Jerusalem Faction Holds Massive Protest Over Arrest of Draft-Dodging Yeshiva Students

A large protest organized by the Jerusalem Faction is set to begin at 5 p.m. today at the Geha Interchange on Highway 4, in response to the arrest of yeshiva student Israel Gochfi. Gochfi, a student at the Kfar Hasidim Yeshiva, was detained yesterday in Haifa due to a technical issue with his public transit card while traveling to the Rachamim area, and was subsequently handed over to the military police on suspicion of draft evasion. This arrest follows another recent detention of Mordechai Mishkovsky, a student at Netivot Yitzhak Yeshiva in Tel Aviv and grandson of Rabbi Nathan Zuckowski, a prominent Lithuanian rabbi and member of the Yated Ne'eman rabbinical committee. Mishkovsky was stopped near Beit She'an and also transferred to military police custody. The Jerusalem Faction, led by Rabbi Tzvi Friedman, has called on its followers to take to the streets in protest against these arrests. The organization "Am Kadosh," which supports the detainees, described the arrests as "kidnappings" to military prison and is providing legal assistance and guidance to the families. Significant traffic disruptions and heavy congestion are expected on Highway 4 during the protest hours.