Haredi Hesder Yeshiva Founder Rejects Netanyahu's Claims on Torah Students' Arrests

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently claimed that leaders of the Haredi Hesder yeshivas warned him that Torah students are being arrested inside yeshivas, which he said discourages enlistment in the IDF. However, Rabbi Yonatan Reis, founder of the Haredi Hesder yeshiva network "Hadvata," told ynet that Netanyahu's statement does not reflect the views of those actively working to integrate Haredim into the military, but rather the political Haredi leadership. Reis noted that no arrests of draft dodgers inside yeshivas are known, and the Hesder yeshivas have never made such claims in writing to Netanyahu.

Reis suggested Netanyahu received his message from Yossi Goldknopf, a Haredi activist known for opposing enlistment, while Reis and his network have consistently advocated for tailored enlistment frameworks for Haredi youth. He criticized the government's focus on arrests, arguing that the real issue is the lack of suitable frameworks allowing young Haredim to serve in the IDF without compromising their religious lifestyle. Reis emphasized that arrests do not serve anyone and that the government missed an opportunity to turn Haredi enlistment into a national project after the October 7 attacks.

Reis also accused Government Secretary Yossi Fuchs of repeatedly blocking government initiatives aimed at expanding Haredi enlistment tracks, citing pressure from the political Haredi leadership. He called on the government to issue calls for proposals to entrepreneurs to establish more enlistment frameworks, noting that currently only limited resources support such efforts.

The Haredi Hesder yeshiva track combines Torah study with military service and professional training, allowing young men aged 17 to 20 to serve in specialized IDF units while maintaining their religious lifestyle. Currently, about 1,000 students study in roughly ten such yeshivas, with over 80% completing studies, military service, and employment integration. Reis's network, Hadvata, has grown from six students nine years ago to nearly 400 today, with plans to open a new Hesder yeshiva in the Jordan Valley that will also serve as a military outpost.

Reis stressed that the key to success is a gradual educational process respecting the complexity of Haredi society, not coercion. He warned that without building a genuine educational bridge from the Haredi world to broader Israeli society, the enlistment issue will remain unresolved for decades. He concluded that the Hesder yeshiva model offers a viable alternative for Haredi youth and urged the state to adopt it to solve the enlistment challenge once and for all.