From Source says planned Haredi protests called off
Sam Sokol is the Times of Israel's political correspondent. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
A source close to a leading rabbi says Israel’s ultra-Orthodox community will not hold protests against the conscription of yeshiva students tomorrow, despite the release of a letter by senior Haredi rabbis calling for nationwide demonstrations on Thursday evening.
The letter was backed by the rabbinic leadership of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party and Agudat Yisrael and Degel Hatorah — the two factions that make up United Torah Judaism, the other ultra-Orthodox party in the Knesset — but according to a source close to Rabbi Dov Lando, a leading ultra-Orthodox religious figure for Degel Hatorah, it was leaked “before a final decision had been made to publish it.”
The source declines to detail why the call for protests is being shelved but says the idea “hasn’t been taken off the table” and that “it’s still in the works so it could happen later.”
There is no confirmation from Shas or UTJ. Spokespeople for Shas, Degel HaTorah and Agudat Yisrael did not respond to inquiries by The Times of Israel.
According to Channel 13, the protests were aborted by several Hasidic rabbis, including the leader of the Gur Hasidic sect, who expressed opposition to the fact that the letter did not explicitly blame the government for failing to pass legislation exempting yeshiva students from military service nor state that military service is categorically forbidden.
In recent months, anti-enlistment protesters have held multiple demonstrations outside the Beit Lid military prison, where several draft dodgers have been held, and blocked traffic near Tel Aviv and in Jerusalem.
The Times of Israel Community.