Bnei Brak mayor demands return to longstanding draft exemptions for yeshiva students

Bnei Brak Mayor Chanoch Zeibert spoke as a convoy of ultra-Orthodox protesters headed to Prison 10 in a demonstration against the arrest of draft dodgers. He said the march was meant to give voice to those who are hurt by the arrests, adding that the protest would continue until the old system is restored.

“We are going out because anyone who hurts goes out to shout it,” Zeibert said. “We will stop the protest steps when they return the situation that existed for 70 years, that anyone who studies gets an exemption. Why are we always asked about those who do not study? Give an exemption to those who study, then we will talk about those who do not study.”

Zeibert’s remarks framed the protest as a demand to reinstate the long-standing arrangement in which yeshiva students were exempt from military service. The demonstration came in response to the detention of draft evaders, which has become a rallying point for the ultra-Orthodox community.