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Dam Press:
Clashes broke out between Israeli police and decent Jews in front of the main conscription office in Jerusalem, where conscripts who received summonses on Wednesday were required to report.
Demonstrators chanted slogans including “We will die, not join the army,” “Nazis” and “Go to jail, not join the army.” Some of them rioted and tried to break through police barriers, who confronted them with water cannons and mounted police in an attempt to control the protest.
Amid strong opposition to the decision by most ultra-Orthodox leaders, only a handful of previously exempt yeshiva students who received draft summonses went to the office, fearing that military service would lead to their secularization.
It is worth noting that last year approximately 66,000 religious young people were exempted from military service, a record high, especially as Israel is experiencing a state of war and dealing with multiple fronts.
The Israeli army issued summonses to 1,000 members of the Orthodox sect following the Israeli Supreme Court’s decision on July 29 last year to force the group to enlist in the military and prevent financial aid to religious institutions whose students refuse to do military service.
In Israel, Jewish men and women must serve in the military, while religious people are exempted from military service in order to devote themselves to study in religious institutions and to preserve the people’s identity.
The Orthodox, who adhere to a strict interpretation of Jewish law and live in isolated communities, claim their study of the Torah is intended to protect the nation, much like military service.
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