Inside the World’s Largest Yeshiva, Students Prepare for Possible Military Arrests

Hundreds of students and married scholars at Jerusalem’s Mir Yeshiva, widely described as the largest Haredi yeshiva in the world, attended an unusual legal briefing this week about what to do if military police arrest yeshiva students. The session, held during the lunch break and organized by the Vaad HaYeshivot, focused on rights during detention, questioning procedures, and how to preserve a Torah lifestyle in custody.

More than 500 participants were reportedly briefed by a lawyer, who explained practical steps for an arrest scenario and what detainees may or may not say. The guidance also covered religious needs in detention, including access to strictly kosher food, prayer with a minyan, and ways to maintain Shabbat observance while imprisoned.

Attorney Shlomo Hadad, who took part in the event, said it was not an isolated gathering. He said hundreds of similar meetings have recently been held in yeshivas across the country, calling them, “a direct result of turning 100,000 Torah scholars into criminals.” The article says the broader enlistment struggle has intensified in recent weeks as the legal status of Torah students has changed.

Among the students, there is growing distrust of state institutions, with many blaming Supreme Court rulings and instructions from the attorney general for widening the rift between the Haredi public and the state. Some also criticized Haredi political representatives for failing to prevent the crisis. Still, the message from the yeshiva was firm, according to those interviewed, no sanction, criminal threat or arrest would persuade them to leave their study desks, and they say only broad agreements with the Haredi community can increase enlistment.