Two Yeshiva Students Arrested in Rishon LeZion Amid Haredi Draft Evasion Crackdown
Translated & summarized from Kikar HaShabbat by baba
Two yeshiva students were arrested in Rishon LeZion by military police as part of an intensified crackdown on draft-evading students. The arrests occurred shortly before elections, amidst ongoing protests and a dispute between the IDF and Israel Police over handling disturbances during such operations. The "Tzeva Shahor" organization reported the arrests, and legal aid is being provided to the students. Similar recent attempts in Dimona and Bat Yam were also met with protests.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Two yeshiva students were arrested in Rishon LeZion by military police as part of a crackdown on draft dodgers.
- The arrests occurred less than two weeks before elections, with other yeshiva students reportedly still detained.
- The "Tzeva Shahor" organization reported the arrests and is providing legal assistance to the students.
- A large military police operation was canceled due to a dispute between the IDF and Israel Police.
- Protests have been ongoing, including a recent rally of 1,000 Breslov students outside Prison 10.
- Previous arrest attempts in Dimona and Bat Yam were also met with protests.
Two yeshiva students were arrested overnight in Rishon LeZion as part of an ongoing wave of arrests targeting yeshiva students deemed draft dodgers by military authorities. The students, from the Ohr HaChaim yeshiva headed by Rabbi Reuven Elbaz, a member of the Council of Torah Sages, were apprehended by patrol officers during a routine check. Following their arrest, they were transferred to military police custody.
Upon entering the detention cell, the students contacted "Tzeva Shahor" (Black Flag), an organization that alerts about yeshiva student arrests, to report their detention. They stated that their mobile phones were confiscated immediately. The students are reportedly receiving legal assistance.
The arrests occur less than two weeks before elections, with other Haredi yeshiva students reportedly still held in military prison. This crackdown follows a renewed enforcement against yeshiva students classified as draft dodgers. Earlier this month, Rabbi Azriel Auerbach, leader of the Jerusalem Faction, called for large protests in Jerusalem and the Gush Dan area against the arrests of yeshiva students and kollel members.
Meanwhile, a large-scale operation by military police to arrest yeshiva students, scheduled for the following week, was canceled at the last minute due to a severe dispute and accusations exchanged between the IDF and the Israel Police. The core of the disagreement concerns responsibility for handling public disturbances that often erupt during attempted arrests of draft dodgers in Haredi neighborhoods.
In recent weeks, numerous arrest attempts have been made across the country. In Dimona and Bat Yam, military police attempts to apprehend yeshiva students were thwarted by dozens of protesters alerted via the "Tzeva Shahor" system. Additionally, a prayer and protest rally of approximately one thousand students from Breslov Talmud Torah schools was held in front of Prison 10 in Beit Lid, protesting the ongoing detention of kollel members and yeshiva students, organized with the blessing of Rabbi Yaakov Meir Shachter.
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