LEADIN

An interfaith group from the Gulf state of Bahrain has paid an unprecedented public visit to Israel.

The group says the visit is not political but it has still angered many in the Arab world.

STORYLINE

"We are so proud and so grateful that the group came despite all the hullabaloo of the last few days". Those are the words of Rabbi Abraham Cooper from the US-based Jewish human rights group, the Simon Wiesenthal Center, as he welcomes an interfaith group from the Gulf state of Bahrain to an event in Jerusalem.

The hullabaloo he refers to is last week's announcement by Donald Trump that the US will recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel - and the violence that followed that seismic shift in policy.

The group from the Gulf flew to Israel on Sunday as guests of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, in an unprecedented public visit which has generated uproar across the Arab world.

The trip comes at a time that Israel is boasting of warming, albeit covert, ties with moderate Arab countries in a shared front against archrival Iran. But the heavy criticism toward the group unleashed on Arab social media, along with the low profile they have taken, shows the limits on how far that goodwill can go.

The 25 participants include Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Sikhs, and both Sunni and Shiite Muslims. While organisers and participants say the trip is non-political and unconnected to the government, it nonetheless is a possible test case for other Gulf Arab nations in seeing what could happen if they recognise Israel.

"People have been asking us, 'Oh why are you here now after there was an announcement that was made by the White House?' says Betsy Mathieson, President of This is Bahrain.

"We have nothing to do with politics," Matheison insists. "And if every time somewhere in the world a politician or a leader made a political announcement, or there was a new governmental issue, we would never get any of our work done."

But the early results seem decidedly mixed.

Shortly after the group arrived, it was forced to issue a statement on the state-run Bahrain News Agency that it "does not represent any official entity" in Bahrain after uproar on social media. People were especially angry that the visit came so close to President Donald Trump's comments.

The US President's statement has enraged Palestinians, who seek the city's eastern half as capital of a future state.

Throughout their time in Israel, the group has avoided the spotlight. Several Bahraini citizens in the group chose not to attend a dinner alongside the walls of Jerusalem's Old City to light candles for the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah on Tuesday. The few Bahrainis who did attend either refused to speak to The Associated Press or did so only if they were not identified.

Roughly half of the members of This is Bahrain that took part in the trip were Bahraini citizens. Israel and Bahrain do not have diplomatic relations, although the two are rumoured to be nurturing close covert ties. Israel's Interior Ministry said the participants entered the country legally after their arrival was coordinated in advance with Israeli authorities with the assistance of the Simon Wiesenthal Center.

Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, says the fact that the group arrived, defying expectations they would cancel because of Trump's statement, "speaks volumes."

"We're looking for the normalisation. We're not waiting for politicians, and we're going to try to stick to that narrative," he says.

Bahrain and other Sunni Arab states see themselves as sharing regional interests with Israel when confronting Shiite power Iran. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly touted Israel's warming ties with Gulf Arab states in recent months. On Sunday, Netanyahu asserted that "many of the Arab countries now recognise that Israel is not their enemy but their indispensable ally." This shift, he said, "could help pave the way to an ultimate peace between us and our Palestinian neighbours and between us and the rest of the Arab world."

Netanyahu acknowledged last week that Israel won't be able to sign peace treaties with Arab countries without a deal with the Palestinians, but also implied that ties have already been established and have plenty of room to grow. "Peace treaties, no. Everything else below that, yes, and it's happening," he said just hours before Trump's declaration on Jerusalem.

The island nation of Bahrain, east of Saudi Arabia in the Persian Gulf, has long been seen as more liberal than its larger neighbour, but has faced major criticism in recent years for how it put down its 2011 Arab Spring protests with the help of the Saudi kingdom and the United Arab Emirates.

The tiny state is ruled by a Sunni king but has a majority Shiite population. According to the Bahraini government, 70 per cent of the population is Muslim and the remainder adheres to various faiths.

Shiites and others demonstrated in 2011 seeking more political freedoms. An official investigation found the government demolished 30 Shiite religious structures following the demonstrations, ranging from mosques to meeting halls and shrines, as part of a broader crackdown on dissent.

Bahrain is home to a small Jewish community, but no members of the community took part in the trip.

Jerusalem - 12 December 2017

1. Pan from Rabbi Abraham Cooper holding candle to group of visitors from Bahrain (English) UPSOUND "We are so proud and so grateful that the group came despite all the hullabaloo of the last few days."

2. Cooper speaking to group at candle lighting ceremony

3. Close of candle

4. Pull out of Cooper lighting candle

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Betsy Mathieson, president, "This is Bahrain"

"We're thrilled to be here in this beautiful city of Jerusalem. We've been so warmly received and we've been visiting the holy sites and making new friends and sharing our message of peaceful coexistence."

6. Group member lighting candle

7. Close of candle

8. Another group member lighting candle

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Betsy Mathieson, president, "This is Bahrain"

"People have been asking us, 'Oh why are you here now after there was an announcement that was made by the White House?' The thing is, as I said, we have nothing to do with politics. And if every time somewhere in the world a politician or a leader made a political announcement, or there was a new governmental issue, we would never get any of our work done. So you know, political things can change in a heartbeat, but what will not change is the message of This is Bahrain, and our message is one of peaceful coexistence. So we can't allow world leaders or politics to derail our mission."

10. Group members lighting candles

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associated dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center:

"I think that most observers here, in the days leading up to their arrival, assumed that there would be a postponement or a cancellation. That they came speaks volumes."

12. Pan left of group members watching Rabbi Abraham Cooper sing

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associated dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center:

"We're looking for the normalisation. We're not waiting for politicians, and we're going to try to stick to that narrative and we give them tremendous credit."

14. Various of group members around dining table at ceremony

++NIGHT SHOT++

15. Jerusalem's Old City walls

Israeli police on Monday used a water cannon to disperse dozens of ultra-Orthodox Jews protesting against the conscription of their community to the Israeli army.

In a recent move Israeli authorities arrested the son of a prominent rabbi for following his father, Rabbi Auerbach's instructions to refuse to report for service.

The move sparked anger among the Jewish ultra-Orthodox community leading to frequent clashes with police.

At least two people were detained during Monday's protests.

Ultra-Orthodox Jews had for years been exempt from military service, which is compulsory for Jewish Israelis.

The arrangement caused widespread resentment among Israel's secular majority and in 2014 the Knesset passed legislation that extended the draft to members of the ultra-Orthodox community.

Many claim the military will expose their youth to secularism and undermine their devout lifestyle.

Men who choose to serve in the army are frequently shunned by their communities.

Jerusalem - 20 March 2017

1. Tracking shot of water cannon truck spraying ultra-Orthodox Jews protesting against conscription

2. Wide of protesters facing off against police

3. Wide of mounted police

4. Wide of mounted police facing-off protesters

5. Close protesters being arrested

6. Police and protesters facing off

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Rabbi Yuda (no surname given), ultra-Orthodox Jewish protester:

"The Orthodox Jewry here in Israel is being oppressed by the government, the Israeli government. The Israeli government have a plan to wipe out Orthodox Jewry in Israel. They want a secular state and this is what it is saying on the notices that you see around (placards held by protesters). They want all the Orthodox Jews to go into the Israeli army and make them secular."

8. Wide of mounted police chasing away protesters

Hundreds of ultra-Orthodox Jews on Monday protested the arrest of a community member who refused to enlist in the military.

Dozens of protesters partially blocked a main street in in Bnei Brak, central Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition has been feuding over whether to continue granting exemptions from military service to ultra-Orthodox religious men.

Netanyahu's religious coalition partners have demanded that the government extend the military exemptions. But rival parties have threatened to bolt the coalition over the issue, raising the possibility of early elections.

Netanyahu reached a compromise with a key religious partner at a late-night meeting on Sunday, appearing to defuse the crisis. But a junior coalition partner, Yisrael Beitenu, said on Monday it would not support the compromise.

Military service for ultra-Orthodox men is one of the most fraught topics in Israel and looked to undermine Netanyahu's coalition government, which has 66 out of the 120 lawmakers.

The political crisis comes as Netanyahu is battling a series of corruption allegations.

Bnei Brak, central Israel - 12 March, 2018

1. Various of scuffles between Ultra-Orthodox protesters and Israeli police

2. Ultra-Orthodox protesters standing in line

3. Close of placard reading (English) "Stop the oppression of the religious minority in Israel"

4. Israeli religious officer walking in street near protest

5. Pull out from protesters blocking main road to police water cannon

6. Pan from police on horseback to protesters blocking street

7. Pan of traffic

8. Protesters blocking road

Israeli police said they arrested three people during a protest by ultra-Orthodox Jews against the arrests of community members for refusing to enlist in the military.

Monday's demonstration saw a few dozen protesters blocking streets in Bnei Brak, east of Tel Aviv, and scuffling with police who tried to remove them from the road.

The protest comes after Israel's Supreme Court two months ago struck down a 2015 law that granted exemptions from military service to ultra-Orthodox men.

Most Jewish men are required to serve in Israel's military.

But the ultra-Orthodox community has won exemptions, arguing that young men studying in Jewish seminaries serve the nation through study and prayer.

Secular Israelis say the system is unfair.

Bnei Brak, central Israel – 20 November 2017

1. Israeli police breaking up sit-in protesters

2. Police officer hitting protesters, another policeman pushing them away from street

3. Police on horses trying to break sit-in protest

4. Various of police dragging protesters away from main street

5. Police truck spraying water at protesters

6. Water being sprayed, protester dancing

7. Various of police dragging protesters away from street

Jewish Americans gathered in New York Friday night to protest Israel's actions in the wake of a bruising 11-day war that left more than 250 dead -- the vast majority Palestinians.

"There are more and more Jews, more and more American Jews who stand up against Israel's suppression of the Palestinian people," said Asaf Calderon, an Israeli citizen and organizer for Jewish Voice for Peace, an organization that advocates for US sanctions on Israel.

"I think that like seeing the Jewish people in general is a monolith associating between Jewish and Zionist, as if it is the same thing is it is buying into Israeli propaganda," he said.

New York - May 21, 2021

1. Various of protest rally

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Rabbi Miriam Grossman, pro-Palestinian Jewish activist:

"If you have fears about what it might mean for you to be here, I understand that. If you are afraid about what you might lose in Jewish community or in your work or in your family, I understand that. And what I say to you is know that you are not alone. And so many of us here have been through that same experience, myself included. And you are not alone."

3. Wide of protesters

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Rabbi Miriam Grossman, pro-Palestinian Jewish activist:

"You have a tradition that is bigger, that is more beautiful than colonialism, a tradition that is older than Zionism. Yeah."

5. Pan from protest sign to elderly protesters

6. Woman holds sign "this 90-year-old Jew says Zionism is genocide."

7. Various of prayer being sung

8. "Zionism is not Judaism" sign

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Asaf Calderon, Jewish Voice for Peace:

"And we're here today because we oppose Israel's assault on Gaza."

10. Wide of Calderon speaking to crowd

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Asaf Calderon, Jewish Voice for Peace:

"Israel doesn't need more bombs and more money for weapons to defend itself, but Israel needs to do is needs to stop its stranglehold on Gaza and its occupation and displacement of the Palestinian people."

12. Wide of Calderon speaking to crowd

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Asaf Calderon, Jewish Voice for Peace:

"Well, there are more and more Jews, more and more American Jews who stand up against Israel's suppression of the Palestinian people. As you can see here, there are many people -- more and more people no longer support Israeli apartheid. And not just not just American Jews -- I am an Israeli Jew. And I think that like seeing the Jewish people in general is a monolith associating between Jewish and Zionist, as if it is the same thing is it is buying into Israeli propaganda."

14. Various of protesters

Hundreds of protesters gathered outside the Israeli parliament on Thursday, hours after an announcement that the country moved to further tighten its second countrywide virus lockdown and also restrict protests and prayers.

Prayers during the ongoing Jewish High Holidays, as well as political demonstrations, would be limited to open spaces and no more than 20 people, and participants would have to remain within the restricted distance from home.

The restrictions on demonstrations are subject to approval by the Knesset, Israel's parliament, and the limits on both prayers and protests could spark a backlash.

All nonessential businesses have been ordered to close and people to stay within 1,000 meters (yards) of their homes.

The measures are set to go into force on Friday afternoon, as the country shuts down for the weekly Sabbath ahead of the solemn holiday of Yom Kippur on Sunday and Monday.

Even during normal times, Israel completely shuts down for Yom Kippur, with businesses and airports closed, roads empty, and even radio and television stations going silent.

Israel's politically influential ultra-Orthodox community has objected to limits on public prayer during the ongoing Jewish High Holidays, and opponents of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have accused the government of using the lockdown as a cover to end weekly demonstrations against his handling of the crisis.

Protesters carried makeshift submarines – a reference to a graft case related to a possible conflict of interest involving a 2 billion US dollar purchase of German submarines - broke through a police cordon.

The government ordered synagogues to close for the lockdown, which is expected to last for at least two weeks, but said they could open with limitations for prayers on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.

Israel has more than 50,000 virus cases and 1,335 deaths.

The Health Ministry says at least 667 people are hospitalized in serious condition, and in recent days health officials have warned that hospitals are rapidly approaching full capacity.

The government last week imposed a nationwide lockdown that closed schools, shopping malls, hotels and restaurants, making Israel the first developed country to impose a second closure.

But the restrictions included numerous exceptions, including allowing people to leave their homes for work, exercise, prayers and public demonstrations.

The new lockdown is expected to eliminate most of those loopholes.

Jerusalem  - 23 September 2020

1. Wide of protester in prison clothes, masked as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

2. Wide of protesters on roundabout leading to the Knesset building

3. Mid of protester arguing with police

4. Various of protesters outside the Knesset building

5. Wide of police at entrance to Knesset building

6. Wide of protesters carrying makeshift submarine with sign reading (English) "Game Over"

5. Various of police and protesters

6. Wide of protesters in street

Yossi Levy has repeatedly booked and canceled his COVID vaccine appointment.

The 45-year-old ultra-Orthodox Jew recovered from the virus earlier this year, as have his eight children and wife, but a combination of lethargy and procrastination has prevented him from following through and getting inoculated.

"It isn't something pressing. I'm not opposed to it. It's simply laziness," he said.

Levy is among the hundreds of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews who have yet to receive their COVID-19 shots. The group has some of the lowest vaccination rates in the country despite being hit hard by the pandemic.

Facing the new omicron coronavirus variant, officials are scrambling to ramp up vaccination rates in a population that has so far been slow to roll up their sleeves.  

"We are going on the offensive with the issue of vaccinations," said Avraham Rubinstein, Mayor of Bnei Brak, the country's largest ultra-Orthodox city.

Israeli officials have appealed to the community's prominent rabbis, who serve as arbiters on all matters, to promote vaccination. They are deploying mobile clinics. And they are beating back a wave of lies about the vaccine that has washed over parts of the community.

The vaccination rate is low in part because half of the ultra-Orthodox population is under 16 and was only recently made eligible for vaccination.

In addition, many ultra-Orthodox were already infected or believe they don't think they need the vaccine.

The outreach effort has had mixed success. Officials hope to raise the vaccination rate with a new mobile-clinic campaign at religious schools and media blitz stepping up pressure on parents to vaccinate children.

While vaccination rates for the second dose among the general population hover around 62% and the booster at 44%, in the ultra-Orthodox community the number is around half of that.

The community's immunity shoots up somewhat when the 300,000 or so of those who are known to have recovered are included, but Israel's Health Ministry recommends those who were infected to get at least one shot if six months have elapsed since the infection.

The low vaccination rate stands in stark contrast to the heavy price the community paid during the pandemic. The ultra-Orthodox were hit hard from the start, with the community's 1.2 million people often leading the country's morbidity rates and losing hundreds to the disease. The ultra-Orthodox make up 13% of Israel's 9.3 million population.

There are societal reasons for the quick community spread. The ultra-Orthodox tend to live in poor, crowded neighborhoods, with large families in small apartments, where sickness can quickly spread. Synagogues, the centerpiece of social life, bring men together to pray and socialize in small spaces.

The particular way of life of the ultra-Orthodox, also known as Haredim, has also made driving up vaccination rates a unique challenge for health officials.

The cloistered community has long been separate from mainstream Israeli life, with children studying scripture but very little math and English. The community typically shuns the internet, doesn't watch secular TV and tends to live separately from non-religious Israelis. It is suspicious of secular state authorities and many of the trappings of modernity.

The ultra-Orthodox follow a strict interpretation of Judaism and rely on rabbis to guide them in many life decisions. While some rabbis have actively encouraged vaccination, others have taken a less aggressive approach and their followers have been less enthusiastic about getting inoculated.

For Rubinstein, getting rabbis involved is crucial in the fight to get people vaccinated.

"We are enlisting the greatest rabbis for this. The greatest rabbis are enlisting us. They are the leaders," he said.

But with the Haredi community not subscribing to traditional methods of mass communication, he insists that "we need ways to talk to our residents. Give us means to talk to our residents", adding "It needs to be talked to the way it talks. If there is something on TV or the internet or some way, it doesn't resonate with most residents of the city."

Israel was one of the first countries to vaccinate its population early this year and the first to give booster shots. But the campaign has lagged in recent weeks and hundreds of thousands of people remain unvaccinated or without a booster as the specter of an omicron surge looms.

And there is also the issue of those who are extremely vocal against vaccination affecting those on the fence.

On Saturday night, Israeli police used water cannons to disperse hundreds of protesters gathered in the central city of Raanana, where Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett lives, to voice their opposition to the country's COVID-19 vaccination drive.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Bnei Brak, central Israel - 19 December 2021

1. Various of ultra-Orthodox Jews walking street in Bnei Brak, the country's largest ultra-Orthodox city

2. SOUNDBITE (Hebrew) Yossi Levy, Bnei Brak resident:

"I still did not (get the vaccine), but my children did get vaccinated."

Reporter: "Why didn't you get vaccinated?"

"Laziness, it isn't something pressing. I'm not opposed to it. It's simply laziness. I booked an appointment, and it didn't work out that day. Technicality. It will probably happen in the coming days, or right away."

3. Exterior shot of Bnei Brak's municipality building

4. Mayor of Bnei Brak Avraham Rubinstein entering his office

5. Rubinstein in his office

6. SOUNDBITE (Hebrew) Avraham Rubinstein, Mayor of Bnei Brak:

"There are anti-vaxxers everywhere. The anti-vaxxers in the ultra-Orthodox community are more significant. Their activity is more significant. If in the general population the anti-vaxxers attend a protest outside the Prime Minister's office, that's where the media coverage ends. Here, it is very aggressive, with direct mail, gatherings, gatherings in synagogues."

7. Rubenstein shows infection rates on his phone  

8. Photo showing Rubinstein and influential Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky

9. SOUNDBITE (Hebrew) Avraham Rubinstein, Mayor of Bnei Brak:

"The Haredi establishment supports vaccines. The rabbinical Haredi establishment mostly supports the vaccines. With all the talk against the vaccines, rabbis, most of them support vaccines."

10. Nurse preparing COVID-19 booster shot

11. Ultra-Orthodox Jew waits outside clinic

12. SOUNDBITE (Hebrew) Avraham Rubinstein, Mayor of Bnei Brak:

"We are going on the offensive with the issue of vaccinations, and we are enlisting the greatest rabbis for this. The greatest rabbis are enlisting us. They are the leaders. They tell us what to do. They are telling us 'bop people over the head and encourage them and incentivize them to get vaccinated.' I have WhatsApp messages from the courts of Jewish sages saying, 'come on, hurry it up.'  So, we are charging forward on the target."

13. Rubinstein's hands

14. SOUNDBITE (Hebrew) Avraham Rubinstein, Mayor of Bnei Brak:

"Why does the Haredi community need special treatment? It doesn't need special treatment. It needs to be talked to the way it talks. If there is something on TV or the internet or some way, it doesn't resonate with most residents of the city. Therefore, we need ways to talk to our residents. Give us means to talk to our residents."

15. Various of ultra-Orthodox Jews walking street in Bnei Brak, the country's largest ultra-Orthodox city

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Raanana, central Israel - 18 December 2021

++NIGHT SHOTS++

16. Israeli police using water cannons to disperse anti-vaccination protesters

17. Police arresting protester

18. Police trying to hold protesters back

19. Various of protesters marching

20. Mounted police officers near protesters

More than 15,000 people marched in the Gay Pride parade through Jerusalem on Thursday, partying in the shadow of a recently passed surrogacy law that excluded homosexual fathers and outraged the gay community.

Waving rainbow flags emblazed with the Star of David and blaring music, throngs of people marched through the streets of central Jerusalem amid tight police security.

Same-sex couples held hands, others held signs reading "Proud to be equal" and "I want to be a father".

A few dozen people demonstrated against the parade. Some held signs reading "Israel is the holy land not the homo land." Several protesters scuffled with police and officers made four arrests, police said.

The festivities were mixed with anger this year after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to pass legislation supporting surrogacy for gay fathers, but then voted against it, apparently under pressure from ultra-Orthodox Jewish coalition partners.

Some marchers at the parade chanted slogans calling Netanyahu a "homophobe".

Israeli LGBT advocates and their supporters went on strike across the country about two weeks ago in protest of the legislation. The protest generated widespread support and hundreds of employers said they allowed employees to observe the strike without penalty. It also grew into a general call for equality, following other recent controversial legislation that appeared to target Israeli liberalism.

Jerusalem holds a modest annual gay parade, in contrast to festivities in nearby liberal Tel Aviv, which drew more than 250,000 people to its parade this year.

Many of Jerusalem's residents are observant Jews, Muslims or Christians, communities that often frown on homosexuality, although violent attacks on gay people are rare.

A radical ultra-Orthodox Jew stabbed a 16-year-old girl, Shira Banki, to death at Jerusalem's parade in 2015. The attack was widely condemned across Israel's political spectrum and the killer was convicted of murder.

A giant placard with a picture of the murdered girl was positioned on the parade route. Marchers placed flowers at the foot of the picture while some said prayers and others stood in silence.

Jerusalem - 2 August 2018

1. Wide of marchers

2. People marching with rainbow flags

3. Wide of people marching

4. Women carrying rainbow flag with Star of David

5. Various of people marching

6. Israeli security observe march

7. People carrying huge rainbow flag

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Omer Yehoshua, Gay Pride marcher:

"I'm here because I'm an LGBT person that lives in the State of Israel. I want my rights to be equal to those of a straight person who lives in this country, so that in the future I can if I'm with a partner, get married and register as parents, to bring children to the world, that our rights be equal."

9. Various of march

10. Pan from banner showing a picture of Shira Banki - who was stabbed to death at Jerusalem's parade in 2015 reading (Hebrew) "Better to teach good than condemn evil" to flowers laid at her memorial

11. People praying next to her memorial

12. Man carrying banner reading (Arasbic, English. Hebrew) "we love you Jerusalem"

13. Pull out from security to parade

14. Person dancing during parade

15. Anti-gay pride protester carrying banner reading (English) "Don't anger the god of Israel"

16. Pan of protesters against the parade protesting

17. Israeli policemen on horses

18. Pushing between police and protesters

19. Various of police arresting protesters

20. Two protesters carrying banner reading: (English) "99 percent of Jerusalemites reject this provocation"

21. SOUNDBITE (English) Chanoch Obel, Protester against Gay Pride:

"Gay parade are provocateurs: they want to destroy our culture; they want to destroy our society; they want to destroy the nature of family. In Jerusalem, of all places in the world, Jerusalem. Tel Aviv we understand, Jerusalem - horrible."

21. Mid of protest against parade

22. Wide of parade

Thousands of people marched through the streets of Jerusalem on Thursday in the city's annual gay pride parade, a festival that exposes deep divisions between Israel's secular and Jewish ultra-Orthodox camps.

Some 10,000 revellers waving rainbow flags joined the carnival-like procession, as over 2,500 police officers in plain clothes, uniform and horseback patrolled the crowd.

The gay community's visibility in conservative Jerusalem tends to draw vocal protest from the city's substantial Orthodox population.

Many ultra-Orthodox Jews reject the public display of homosexuality as an "abomination" that desecrates the biblical city and flouts Jewish law.

Police said they arrested 52 suspects who planned to disrupt the event, including a man carrying a knife near the parade route.

A smattering of counter-protesters from an ultranationalist party jeered through megaphones and carried signs saying "Jerusalem is not Sodom" and "Keep the Holy Land holy."

Police confined their demonstration to a penned-off park far from the procession.

Ahead of the event, the city government said it had taken down a series of homophobic banners that had recently appeared on Jerusalem billboards.

Wrapped in a string of rainbow flags, Meitav Aaron, an American gay student who grew up in a very religious family, said he wore a kippa, a Jewish skullcap to the parade "to show that there are religious Jews who are also believing in this cause."

"Judaism means as much to me as the Orthodox guy that might be protesting this entire event," he said.

Jerusalem - 6 June 2019

1. Wide of parade starting people chanting (Hebrew) "homosexuals, lesbians, transgenders, Jerusalem is mine too"

2. Various of people marching

3. Various of gathering at Liberty park

4. Arnon Ben Dov from Jerusalem, standing next to his banner reading (Hebrew) "supporting religious community"

5. SOUNDBITE (Hebrew) Arnon Ben Dov, demonstrator from Jerusalem:

"From my point of view, it is very, very important to march in Jerusalem. It's our capital and like any other march, there should be a gay pride too. Another thing that is important to remember is that there are also religious people that are from the LGBT community and we, as religious people - I am not a member of the LGBT community - it's very, very important to say, 'come, you are part of us, we don't want to throw you out, I don't want to tell you to go, I want you to come and be part of us' and for me the fact that this is in Jerusalem is the greatest thing in the world"

6. Zoom in on couple kissing

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Meitav Aaron, American from Chicago who has lived in Israel for a year:

"Back home I was raised in a religious household so I always used to wear kippa and I always feel like, when there are like protests like this and there's like pride parades, it's always like us and than there are like those obviously very religious people on the side that are against it and I want to show that there are religious Jews that are also believing in this cause and are part this movement. Judaism means just as much to me as the Orthodox guy that might be protesting this entire event but I want to kind of represent that today. And it's important to my identity as a Jew and what it means to be a Jew here and at the pride parade and at the protest in Jerusalem it's like really, it means a lot to me to include a kippa."

8. Bie Lauer, from New York who lives in Jerusalem, with her friends

9 . SOUNDBITE (English) Bie Lauer, originally from New York, now lives in Jerusalem:

"It's important to have the parade here in the Holy city today because God is here and the people are here and we want to be seen, we deserve to be seen."  

10. Various of Jewish ultra nationalist and anti-assimilation party Lehava demonstration, prayer being recited on loudspeakers

11. Jewish ultranationalist activist Yehuda Richter holding banner reading (English) "let's keep the Holy land and city Holy"

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Yehuda Richter, ultranationalist activist:

"There's a lot of transgressions in the world, there's a lot of sins, however to go around parading that I desecrate the Sabbath or to go around parading that I kill people or to parade that I go around stealing or whatever transgression you're into, that's a whole different ballgame. We're talking about a whole different planet here."

13. Various of police in front of Lehava protesters

14. Police spokesperson Micky Rosenfeld talking on the phone as other armed police standby

15. SOUNDBITE (English) Micky Rosenfeld, Police spokesperson:

"We've made a number of arrests ahead of time in order to prevent suspects from arriving in the area and disrupting the parade. This has been a necessary step and if needed we'll make further arrests if there's any suspects in the area."

16. Police check point

17. Various of parade

Dozens of ultra-Orthodox Jews from a radical sect blocked roads in Jerusalem again on Sunday bringing traffic to a standstill.

The protest was the latest by the Peleg Yerushalmi group after some of its members were arrested after refusing to perform compulsory military service.

Men in black hats and side locks mobbed intersections, preventing public transport and cars from moving.

Police were seen making arrests as protesters engaged in shouting matches with passers by.

Military service is mandatory for most Jewish men in Israel, but the ultra-Orthodox community has won exemptions.

In September, however, Israel's Supreme Court struck down a 2015 law granting exemptions from military service to the ultra-Orthodox community.

The court ruled the 2015 law was discriminatory and must be replaced.

Exemptions have long caused friction among Israelis as most Jews are drafted after high school for three years.

Jerusalem - 26 November 2017

1. Various of police breaking up a sit-in by ultra-Orthodox Jewish protesters and dragging some away

2. Various of police dragging protestors towards police van

3. Police officer putting plastic wristband on ultra-Orthodox protester

4. Various of ultra-Orthodox protesters chanting slogans and dancing

5. Man and ultra-Orthodox protester arguing

6. Various top shots of protest

Hundreds of ultra-Orthodox Jews protested on Thursday in Jerusalem against the arrest of two community members for refusing to enlist in the military.

Protesters blocked streets and scuffled with police who tried to remove them from the road.

The protest comes after Israel's Supreme Court last month struck down a 2015 law which granted exemptions from military service to ultra-Orthodox men.

Most Jewish men are required to serve in Israel's military.

But the ultra-Orthodox community has won exemptions, arguing that young men studying in Jewish seminaries serve the nation through study and prayer.

Secular Israelis say the system is unfair.

Jerusalem - 19 October 2017

++AUDIO AS INCOMING++

1. Ultra-Orthodox Jews protesting, Israeli police deployed in the area

2. Protesters carrying banners reading (Hebrew) "Draft Equals Religious Persecution" and "In Military Prison For Studying Torah"

3. Police dispersing protesters

4. Police arresting protesters

5. Protesters blocking road

6. Protest

Israeli police said they have arrested eight people during a protest by ultra-Orthodox Jews against the arrest of a community member for refusing to enlist in the military.

Sunday's demonstration saw dozens of protesters block streets in Jerusalem and scuffle with police who tried to remove them from the road.

Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said the arrests were made for "disturbing the peace."

The protest comes after Israel's Supreme Court last week struck down a 2015 law that granted exemptions from military service to ultra-Orthodox men.

Most Jewish men are required to serve in Israel's military.

But the ultra-Orthodox community has won exemptions, arguing that young men studying in Jewish seminaries serve the nation through study and prayer.

Secular Israelis say the system is unfair.

Jerusalem - 17 September 2017

1. Various of Israeli policeman grabbing ultra-Orthodox Jewish boy

2. Wide of police breaking up sit-in protesters

3. Various of police dragging protesters away from a main Jerusalem street

4. Wide of mounted police breaking up protest

5. Wide of police chasing protesters

6. Wide of policeman pushing protester onto ground

7. Various of police leading away arrested protesters, pushing protesters to ground

8. Police carrying protester towards ambulance

9. Protester on ground being looked at by paramedic

10. Wide of mounted police

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Yitzhak Fordsham, religious Jew witnessing the protest:

"They (the protesters) don't want the people who are ultra-Orthodox and studying Jewish texts and stuff in Yeshiva (Jewish religious schools) to have to go into the military. They think it's wrong against the Lord and they don't wan't to go to the army."

12. Mounted police clearing away protesters from main Jerusalem street

Hundreds of ultra-Orthodox Jews blocked traffic on a main Jerusalem road on Wednesday protesting the arrest of a member of the religious community after he refused to perform compulsory military service.

Protesters mobbed intersections, preventing public transport and cars from moving.

Police were seen making arrests and leading away handcuffed protesters.

Military service is mandatory for most Jewish men in Israel, but the ultra-Orthodox community has won exemptions.

Jerusalem - 28 November 2018

1. Various of Israeli police dragging away Orthodox Jews

2. Pan left from protester shouting (Hebrew) "We'd rather die than be drafted"

3. Various of protesters being dragged away

4. Wide of protester blocking police vehicle, chased by police

5. Various of protesters blocking traffic

6. Various of police cordoning off area

7. Various of protesters chanting

8. Protesters sat in front of cars

Ultra-Orthodox Jewish protesters demonstrated in Jerusalem on Thursday against the arrest of a man for refusing to enlist in the Israeli military.

Police arrested dozens of demonstrators who blocked a major intersection of the city.  

Ultra-Orthodox Jews have for years been exempt from service and the arrangement has caused widespread resentment among Israel's secular majority.

Jerusalem - 2 August 2018

1. Police on horseback, ultra-orthodox Jewish men sitting on rail tracks, police removing men

2. Police dragging away ultra-orthodox Jewish man

3. Various of protest and scuffles

Israeli police doused a crowd of protesters blocking Jerusalem traffic with a powerful burst of "skunk" spray - water treated with a foul-smelling chemical used to disperse protests on Sunday.

Dozens of ultra-Orthodox Jews from a radical sect blocked roads in Jerusalem bringing traffic to a standstill.

Sunday's protest was the latest by the Peleg Yerushalmi group after some of its members were arrested after refusing to perform compulsory military service.

Police said some 36 were arrested.

Military service is mandatory for most Jewish men in Israel, but the ultra-Orthodox community has won exemptions.

Exemptions have long caused friction in Israeli society as most Jews are drafted after high school for three years.

Jerusalem – 26 November 2017

1. Police dousing crowd of protesters blocking Jerusalem traffic with a powerful burst of "skunk" spray - water treated with a foul-smelling chemical used to disperse protests. A person is seen falling on the ground.

LEAD IN:

Ethiopian Jews have been protesting an Israeli decision to cut funding to help them immigrate.

The Jews of Ethiopia (Falashas) claim that many of them are unable to reunite with family members who already immigrated to Israel years ago.

STORY-LINE:

Deep in prayer but not at peace.

These Ethiopian Jews are protesting within the confines of this synagogue in Addis Ababa.

Hundreds gathered to express concern that Israel's proposed budget removes the funding to help them immigrate to reunite with relatives.

Most of the nearly 8,000 Ethiopian Jews in the east African nation are said to have family members already in Israel.

Some told The Associated Press they have been separated for more than a decade.

"Please, we are asking this in the name of Israel's God, we are asking to be off the hook now," begs Melese Sidisto, leader of the Ethiopian Jewish Community

"Please we have had enough. We have been like this for the last 20 years. We have had enough," he says, before breaking down.

Others in the congregation are visibly upset as the issue is discussed.

One worshipper, Kasanesh Addisu, says there are far more people in the community that just those here today.

"If you go to their homes, there are some who are starving. Most are in a difficult situation. And some are sick in bed. Don't just look at us who stand before you healthy. Please rescue us."

Dozens of people hold up pictures of their loved ones who have already moved to Israel.

Activists say Israel's government in 2015 pledged to bring the remaining Ethiopian Jews to Israel.

In 1991 with Ethiopia in civil war, Israel carried out the dramatic Operation Solomon, successfully airlifting out some 14,500 Ethiopian Jews in less than two days.

For Chekol Taglo Alemayehu, it has been 20 years since he saw his father.

"My father was taken to Israel 20 years ago. And two years later his five children including me were contacted to begin the process of going to Israel. We filled some forms. Our pictures were taken. And we finished the process and we were told to get ready for travel. And we did. When it was time, we packed and left for the airport. But at the airport we were told we cannot go and we were told to try again soon. We have been in misery ever since."

In a letter addressed to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Ethiopian Jews in Addis Ababa said they want to immediately and without any preconditions go to Israel and join family members.

Tired after years of trying, this community are threatening more serious action.

"If our request is not accepted soon, we are going to hold a three-day hunger strike. Even if people die because of this, we are determined and ready to hold the strike."

Addis Ababa - 28 February 2018

1. Various of Ethiopian Jews praying in a synagogue in Addis Ababa

2. Close of Israeli flags

3. Various of people praying

4. SOUNDBITE (Amharic) Melese Sidisto, leader of Ethiopian Jewish Community:

"Please, we are asking this in the name of Israel's God, we are asking to be off the hook now. Please we have had enough. We have been like this for the last 20 years. We have had enough (crying)."

5. Various of people crying in the synagogue

6. SOUNDBITE (Amharic) Kasanesh Addisu, member of Jewish Community:

"Our communities are not just the ones here. Our families are not just those here. There are a lot who fled here. If you go to their homes, there are some who are starving. Most are in a difficult situation. And some are sick in bed. Don't just look at us who stand before you healthy. Please rescue us (crying)."

7. Addisu crying

8. Various of people holding pictures of relatives that have been repatriated to Israel in the past

9. SOUNDBITE (Amharic) Chekol Taglo Alemayehu, member of Ethiopian Jewish Community:

"My father was taken to Israel 20 years ago. And two years later his five children including me were contacted to begin the process of going to Israel. We filled some forms. Our pictures were taken. And we finished the process and we were told to get ready for travel. And we did. When it was time, we packed and left for the airport. But at the airport we were told we cannot go and we were told to try again soon. We have been in misery ever since."

10. Various of prayers

11. SOUNDBITE (Amharic) Melese Sidisto, leader of Ethiopian Jewish Community:

"Why are we being shy about our wish to travel to Israel? And if our request is not accepted soon, we are going to hold a three-day hunger strike. Even if people die because of this, we are determined and ready to hold the strike."

12. Various of prayer

Palestinians picked up the remnants of a day of heavy clashes at the Al Aqsa compound on Monday evening as Israeli police altered the route of Jewish nationalists marking Jerusalem Day with a march into the Old City.

Earlier, Israeli police firing tear gas, stun grenades and rubber bullets clashed with stone-throwing Palestinians at the iconic compound, which is Islam's third-holiest site and considered Judaism's holiest. Tensions at the site have been the trigger for prolonged bouts of violence in the past, including the last Palestinian intifada, or uprising.

More than 305 Palestinians were hurt, including 228 who went to hospitals and clinics for treatment, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent. Seven of the injured were in serious condition. Police said 21 officers were hurt, including three who were hospitalized. Israeli paramedics said seven Israeli civilians were also hurt.

Hamas militants fired a barrage of rockets into Israel on Monday, including one that set off air raid sirens as far away as Jerusalem.

The early evening attack drastically escalated what already are heightened tensions throughout the region following weeks of confrontations between Israeli police and Palestinian protesters.

The day began with police announcing that Jews would be barred from visiting the holy site on Jerusalem Day, which is marked with a flag-waving parade through the Old City that is widely perceived by Palestinians as a provocative display.

Just as the parade was about to begin, police said they were altering the route at the instruction of political leaders. Several thousand people, many of them from Jewish settlements in the West Bank, were participating.

===========================================================

Clients are reminded:

(i) to check the terms of their licence agreements for use of content outside news programming and that further advice and assistance can be obtained from the AP Archive on: Tel +44 (0) 20 7482 7482 Email: info@aparchive.com

(ii) they should check with the applicable collecting society in their Territory regarding the clearance of any sound recording or performance included within the AP Television News service

(iii) they have editorial responsibility for the use of all and any content included within the AP Television News service and for libel, privacy, compliance and third party rights applicable to their Territory.

SHOTLIST:

RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Jerusalem - 10 May 2021

1. Close of man holding burned copy of Islam's holy book, the Quran

2. Model of Dome of the Rock made of rubber tipped bullets

3. Various of rubber-tipped bullets fired by Israelis

4. Mid of Dome of the Rock model

5. Various of cleaning of Al Aqsa compound

6. Various of masked Hamas supporters chanting

7. Various of worshippers going into mosque

8. Various of police at Lion's Gate entrance to the Al Aqsa compound

STORYLINE:

Palestinians picked up the remnants of a day of heavy clashes at the Al Aqsa compound on Monday evening as Israeli police altered the route of Jewish nationalists marking Jerusalem Day with a march into the Old City.

Earlier, Israeli police firing tear gas, stun grenades and rubber bullets clashed with stone-throwing Palestinians at the iconic compound, which is Islam's third-holiest site and considered Judaism's holiest. Tensions at the site have been the trigger for prolonged bouts of violence in the past, including the last Palestinian intifada, or uprising.

More than 305 Palestinians were hurt, including 228 who went to hospitals and clinics for treatment, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent. Seven of the injured were in serious condition. Police said 21 officers were hurt, including three who were hospitalized. Israeli paramedics said seven Israeli civilians were also hurt.

Hamas militants fired a barrage of rockets into Israel on Monday, including one that set off air raid sirens as far away as Jerusalem.

The early evening attack drastically escalated what already are heightened tensions throughout the region following weeks of confrontations between Israeli police and Palestinian protesters.

The day began with police announcing that Jews would be barred from visiting the holy site on Jerusalem Day, which is marked with a flag-waving parade through the Old City that is widely perceived by Palestinians as a provocative display.

Just as the parade was about to begin, police said they were altering the route at the instruction of political leaders. Several thousand people, many of them from Jewish settlements in the West Bank, were participating.

Palestinians picked up the remnants of a day of heavy clashes at the Al Aqsa compound on Monday evening as Israeli police altered the route of Jewish nationalists marking Jerusalem Day with a march into the Old City.

Earlier, Israeli police firing tear gas, stun grenades and rubber bullets clashed with stone-throwing Palestinians at the iconic compound, which is Islam's third-holiest site and considered Judaism's holiest. Tensions at the site have been the trigger for prolonged bouts of violence in the past, including the last Palestinian intifada, or uprising.

More than 305 Palestinians were hurt, including 228 who went to hospitals and clinics for treatment, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent. Seven of the injured were in serious condition. Police said 21 officers were hurt, including three who were hospitalized. Israeli paramedics said seven Israeli civilians were also hurt.

Hamas militants fired a barrage of rockets into Israel on Monday, including one that set off air raid sirens as far away as Jerusalem.

The early evening attack drastically escalated what already are heightened tensions throughout the region following weeks of confrontations between Israeli police and Palestinian protesters.

The day began with police announcing that Jews would be barred from visiting the holy site on Jerusalem Day, which is marked with a flag-waving parade through the Old City that is widely perceived by Palestinians as a provocative display.

Just as the parade was about to begin, police said they were altering the route at the instruction of political leaders. Several thousand people, many of them from Jewish settlements in the West Bank, were participating.

===========================================================

Clients are reminded:

(i) to check the terms of their licence agreements for use of content outside news programming and that further advice and assistance can be obtained from the AP Archive on: Tel +44 (0) 20 7482 7482 Email: info@aparchive.com

(ii) they should check with the applicable collecting society in their Territory regarding the clearance of any sound recording or performance included within the AP Television News service

(iii) they have editorial responsibility for the use of all and any content included within the AP Television News service and for libel, privacy, compliance and third party rights applicable to their Territory.

SHOTLIST:

RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Jerusalem - 10 May 2021

1. Close of man holding burned copy of Islam's holy book, the Quran

2. Model of Dome of the Rock made of rubber tipped bullets

3. Various of rubber-tipped bullets fired by Israelis

4. Mid of Dome of the Rock model

5. Various of cleaning of Al Aqsa compound

6. Various of masked Hamas supporters chanting

7. Various of worshippers going into mosque

8. Various of police at Lion's Gate entrance to the Al Aqsa compound

STORYLINE:

Palestinians picked up the remnants of a day of heavy clashes at the Al Aqsa compound on Monday evening as Israeli police altered the route of Jewish nationalists marking Jerusalem Day with a march into the Old City.

Earlier, Israeli police firing tear gas, stun grenades and rubber bullets clashed with stone-throwing Palestinians at the iconic compound, which is Islam's third-holiest site and considered Judaism's holiest. Tensions at the site have been the trigger for prolonged bouts of violence in the past, including the last Palestinian intifada, or uprising.

More than 305 Palestinians were hurt, including 228 who went to hospitals and clinics for treatment, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent. Seven of the injured were in serious condition. Police said 21 officers were hurt, including three who were hospitalized. Israeli paramedics said seven Israeli civilians were also hurt.

Hamas militants fired a barrage of rockets into Israel on Monday, including one that set off air raid sirens as far away as Jerusalem.

The early evening attack drastically escalated what already are heightened tensions throughout the region following weeks of confrontations between Israeli police and Palestinian protesters.

The day began with police announcing that Jews would be barred from visiting the holy site on Jerusalem Day, which is marked with a flag-waving parade through the Old City that is widely perceived by Palestinians as a provocative display.

Just as the parade was about to begin, police said they were altering the route at the instruction of political leaders. Several thousand people, many of them from Jewish settlements in the West Bank, were participating.

Jerusalem - 10 May 2021

1. Close of man holding burned copy of Islam's holy book, the Quran

2. Model of Dome of the Rock made of rubber tipped bullets

3. Various of rubber-tipped bullets fired by Israelis

4. Mid of Dome of the Rock model

5. Various of cleaning of Al Aqsa compound

6. Various of masked Hamas supporters chanting

7. Various of worshippers going into mosque

8. Various of police at Lion's Gate entrance to the Al Aqsa compound

Palestinians clean up debris at Al Aqsa compound

SHOTLIST:

RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Jerusalem – 29 September 2022

1. Israeli police forcibly removing Jewish ultra-Orthodox protesters from blocking a major Jerusalem intersection

2. More of Israeli police forcibly removing Jewish ultra-Orthodox protesters

3. Pan showing police dragging Jewish ultra-Orthodox protesters

4. Jewish ultra-Orthodox protesters on ground

5. Various of mounted police charging protesters

6. Mounted police

7. Jewish ultra-Orthodox protester holding banner reading (Hebrew) "I will not join the army of destruction."

8. Close of banner reading (Hebrew) "I will not join the army of destruction."

9. Jewish ultra-Orthodox protesters chanting (Hebrew) "We will die and not enlist."

10. Jewish ultra-Orthodox protesters sitting and blocking bus, chanting (Yiddish) "Gevald" (an exclamation of alarm)

11. Jewish ultra-Orthodox protesters sitting and blocking bus

STORYLINE:

Hundreds of ultra-Orthodox men on Thursday blocked a major Jerusalem intersection to protest attempts to force them to register for Israel's military draft.

Military service is mandatory for most Jewish Israeli men, but the ultra-Orthodox often receive exemptions in order to continue their religious studies.

The exemptions have long infuriated secular Israelis, but ultra-Orthodox communities have resisted repeated attempts to force them to register for the draft.

During Thursday's protest, the black-clad religious demonstrators blocked traffic at a main intersection near the entrance to the city and chanted "I will not join the army of destruction."

Police said they were trying to restore order.

There were no immediate reports of violence.

===========================================================

Clients are reminded:

(i) to check the terms of their licence agreements for use of content outside news programming and that further advice and assistance can be obtained from the AP Archive on: Tel +44 (0) 20 7482 7482 Email: info@aparchive.com

(ii) they should check with the applicable collecting society in their Territory regarding the clearance of any sound recording or performance included within the AP Television News service

(iii) they have editorial responsibility for the use of all and any content included within the AP Television News service and for libel, privacy, compliance and third party rights applicable to their Territory.

Israeli police used water cannon to disperse a protest by ultra-orthodox Jews who had blocked a main junction in Jerusalem on Tuesday.

According to media reports, the protest took place against the arrest of a Jewish man who refused to appear at a military recruitment centre.

Ultra-Orthodox Jews have for years been exempt from service, and they claim the military will expose their youth to secularism.

Draft privileges go back to when Israel's founders granted exemptions to a few hundred gifted students to help rebuild the schools of Jewish learning destroyed in the Holocaust.

But the numbers have ballooned dramatically since then.

Jerusalem - 22 December 2020

1. Israeli police using water cannon to disperse protest of ultra-orthodox Jews.

2. Various of water cannon being used to disperse protest of ultra-orthodox Jews

3. Ultra-Orthodox Jews looking at protest

4. Police

5. Protest

Rallies against anti-Semitism attracted crowds of thousands in Paris and other French cities on Tuesday, following a series of attacks against Jewish targets.

In Paris, former presidents Francois Hollande and Nicolas Sarkozy joined a rally led by Prime Minister Edouard Philippe at the Place de la Republique.

Political parties from across the spectrum participated in the nationwide rallies with the theme "That's enough", although Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally party held a separate event.

French President Emmanuel Macron went to the Shoah Memorial, a Holocaust museum in Paris, to observe a moment of silence with parliament leaders.

France is home to the world's largest Jewish population outside Israel and the United States.

Hate crimes against Jews in France has intensified in recent days.

Overnight a Jewish cemetery was desecrated, with some 80 gravestones spray-painted with swastikas.

On Saturday a torrent of hate speech was directed at Jewish philosopher Alain Finkielkraut during a march by yellow vest protesters.

And two youths were arrested Friday after they allegedly fired shots from an air rifle at a synagogue in the Paris suburb of Sarcelles, where a large Jewish community lives.

In other incidents, swastikas were sprayed onto street portraits of Simone Veil, a survivor of Nazi death camps and a European Parliament president who died in 2017.

And two trees planted at a memorial honouring a young Jewish man tortured to death in 2006 were vandalized. One was cut down.

Paris - 19 February 2019

++EARLY EVENING SHOTS++

1. Statue of Marianne, symbol of the French republic at Place de la Republique, as the sun sets

2. Wide of thousands attending the rally against anti-semitism

3. Crowd holding placards denouncing anti-semitism

4. Crowd with sign that reads in French "That's enough."

5. Crowds gathered in Place de la Republique

6. SOUNDBITE (French) Delphine Horvilleur, Rabbi and author:

"At this moment, at the Place de la Republique, these generations are holding hands to say together 'No to anti-semitism', 'no to hate'."

7. Various of people gathered at Place de la Republique

8. SOUNDBITE (French) no name given, student:

"(reciting phrases from a poem by French Holocaust survivor Simone Veil) 2,500 survivors out of 78,000 French Jews deported. There is only the Shoah (the Holocaust). The atmosphere of the crematoriums, the bad smelling smoke at Birkenau (death camp), I will never forget it."

9. Participants of the service on stage applauding

10. Crowd

11. SOUNDBITE (French) Edouard Philippe, French Prime Minister: ++AUDIO AS INCOMING++

"By ignorance, by malice, this calls into question what we are, that is to say, we are diverse people and proud of that. This was a calm gathering, with children, solemn yet simple, which says many things about who are and I'm quite happy to be here even if, once again, I know it was necessary."

12. Various of crowd

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Delphine Horvilleur, Rabbi and author:

"The most important message, for me, was to feel that people can understand that fighting anti-semitism is not a Jewish fight. It's not about the Jews fighting for their security or the State coming to make sure their life is secured. I think it's about a national consciousness that anti-semitism always teaches us something larger about a national failure probably, about a national crisis and it has to be a fight of everyone in the Republic."

14. Former French President Francois Hollande walking amongst crowd

15. SOUNDBITE (French) Francois Hollande, former French President:

"It's very important. Enough (audio inaudible). Stop. We are here, we are united, we are together and through this demonstration, I think French people share the same indignation, the same will to be united to take on those who have already poisoned our country. In other eras, that returns regularly and that we must fight with our first and even our last force."

16. Crowd

17. SOUNDBITE (French) Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris:

"We are all concerned and in this city there were also roundups (of Jews), in this city there is a memorial with all of the names of those deported and the people who were exterminated during World War II and precisely in memory to those deported and exterminated in the Holocaust. So we cannot act as if this didn't happen. Numerous Paris elected officials are present, a very large representation and so we will fight it and we won't let it pass."

18. Placard being held reading (French) "The France I love."

19. Various of the crowd