Mir Yeshiva Head Issues Strict Warning Against Unauthorized Military Exemptions Amid Arrests

In response to a troubling wave of arrests targeting yeshiva students, including a recent detention and release of a student by military authorities, Rabbi Eliezer Yehuda Finkel, head of the Mir Yeshiva, has issued a stern letter to thousands of his students. The letter, published on Thursday, addresses the difficult situation faced by Torah scholars amid harsh persecutions and the threat of immediate arrest in Israel.

Rabbi Finkel expresses deep concern over the current environment and announces the establishment of a special committee within the yeshiva composed of rabbis, educators, and professionals. This committee is tasked with providing individualized assistance and guidance to students regarding interactions with military authorities. The head of the yeshiva emphasizes that all support matters must be handled exclusively through this committee.

The letter contains explicit emergency instructions and warnings against independent activists or individuals attempting to secure military exemptions on their own, which could endanger students with conscription or arrest. Key directives include a strict prohibition on approaching recruitment offices or crossing border checkpoints without prior explicit approval from the committee. Rabbi Finkel stresses that any student violating these rules will bear full responsibility for the consequences.

In the event of an arrest, students are instructed to immediately contact a designated committee representative, with the yeshiva pledging to provide full legal and professional support. Students are also advised to exercise their right to silence, only providing their name and identification, and to defer all other questions to their lawyer.

The letter concludes with a spiritual call for increased prayer and Torah study, urging students to strengthen their commitment to Torah observance as a means of spiritual resilience during these challenging times.