Tens of thousands of Chasidic Jews are expected to gather on Sunday outside the Israeli Consulate on Second Avenue in Manhattan to protest the Israeli government’s plan to draft yeshiva students into the army. The event will mark a rare show of unity between the rival Satmar factions led by brothers Reb Aharon Teitelbaum, the Satmar Rebbe of Kiryas Joel and the Satmar Rebbe of Williamsburg, Reb Zalman Leib Teitelbaum.
The rally comes just weeks after a anti-draft gathering in Lakewood, New Jersey, led by prominent roshei yeshiva, and attended by a few thousand people.
It will be the first time since 2013 that both Satmar factions appear together at a joint demonstration against the Israeli government. The last such rally, held that year in Foley Square, drew tens of thousands in opposition to similar draft proposals.
Organizers said the timing of the Manhattan rally reflects a longstanding Satmar policy not to hold public protests against Israel while the country is at war. With fighting in Gaza now paused following the ceasefire brokered by President Donald Trump, they said the time has come to voice their opposition to the gezeiras hagiyus — the decree of conscription.
The planned demonstration follows months of debate in Israel’s Knesset over how to implement the Supreme Court’s ruling that the decades-long exemption for Charedi men from military service must end. Many Charedi leaders view the draft decree as an existential threat to their religious way of life. The Knesset is expected to resume debate on the matter in the coming weeks.
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24 Responses
Finally agree with satmar on something . Draft the traitor Israeli arabs that have full citizenship and subsidies for everything. You don’t want exceptions start with that one
The Non-Heimishe will not be willing to fight when the Heimishe are just having a good time.
So let’s just give up the country to Iran, and we’ll be drafted by Iran’s military.
Then we can all have fun protesting.
The Israelis would be wise to adopt a policy of treating Jews who refuse military service (for any reason) as they do Palestinian Israelis. To increase enlistment, they can rely on increasing benefits for soldiers and veterans, including special arrangements for Bnei Torah willing to serve. Having religious Jews protest the zionist state is a potential public relations disaster since much of Israel’s support from non-Jews is from people who see Israel as a safe haven for religious Jews.
I hope they did not forget to invite to the rally their newest friend Mamdani who shares a similar ideology when it comes to Israel.
Please post the time of the gathering so everyone able to attend knows when to be there.
So they’re supporting Mamdani and opposing Israel, after doing nothing to help Israel during a war in which 915 Jews were literally moser nefesh to save Jewish lives and hundreds of thousands more sacrificed their jobs, family lives, and health. What did Rambam say about poresh min hatzibbur?
What a huge Chilul Hashem. Just shows you that if you teach them when they are young to hate fellow Yidden, they will grow up to be Jew haters in a Jewish looking לבוש.
Why do u promote this stupidity?
Bet zomdani is going to be the mascot of the event
ב”ה יש שלום בין האחים
Kudos.
There are no “rival” “factions” as you can see. Ywn stop mindlessly regurgitating goyishe working.
Different strokes for different folks.
But on basic principles, there is no mochlokes.
Zionism was created and continues to operate intentionally against Jewish Jews.
The entire Arab/Muslim issue is cleverly used to lure or coerce Jews into the treife camp. First and foremost, cleanse your mind and heart from the Zionist Avoda Zara. Learn the background. Understand that Zionism is a Christian program. Making Yidden into chilonim and then into Christians has proved more successful than doing it directly to frum yidden who still have their senses about them. Go find out what’s doing in the army, the state school system etc.
EDITORS NOTE: “There are no “rival” “factions” as you can see. Ywn stop mindlessly regurgitating goyishe working.”
FOR THE RECORD: Satmar THEMSELVES wrote a press release which had those EXACT words. Guess Satmar are “goyish”.
*goyishe “wording”
Can there be a greater chilul Hashem than this protest?
As a rule, the Dati Le’Umi, Hesder, Mizrachi factions ALL support their brothers standing in the Shaarei Yerushalayim figting for their brethren on the front lines. They are NOT the ones who are pushing for the drafting of those who have chosen to fight with Torah. It is those few MKs who remain strong to their committment to shmad-up their “brothers.”
Let them both go and sit and eat w cholent w their friend Mamdani….these aren’t manhigei Yisroel in any way shape or form. Rav Yoel ZTL would be sick from both of them.
I would like to point out that this isn’t a protest against the state of Israel in general. It is just against the draft of chareidim. They do view Zionism as a maaseh satan. But unlike neturei karta, they do not believe in attacking the state directly. Nuance, but it is the difference between a principled stand and mesirah.
Whom are they protesting? The attorney general? The high court?
Rav Meir Kahana hy”d was very careful NOT to demonstrate against Israel in chu”l. Especially never in front of Israeli consulate
Also, most Satmar rank and file fully support the State of Israel. It’s just the (supposed) Rebbes (and much of their gvirim.)
There are probably more litvaks (whose yeshivot and hamon am do take money from the medina) who oppose giyus. In fact, Satmar in Israel (supposedly) don’t take money from the medina, therefore not subject to (what they call) gezerat giyus.
> Making Yidden into chilonim and then into Christians
If this is the accusation now, seems like this ideology is really grasping for straws.
In Eretz Yisrael, there are approximately 80 Hesder Yeshivahs.
The righteous students in these Hesder Yeshivahs spend half their time studying Torah, and the other half their time they spend defending Eretz Yisrael from genocidal terrorist Muslim murderers.
All of us owe them a gigantic debt of gratitude.
more fuel provided to the anti-semites.predictable – first wine and dine mamdani then attack Israel instead of working quietly to figure out a solution. whatever happened to “derac heha darchei noam”? pathetic
Nosson Nota:
You have it backwards. By your logic, Moshe Rabbeinu and the Levites were “poresh min haTzibur” in not worshiping the eigel. The Brisker Rav noted that this “State” is the greatest triumph of the satan since that eigel.
Also, those who serve in the Zionist army do so under the command of heretics and the like. Therefore, many of them do not, in fact, save Jewish lives.
Finally, they did not endorse any candidate; they merely hosted one of them to meet.
Beis Dovid and WiseSage58 and other Zionists:
Can you please cite where in halacha you sourced this to be any chillul Hashem at all, never mind “the greatest” or “no greater”?
Of course you can’t because, in fact, it is a massive kiddush Hashem.
What’s the point of protesting Israeli domestic policies from the streets of America and in the wake of millions of antisemitic protestors? How does this help create achdus and fight sinas chinam within klal Yisrael? How will such grandstanding out in the public eye help anyone with anything except furthering anti-religious sentiment?
To all who say this is a Chillul Hashem, you all Hate hashem. You love the Athiests and their government, and youhate ALL and I mean ALL the gedolim and da’as Torah who love torah. There is only one country in the world that wants to close down all the Yeshivos. Not Germany. Not Russia and not Iran. It is called the JEWISH (lol) State. If they want equality, everyone in the Army has to keep Shabbos, and put on Tephillin. Girls have to leave the Army because they are all violated and not needed. By them equality means destroy Yiddishkeit. This is not a war on Torah; it is a war on G-d. Thank you.