Insults hurled at female Israeli soldier as Charedim challenge draft

They shouted and spat at the soldier calling her a whore and a “shiksa,” a colloquial word often used to offensively describe a non-Jewish person.

The footage, originally posted to Facebook, emerged in the week that hundreds of strictly Orthodox Israelis blocked roads and railways to protest the arrest of community members who had not responded to the draft.

Clashes broke out with the police on Thursday as protesters were dragged into vans.

Conscription is normally compulsory for every Israeli citizen once they turn 18, except Israeli Arabs, and lasts three years for men and two for women.

The Charedim — the strictly Orthodox — are also exempted, although many secular Israelis believe that all citizens should do their share to protect the country. However, almost all Charedim are reluctant to serve for fear of the negative influences they feel army life would bring.

Many strictly Orthodox people argue that Torah learning, in which a large number of Charedi men in Israel engage, is a form of spiritual protection for the country. Secular Israelis are sceptical of such a notion.

In September Israel’s High Court struck down a law that exempted strictly Ortodox students, calling it “discriminatory and unconstitutional”, and gave the government a year to replace it.