Thousands Rally in New York City Against Israeli Draft Persecution of Orthodox Jews

NEW YORK, Aug. 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Several thousand Orthodox Jews filled the streets outside the Israeli Consulate in Manhattan this afternoon in a powerful demonstration against Israel's newly intensified military draft policies. The rally, organized by the Central Rabbinical Congress of the USA and Canada (CRC), drew an unexpectedly large crowd that spilled beyond the designated protest area, prompting police to open an additional street and expand traffic lanes to accommodate participants.

The demonstrators gathered in response to the recent rule changes to force religious Jews to enlist into the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) coupled with stepped-up enforcement by Israeli authorities against yeshiva students who refuse conscription on religious grounds. This is a radical deviation of the longstanding policy granting religious exemption for Orthodox Jews and allowing full-time Torah study without interference. 

Protesters carried placards and chanted slogans such as "Stop the raids! Stop the checkpoints! Stop the arrests! End the draft!" Prayers and psalms were recited in unison, with the sound of prayers reverberating through midtown Manhattan.

Key Addresses

The principal address was delivered by Rabbi Chaim Yeshosia Halberstam, Rabbi of the Satmar community of Monsey – one of the prominent branches of Satmar in NY, with a membership and school system for thousands. Rabbi Halberstam denounced the Israeli government's campaign of arrests and intimidation, declaring that religious Jews who reject military service are being persecuted solely for adhering to Torah law.

Speakers elaborated on the longstanding religious objections to military service in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), noting:

• The Torah prohibits the establishment of a sovereign Jewish state before the coming of the Messiah.
  
  
• The Torah forbids waging war against other nations.
  
  
• The IDF's environment makes it impossible to maintain Torah observance and traditional Jewish life.

Speaking in English, Rabbi David Niederman, President of the United Jewish Organizations of Williamsburg and North Brooklyn and a longtime intergovernmental liaison with the Central Rabbinical Congress, delivered a fiery address that drew sustained applause from the crowd.

"We will never — we will never — give up our faith. We will never trade our Torah for a rifle," Rabbi Niederman declared. "Under these new draft enforcement policies, tens of thousands of Yeshiva students live in constant danger of being seized, interrogated, and imprisoned — simply for following their faith… Families live in fear, children wake to the sound of doors being kicked in, and young men are torn from their studies — all for following the very faith our people have practiced for thousands of years. This is the worst religious persecution of Orthodox Jews since the Holocaust."

Next Steps

Organizers stressed that this rally is only the beginning of a broader campaign. The CRC announced that a series of follow-up demonstrations will be held in the coming months until the Israeli government halts arrests, raids, and draft enforcement targeting Torah-observant Jews.

The CRC, which represents hundreds of Orthodox congregations with a combined membership of more than 250,000, vowed to continue mobilizing on behalf of their brethren in Israel. "We will not stop until the religious rights of every Torah Jew are respected," the CRC stated.

Contact:
Rabbi Isaac Green
347.385.1405
[email protected]

SOURCE Israel Defense Forces (IDF); Central Rabbinical Congress; Israeli Consulate in Manhattan