the bulk of their lives studying the Torah in depth in order to secure the coveted position of Rabbi. Naftali Bennett, of the right-wing Jewish Home party, disagrees with their exemption status stating that, “Since approximately 30 percent of first graders are Haredi, Israel will not survive as a country unless Haredim are incorporated into our economy and service.”
