Israel’s Supreme Court, in an expanded panel headed by Deputy President Justice Noam Sohlberg, held a hearing on Wednesday on petitions from left-wing organizations, including the Reform Movement, demanding that the state order the immediate conscription of all bnei yeshivos—based on the Court’s prior ruling that there is currently no law regulating their status, and that the existing draft law must therefore be enforced.
The judges repeatedly pressed state representatives, asking why the IDF has not arrested thousands of bnei yeshivos who are technically considered draft dodgers, claiming that the IDF “needs more soldiers.” They were not receptive to responses by state representatives that there is no room in prison for thousands of “draft dodgers” and that the arrests of bnei yeshivos have not resulted in increased Chareidi conscription.
Justice Yael Wilner demanded that all 5,700 bnei yeshivos officially declared as “draft dodgers” be imprisoned immediately by the state, saying that “space can be made in prison for them.”
State Attorney Neta Oren told the court, “We aim to recruit soldiers, not to fill military detention facilities. We’re dealing with a large population that has not enlisted in the IDF for decades. Integrating them requires a gradual process—adapting military service to their cultural and social circumstances. The powers of the IDF and the police are limited, and comprehensive governmental coordination is needed.”
Wilner also demanded to know why only 54,000 initial draft orders were issued, rather than all 80,000. Attorney Oren replied, “It required significant resources from the military during wartime. There’s no point issuing numerous orders just for them to be quickly classified as evaders.”
At that point, two Chareidim burst into the courtroom shouting, “We will die before we enlist!” They were forcibly removed from the courtroom by security guards. A few minutes later, seven additional Chareidim burst into the room and were also forcibly removed.
The yarmulke-wearing Justice Sohlberg said that the IDF “needs these people now!” but did not address the question of how using police and IDF resources to arrest and imprison bnei yeshivos will help the army.
A representative of the yeshivas responded, “Einstein said that doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is insanity.”
MK Meir Porush reacted to the hearing: “The hearing now taking place in the Supreme Court is the peak of estrangement from Am Yisrael. After the Attorney General failed miserably in her absurd plan to arrest lomdei Torah as a lever for forced conscription, the Supreme Court judges are now wondering why more lomdei Torah aren’t being arrested.”
“We have no faith in a judge who calls for arresting lomdei Torah, and in our view, he is not worthy of his position in a state that is ruled by Jews. Tomorrow tens of thousands will gather in Jerusalem and make clear to all authorities: we will not be silent and we will not forgive when the Torah is persecuted.”
(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
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8 Responses
When were they accorded such supreme power? It was all Aharon Barak and nobody challenged him then and now it’s become their right! What a shame! What a shame that they can’t be challenged! What a shame!
The people in Israel are Jewish. The authorities are “Misyavnim”.
Look at this Rogue Nazi Court and how their main mission is just to stop learning and arrest as many boys as possible, the goal is not soldiers. Otherwise you would have the idea General screaming day and night we need staff we need staff. But this is the comfortable from the couch crew that constantly visits terrorists in jail and investigates soldiers that they find to be too mean, while at the same time saying there’s not enough soldiers
Now we understand why the Zionists were so eager to free Hamas terrorists with Jewish blood on their hands to make room for our bochurim for the crime of learning Torah in the so called Jewish state.
Why does nobody here seem to care about the terrible manpower shortage in the IDF which means that so many men have to leave their families for such long reserve duty, causing them to lose their parnosa, causing harm to their family lives, sometimes leading to divorce and PTSD and suicide? Rav Tamir Granot and other hesder roshei yeshiva are begging their charedi brothers to help.
nosson nota, why dont the Zionists draft the 1 million Israeli Arabs if they need bodies? we are kulo Tora and have no hergesh or time for the Zionists meshugasim.
The problem is a combina…..a combination of Charedi Jews outside Israel who want nothing to do with living in Israel…….so the secular aetheists in Israel (Supreme Court and majority Knesset members) attack the lomdei Torah and comments on YWN do not change the situation…..then you have the Likud/leftist party voters who bring aetheist destruction on us…….and while you order Amazon overnight guaranteed and buy from the Rack at Nordstroms…….Israel burns from Arab terror and from the aetheist attack bnei Torah and put them in jail…….maybe if the Madman gets elected and globalizes the intifada you might think of coming home to Israel…….Pick up before that happens and take responsibility for defending the Bnei Torah in Israel……let go of America before America disgards you…….the end of the American exile is happening…..you have to open your eyes. Come home and be here to defend the Torah……..
Nosson Nota – This has nothing to do with a lack of manpower. This has been discussed before, but you ignore it.