On Sunday, the streets surrounding the Israeli consulate in New York City were teeming with thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews, gathered to express their opposition to certain contentious issues, including the proposed termination of a long-standing exemption that allows religious students to forgo compulsory military service in Israel.

Positioned just a block away from the United Nations campus in Manhattan, the protest highlighted the intricate dynamics between Israel and segments of New York’s expansive ultra-Orthodox Jewish community. This community, which extends into the suburbs, holds significant influence and often a complex relationship with Israeli policies.

In a rare show of unity, the two prominent and frequently competing grand rebbes of the Satmar sect urged their followers to join the demonstration. This call was supported by the Central Rabbinical Congress of the U.S.A. and Canada, a coalition of Orthodox Jewish organizations, which played a key role in coordinating the protest.

The protest was sparked by an Israeli Supreme Court decision last year mandating the government to start drafting ultra-Orthodox Jewish men into military service, overturning an exemption that has been in place since Israel’s establishment in 1948. This change has provoked anxiety among the ultra-Orthodox community, who fear it could interfere with their religious commitments.

Meanwhile, many Jewish Israelis contend that maintaining such an exemption is inequitable, intensifying the divide on this issue. The debate has only become more pronounced against the backdrop of the ongoing conflict in Gaza, further complicating the discourse around military service and religious observance.

Rabbi Moishe Indig, a Satmar community leader, said he’s not sure organizers expected so many people to show up but he said he felt urgency building around the issue.

He said he was appreciative of the governments in New York and the U.S. “for giving us the freedom and liberty to be able to live free and have our children go to school and study and learn the Torah.”