Ultra-Orthodox Jews Rally Against Israeli Draft Law

Hundreds of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews rally in a massive show of force against plans to force them to serve in the Israeli military, blocking roads and paralyzing the city of Jerusalem, March 2, 2014.

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JERUSALEM— Hundreds of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews held a mass prayer in Jerusalem on Sunday in protest at a bill that would cut their community's military exemptions and end a tradition upheld since Israel's foundation.

Ultra-Orthodox leaders had called on their men, women and children to attend the protest against new legislation ending the wholesale army exemptions granted to seminary students, which is expected to pass in the coming weeks.

The issue is at the heart of an emotional national debate. Most Israeli Jewish men and women are calledFlorida’s southern coast, simulating future missions to some remote world. VOA’s George Putic reports.

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