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Sunday, December 28, 2025
Ultra-Orthodox call mass protests for this afternoon over draft-dodger arrests
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The extremist Jerusalem Faction ultra-Orthodox group says it will hold nationwide protests this afternoon to demonstrate against the recent arrests of members of the Haredi community refusing to submit to the military draft.
According to reports in Hebrew media, a statement from the group’s leader Rabbi Azriel Auerbach orders ultra-Orthodox to take to the streets in protest at 4 p.m. today, declaring “we are going to war.”
The group also reportedly quotes “leading rabbis” vowing that “if they dare arrest them, we’ll halt the country.”
According to the Behadrei Haredim news site, protest locations are not being published in order to make it harder for police to plan.
The Jerusalem Faction is considered among the most extreme ultra-Orthodox anti-military draft groups, though there is wide opposition to enlistment across the Haredi spectrum. The group’s demonstrations, which typically involve blocking traffic on major highways, have drawn tens of thousands in the past and been marred by scenes of clashes between cops and protesters.
At least 10 officers were injured in a riot in Jerusalem that broke out earlier this month when police allegedly attempted to arrest draft dodgers in an ultra-Orthodox neighborhood.
The Times of Israel Community.