Who Fear God:
On March 9th, 2014, thousands of Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men--"Haredim," as they call themselves, "Those who fear God"--took to the streets of lower Manhattan to conduct a prayer rally against recently passed legislation in Israel that would roll back an exemption from military service for those engaged in Torah study. The New York rally was in solidarity with a similar rally hundreds of thousands strong that had taken place in Jerusalem the week prior. Several participants made clear a distinction--they were calling for a prayer, not a protest. Nevertheless, the NYPD closed off all of Water Street and was present in large numbers.
At the southern tip of Water Street, a small group of Haredim constituted a counter protest, holding signs in Yiddish and English arguing that the state of Israel itself was in defiance of God's will.
