ultra-Orthodox

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Israel Prepares to Draft Ultra-Orthodox Men

Move could topple Netanyahu's government

(Newser) - The Israeli military on Tuesday said it would begin sending draft notices to Jewish ultra-Orthodox men next week—a step that could destabilize Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government. The announcement followed a landmark Supreme Court order for young religious men to begin enlisting for military service. Under long-standing political...

Israel's Ultra-Orthodox Can't Avoid Draft, Top Court Rules

Supreme Court calls out 'inequality' in draft enforcement

(Newser) - Israel's ultra-Orthodox Jewish seminary students, some of whom have say they'd rather die than fight, must be drafted for military service anyway, the country's Supreme Court ruled Tuesday. The landmark decision threatens to destabilize Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition government, reports the New York Times . Israelis...

She Left an Ultra-Orthodox Life, Discovered She Was a Runner

'Runner's World' has the story of Connie Allen

(Newser) - It's a piece in Runner's World , so of course it's about running. But it's just as much about the life Connie Allen (born Schlesinger) escaped, and how running helped her find her footing once she was out. Allen grew up in Brooklyn's South Williamsburg neighborhood...

Hasidic Therapist Gets 103 Years for Sex Abuse

He was charged with 59 counts

(Newser) - Nechemya Weberman, an unlicensed therapist and powerful member of the Hasidic Jewish community of Brooklyn, will likely spend the rest of his life behind bars after being convicted of 59 counts of sexual abuse yesterday, reports the New York Times . After days of testimony from a victim who says she...

Ultra-Orthodox Israelis Lose Draft Exemption

Leader warns of 'civil war' if devout conscripted

(Newser) - The draft exemption that ultra-Orthodox Jewish men have enjoyed since Israel's founding ended last night, and defense minister Ehud Barak has given the military a month to prepare for the change, reports AP . A law granting exemptions to religious scholars has expired and Israel's Supreme Court has ruled...

3 Jews Busted in Vandalism at Holocaust Memorial

Ultra-Orthodox Jews have confessed, Israeli cops say

(Newser) - Three ultra-Orthodox Jewish people have been arrested for spraying hate graffiti on Israel's national Holocaust memorial and two army memorials, reports the AP . Police said the suspects have confessed. Police had suspected ultra-Orthodox Jews were behind the vandalism, which occurred earlier this month , when slogans such as "Hitler,...

Israeli Mag Sexes Up Orthodox-Women Clash

BelleMode makes conflict hot

(Newser) - Get ready for the fireworks. An Israeli fashion magazine is adding steamy scenes to the ongoing clashes between women in Israel and ultra-Orthodox Jews who have been harassing them to dress more modestly and move to the back of buses in Israel. In the BelleMode spread, ultra-hot young male models...

Israeli Women Refuse to Move to the Back of the Bus

Women defiant as ultra-Orthodox men try to impose religious views

(Newser) - Calling Rosa Parks. Israeli women are refusing to move to the back of the bus despite pressure from Orthodox Jews who believe in the segregation of the sexes. An 18-year-old female soldier recently boarded a Jerusalem bus and was ordered by an ultra-Orthodox man to the back. "I said...

Ultra-Orthodox Don Holocaust Garb for Protest

Groups calls opposition over push for sex segregation a 'spiritual Holocaust'

(Newser) - Israelis are fuming after an ultra-Orthodox group dressed in concentration camp garb to protest their treatment by the public for promoting segregation of the sexes. Thousands of the extremists gathered in Jerusalem with their children dressed in the striped black-and-white uniforms of Jews imprisoned in World War II. They were...

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