ISRAEL
ODED BALILTY/AP
Jerusalem—Police ire a water cannon at an ultra-Orthodox Jewish protester on March 15. Most Israelis are required to serve in the military, but many ultra-Orthodox Jews are granted exemptions if they can prove they’re studying at a seminary. A small faction of Haredim, as they’re known, refuse to ofer that proof. Among them is Yisrael Meir Toledano, whom police arrested in March for not showing up at a military recruitment oice, and his arrest sparked protests among the ultra-Orthodox. Secular Jews, however, have little sympathy for the cause, and the exemptions remain one of the country’s most polarizing issues.