New Ultra-Orthodox Party Launches Campaign with Protest for Draft Dodgers

A new ultra-Orthodox protest party, "Tzeva Shahor" (Black Color), launched its campaign in Bnei Brak on Sunday evening with a procession honoring 160 ultra-Orthodox men imprisoned for refusing military conscription during the High Holidays. The procession, which included dancing in the streets, was kept secret from authorities and rabbis who might have tried to disrupt it. The party's central platform is a full exemption from military service for the ultra-Orthodox community, aiming to attract voters disillusioned with established ultra-Orthodox parties that have failed to secure such exemptions. Organizers revealed the event's political nature at its start, hoping to garner tens of thousands of votes. "We will run all the way and enter the Knesset, many rabbis are behind us," said Yaakov Chaim Miller, a party founder, in an earlier interview. During the procession, media crews were reportedly attacked by the crowd.