The protest is taking place on Rosh Hodesh, the New Moon holiday, of Adar Bet, normally a time of joy on the Jewish calendar, which culminates in the carnival-like Purim holiday in two weeks.
However the rally has taken on a somber tone, with protesters reciting solemn prayers from Psalms and elsewhere.
As an afternoon prayer service began, the man leading the mass prayer service assured the thousands in attendance that they would “remember this service until the coming of the Messiah.”
The ground at the protest is littered with Purim-themed flyers equating Queen Esther’s plight with that of the ultra-Orthodox community in Israel today.
The Purim story tells of a successful attempt by Persia’s Jews, led by Esther and her kinsman Mordechai, to thwart a genocidal decree against them.
A young man from the Yad Aharon yeshiva said, “Torah built this country, and it must continue.”
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From the Liveblog of
Sunday, March 2, 2014
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