Dozens of ultra-Orthodox Jewish youths blocked a Jerusalem light rail track Thursday evening for about an hour after the detention of a Haredi draft dodger was extended.
The draft evader was ordered held for 10 days. A call to protest circulated in Yiddish, urging supporters to “take to the streets in a protest of anger and open the campaign,” according to the message.
Haredim protest in Jerusalem after arrest of draft dodger
(Video: Motti Perez)
The light rail operator suspended service between the Givat HaTachmoshet and Davidka stations in response to the demonstration. Service resumed after police cleared the tracks about an hour later.
Last week, Jerusalem saw rare clashes between Haredi youths and police. Thirteen officers were injured after municipal parking enforcement issued a ticket to a Haredi man. Other youths attempted to intervene, and the enforcement officer called police.
The Yiddish call to protest
When officers discovered that those involved were draft dodgers, they sought to hand them over to military police, prompting hundreds of Haredim to rush to the scene, witnesses said. A warning that “the abductors have arrived” was disseminated through messaging systems, drawing large crowds.
Rioters surrounded police, overturned a patrol vehicle and threw stones and trash, damaging additional vehicles, authorities said. Officers used crowd‑control measures, including tear gas and water cannons, to disperse the demonstrators, and a police helicopter hovered overhead. Four people were arrested.
The clashes occurred while streets were crowded with children, and residents expressed fear that the unrest could lead to “a cycle of revenge,” witnesses said. Some said two draft dodgers escaped in the confusion, while one was taken into custody. The incidents unfolded amid heightened political pressure in the Knesset to advance legislation exempting Haredim from military service.