Thousands protest ultra-Orthodox draft

Thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews are protesting in Jerusalem over the arrest of members of the community for failing to show up to their IDF drafts.

Most of the protesters are located on Bar-Ilan Street next to the Geula neighborhood. Extra police units will patrol the area and respond if necessary to any disturbances, a police spokesman says.

Yesterday, a yeshiva student arrested for failing to show up at an IDF induction center was released from a military jail after just nine days of detainment.

Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men protest against the arrest of a Jewish seminary student who failed to comply with a recruitment order, at the entrance to Jerusalem, on March 20, 2017. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

The detention of the teenager, the son of an associate of Rabbi Shmuel Auerbach, sparked protests by followers of the prominent rabbi nationwide over the past week.

He was arrested along with some 100 ultra-Orthodox supporters of Rabbi Auerbach, who had been attempting to disrupt the Jerusalem Marathon earlier this month.