Forty-six Haredi draft evaders held over Shabbat as arrests intensify

Haredi media reported a sharp rise in arrests after enforcement was stepped up against men who did not report to enlistment offices. The unusually high number of detentions has angered the Haredi public, while rabbis and community figures warn that the dispute over military service is escalating and that protests may widen.

According to the report, 46 Haredi yeshiva students and married scholars, whom the IDF defines as draft evaders, spent the latest Shabbat in military police detention facilities. Community leaders said the sight of dozens of yeshiva students and scholars in custody instead of in study halls reflects a major deterioration in relations between the state and the Torah world.

Several individual cases fueled the uproar. On Thursday, a 26-year-old Hasidic married student was arrested, then released to his home on Friday after several hours of work by Haredi activists, only hours before Shabbat began. In another case, a yeshiva student was detained when he landed at Ben Gurion Airport after returning from an extended study period at a yeshiva in the United States, and was handed over to military authorities.

Also before Shabbat, Aviel Cohen, 22, from Netivot and a graduate of Be'er Hatalmud yeshiva, was released. His arrest at a gas station near the Gilat Junction, while sitting in a car with his wife, sparked a major outcry and efforts to secure his freedom. Haredi sources said the growing number of arrests will likely bring new demonstrations and protest measures in the coming days, demanding that the detentions of yeshiva students stop. One source said, “A reality in which dozens of yeshiva students are in military prison is a warning sign for the entire public.”