The issue of drafting ultra-Orthodox men into the Israel Defense Forces has long since crossed borders, and on Sunday evening hundreds of Satmar Hasidim in the United States held a protest outside the Israeli Consulate in Manhattan. Many demonstrators arrived by public transportation, and some reportedly traveled by sea.
The protest drew members of both branches of the Satmar community in the U.S., which typically avoid cooperating with one another. In a rare show of unity, the rebbes who lead each faction were present, seated separately among their respective followers, symbolizing solidarity on the issue of the military draft.
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Protest outside the Israeli Consulate
(Photo: The Latzchevsky Brothers, Avrumi Bloom, D.H. Kerem, Isaac Y., Clear Shot)
Satmar Hasidim protest in New York against the draft
(Video: The Latzchevsky Brothers, Avrumi Bloom, D.H. Kerem, Isaac Y., Clear Shot)
The event’s setup was unusually modest. Instead of a grand stage, speakers delivered their addresses while being lifted on a crane, one at a time. After each speech, the crane was lowered to allow the next speaker to ascend. The rabbis sat on simple chairs next to elder community members, while younger Hasidim stood around them. Rather than a central platform, several cranes were stationed at different points to serve as makeshift podiums.
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Haredi demonstrators in Manhattan
(Photo: The Latzchevsky Brothers, Avrumi Bloom, D.H. Kerem, Isaac Y., Clear Shot)
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With American flags; the speakers' platform
(Photo: The Latzchevsky Brothers, Avrumi Bloom, D.H. Kerem, Isaac Y., Clear Shot)
Speakers included prominent rabbis from both the United States and Israel. They condemned the arrest of yeshiva students, saying that “since the founding of the state, there have always been exemptions from military service, and now they are being jailed simply for studying Torah.” One speaker accused Israeli authorities of “abducting yeshiva students into the army” and said that “Jews are claiming it’s no longer safe to observe mitzvot in Israel.”
Meanwhile, within Israel’s ultra-Orthodox political parties, some are considering returning to the government, though they are waiting to see whether they can claim progress on legislation they have pursued since the coalition was formed.