Since Israel's inception, the haredim — ultra-Orthodox adherents of Judaism — have been exempt from the country's military conscription laws. But their growing population, coupled with their high unemployment rate and dependence on state benefits, sparked outrage within the country's secular majority. After years of demanding that the haredim share the responsibility of serving in the armed forces, the Israeli government passed an unprecedented law in March 2014 that requires haredi men to serve in the military. The decision resulted in major opposition from the ultra-Orthodox community, from violent protests to religious leaders demanding that no one should comply.