Haredi Yeshiva Council Urges Students to Avoid Ben Gurion Airport Amid Arrest Fears

Ahead of the "bein hazmanim" school vacation in the ultra-Orthodox education system, the Haredi Yeshiva Council issued an unusual directive warning students and yeshiva scholars about the risk of arrest and legal complications with military authorities. The council clarified that any student aged 18 or older who has not regularized his status and missed his designated draft date is considered a draft dodger by security agencies. Due to expanded enforcement measures, the council strongly advises yeshiva students to avoid Ben Gurion Airport, land border crossings, and official checkpoints to prevent immediate detention when attempting to leave Israel without prior status arrangements.

The directive includes practical instructions: students who have not responded to initial or subsequent summonses should check in advance if an exit ban has been imposed against them, even if their official draft date has not yet arrived. A special warning was issued to "bnei mehagrim", Israeli citizens living abroad who study in Israeli yeshivas, who risk legal trouble if they fail to regularize their status on time. In case of arrest by military police, the council instructs families to be notified immediately and to secure legal representation specializing in military law from the outset.

Alongside legal warnings, the council calls on students to maintain disciplined behavior in public during the vacation, avoid unnecessary confrontations, and continue studying in designated summer frameworks. To provide real-time support, the organization will operate an emergency hotline offering legal advice and assistance throughout the vacation period.