Hundreds of Haredi Children Protest Military Prison Over Draft Evasion Arrests

Hundreds of students from the Breslov Hasidic sect demonstrated outside Military Prison 10 in Beit Lid on Monday, protesting the arrest of Haredi draft dodgers. The protest was particularly focused on those arrested after traveling to Uman, Ukraine, to visit the grave of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov. The demonstration occurred less than a day after the outgoing head of the Manpower Directorate, Maj. Gen. (res.) Shay Tayeb, warned of a worsening shortage of soldiers in the IDF.

Organized bus trips brought students from cities including Safed, Jerusalem, Beit Shemesh, Modi'in Illit, and Tel Aviv to the protest. Chairs were set up outside the prison, with refreshments provided for the children. During the event, participants recited prayers and Torah passages. A banner called for a "great gathering, prayer, and outcry" to support the young men and married students who were prevented from traveling to Uman for Rosh Hashanah and some of whom were imprisoned for upholding their religious observance.

During the protest, Rabbi Yoel Fox, director of Breslov educational institutions, read the names of the draft dodgers imprisoned at the facility, with the children repeating each name and shouting "Be strong and courageous!" afterward. The Ministry of Education condemned the use of students in political demonstrations, stating that "using students to participate in political demonstrations as part of school activities is reprehensible and forbidden." The ministry has instructed the Haredi district to "act with full severity against the phenomenon."

The document also stated that dozens of Hasidim were arrested at border crossings en route to Uman and transferred to military prison.

Maj. Gen. (res.) Tayeb, in a farewell speech, addressed the IDF's personnel crisis, exacerbated by the October 7th Hamas attack. "The operational need has doubled and quintupled, and even more, in an instant," he told his soldiers. "The IDF is missing, and still missing, thousands of soldiers to ease the burden and fulfill all needs." He credited efforts to integrate the Haredi public into the army through various programs, stating, "You have opened the gates of the IDF to the Haredi public with an exceptional variety of tracks and methods, which serve the operational need and expand the ranks." He expressed belief that this "revolution" is just beginning.