becoming the first solo hip-hop performer to headline the coveted slot. He is currently on the
The move to dissolve, called by the opposition, will only pass if Netanyahu’s ultra-Orthodox coalition partners break with him over the failure to pass a law exempting their community from military service, an issue that has bitterly divided Israelis, especially during the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.The threats coming from the ultra-Orthodox could be posturing, and many expect Netanyahu to pull off a last-minute deal. But Wednesday’s vote is the most serious challenge to Netanyahu’s government since the war began, and the coalition’s collapse could have major implications for Israel and the ongoing war.
Most Jewish men are requirednearly three years of military service followed by years of reserve duty. Jewish women serve two mandatory years. But the politically powerful ultra-Orthodox, who make up roughly 13% of Israeli society, have traditionally received exemptions if they are studying full-time in religious seminaries. The exemptions — and the government stipends many seminary students receive through age 26 — have infuriated the general public.After Hamas’ 2023 attack,
, its largest mobilization since the 1973 Mideast war. Israel is engaged in the longest active war in the country’s history, which has stretched its robust military to the breaking point.Many reserve soldiers have served multiple rounds of duty in Gaza totaling hundreds of days. Some reserve soldiers are rejecting new call-ups. The number of Israelis continuing to report for reserve duty has dropped so low that the military has taken to social media to try to recruit people to keep serving.
The enlistment exemption for the ultra-Orthodox goes back to Israel’s 1948 founding, when small numbers of gifted scholars were exempt from the draft in response to the decimation of Jewish scholarship during the Holocaust.
But with a push from politically powerful religious parties, the numbers have swelled to tens of thousands today. Israel’s Supreme Court said the exemptions were illegal in 2017, but repeated extensions and government delay tactics have prevented a replacement law from being passed.“No matter what you think about OneTaste and what they were doing, they chose it. They knew what it was about,” she said in her closing statement last week. “The fact they are regretting the actions that they took when they were younger is not evidence of a crime.”
Lawyers for the defendants said their clients maintain their innocence and intend to appeal.“We are deeply disappointed in today’s verdict,” the lawyers said in a statement Monday. “This case raised numerous novel and complex legal issues that will require review by the Second Circuit.”
Daedone co-founded OneTaste in San Francisco in 2004 as a sort of self-help commune that viewed female orgasms as key to sexual and psychological wellness and interpersonal connection.A centerpiece was “orgasmic meditation,” or “OM,” which was carried out by men manually stimulating women in a group setting.