TIMES OF ISRAEL
200,000 ultra-Orthodox men block entry to Jerusalem in protest against serving in IDF
Charlie Summers
October 30, 2025

Some 200,000 ultra-Orthodox men blocked the entrance to Jerusalem on Thursday afternoon for a “million man” protest against military conscription. The gathering saw protesters attack journalists, and hundreds clashed with police as the event came to an end…The protest, billed as a prayer rally, was noted to be a rare show of unity among the various sects and streams of Israel’s ultra-Orthodox community, which do not often mingle with one another, and amounted to one of the largest displays of power by the community in recent years. READ MORE

ISRAEL HAYOM Jerusalem paralyzed amid Haredi ‘million-man march’ The “Torah Cry” rally comes amid the efforts by MK Boaz Bismuth, from Likud, to introduce new legislation that would end the blanket exemption Haredim have on joining the IDF as part of the mandatory service that applies to virtually all Jews and Druze in Israel.

JNS Police expect 500,000 at Haredi rally in Jerusalem against IDF draft The rally will include participants from all Haredi streams, including the Lithuanian, Hasidic and Sephardic communities, with the participation of their respective spiritual leaders. The demonstration will consist of the recitation of prayers and Psalms, without any political speeches. Organizers urged women to stay home and recite Psalms during the protest.