NEW YORK CITY: 30,000 Ultra-Orthodox Jews Rally Against Israeli Draft

An estimated 30,000 ultra-Orthodox Jews rallied in downtown Manhattan this week to protest Israel's proposed bill to phase out military exemptions based on religious grounds.

Proponents of the new law have suggested that phasing out the exemption would encourage ultra-Orthodox Jews to “share the burden” of Israeli citizenship and eliminate a fundamental social inequality that has bred a strong resentment of the ultra-Orthodox within Israel. The issue has been a focus of recurring social justice protests. According to the World Jewish Congress, Sunday’s demonstrators hailed mainly from two factions of Satmar Hasidism, an ultra-Orthodox and traditionally anti-Zionist sect of Judaism. The formal speeches attempted to steer away from anti-Zionist sentiment, and protesters were asked to put away signs bearing messages against the State of Israel. The Rabbinical Council of America, which represents mainstream Orthodoxy, had condemned the protest in advance, saying that it was anti-Israel.