Thousands of haredim in London are expected to gather on Thursday at noon outside the Israeli embassy, in a large demonstration against the draft law now under discussion in the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Security Committee.
This will be the second major haredi rally in recent weeks, following the mass protest held in Manhattan outside the Israeli consulate.
The London demonstration will be led by the rabbis of the Badatz "Kedatia", following a call issued by the Badatz "Edah Haredit" in Jerusalem. The rally is scheduled for the 21st of Kislev, known as the “Day of Salvation” of the Satmar Rebbe Yoelish ztz"l - a symbolic date on which both Satmar factions are expected to stand together.
Additional Hasidic communities, including Gur, Belza, Vizhnitz and Bobov, are anticipated to join the protest. Gur yeshivahs have already announced that they will send their students, and London’s rabbis have signed a united call urging the public to take part.
A letter from the Badatz "Edah Haredit" to the London community leaders stated: “Your duty is to cry out in protest and sound a great alarm, for haredi Judaism stands firmly against any law or reality that would force conscription upon the keepers of Torah and mitzvot in Israel into the army of destruction. Surely, those who fear God must take part in the protest, to avert Divine wrath and to raise the eternal outcry of haredi Jewry.”
The rally will begin at 2:00 PM local time, with buses arranged from haredi neighborhoods across the city.
Organizers estimate that thousands will participate, aiming to amplify the voice of haredi Judaism in Europe against the advancement of the draft law in Israel.