Ultra-Orthodox Protests Planned Over Arrests of Draft Dodgers

Large-scale protests are expected on Thursday in Jerusalem and the Gush Dan region in response to recent arrests of draft dodgers. The Va'ad L'Hatzalat Olam HaTorah (Committee for the Rescue of the World of Torah) announced that Rabbi Azriel Auerbach instructed the protests to take place "in protest of the desecration of the honor of Torah and its students." The committee stated that Rabbi Auerbach expressed strong criticism against abandoning yeshiva students, particularly from those who previously pledged support. He also noted the protests are against the "terrible desecration of God's name" by imprisoning yeshiva students and kollel members without anyone speaking out.

Unlike previous demonstrations often organized by fringe groups within the Yerushalmi faction, this protest is being organized by the central stream of the faction. Earlier this week, over 1,500 Haredim gathered in Modi'in after military police arrived to arrest a draft dodger. Protesters blocked the police's exit from a building, leading to the deployment of numerous police forces to disperse the crowd, extract the soldiers, and restore public order.

Shortly after the team arrived at the building, the Yerushalmi faction's "Tzeva Kachol" (Color Blue) emergency system was activated. This system is designed to thwart arrests of draft dodgers by rapidly alerting and transporting protesters to the location. Within minutes, hundreds of activists assembled around the building. Demonstrators entered the building and even the apartment itself, where dozens surrounded the young man, dancing and physically shielding him to impede the military police's efforts to make the arrest.