Another yeshiva bochur was arrested by the military police overnight Monday for the crime of limmud Torah at his home in Or Yehuda, a city in central Israel.
Military police arrived at his home at about 1:45 am, arrested him in front of his shocked parents, and immediately transferred him to military prison. The police wanted to drag him out of his home in pajamas but his father intervened and insisted he be allowed to change first.
The bochur, Daniel Yasipov, 23, a talmid at the Nezer Yisrael Yeshiva in Modi’in Illit, stems from a mesorati (traditional) family that grew closer to Yiddishkeit over the years. He submitted his army deferments since he was 18, in accordance with the law, only stopping in recent months at the instructions of the Gedolei HaDor.
Anger is growing among Chareidi askanim over the wave of arrests in recent weeks. “This is a targeted hunt for bnei yeshivos, aimed at creating an atmosphere of rare enforcement specifically during a sensitive period of discussions surrounding the conscription law,” one source told B’Chadrei Chareidim.
Senior Chareidi officials added that the arrests, carried out in the middle of the night, “are intended to create intimidation and public pressure.”
Kikar H’Shabbat reported that all the bnei yeshivos arrested for “draft-dodging” (and even those whom the IDF attempted to arrest but were unsuccessful) in recent weeks are Sephardi, ba’alei teshuvah, or geirim.
A senior source close to one of the senior Rabbanim affiliated with Shas claimed to Kikar, “This is a deliberate move by the IDF. They are afraid to deal with the Litvaks and chassidim—they’re afraid that there will be a huge commotion there—so they come to the ‘weak,’ to our talmidei yeshivos and ba’alei teshuva. It’s a disgrace that must be dealt with.”
“We are, of course, against the arrest of any talmid yeshiva—anyone who sits and learns Torah should be allowed to learn without any disturbance—but it is unacceptable that an enforcement operation is directed only at our community. This is unforgivable.”
On the other hand, sources in the IDF claimed in a conversation with Kikar that these are general arrest operations and are not directed at Sephardim and ba’alei teshuva. “The operations are being carried out in non-Chareidi areas, so naturally, in the mixed areas there are more Sephardim and ba’alei teshuva,” they said.
(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
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8 Responses
These arrests are not about targeting yeshiva bochurim. All of these arrests have taken place in cities that are not chariedi so what happens is the system of the military police shows there is somebody that failed to show up in accordance with their draft notice so they go to his address to take him into custody. The military police know only that the system showed that he is supposed to be arrested, the fact that the person is a yeshiva bochur is an issue they know nothing about and they only carry out their duty. However the official policy is not to carry out arrests in chareidi cities, so basically this comes down to the fact that the system does not know, and has no way of knowing, somebody is a yeshiva bochur.
However the entire issue is only because they are home for bein hazmanim, when the zman starts and everyone is in yeshiva there will be no more of these arrests.
Why 1:45am?
how long before the zionist state is Judenrein?
I see a growth in the BT movement who at age 18 suddenly become full time learners and get army exemptions.
https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/coffeeroom/topic/the-fourth-reich-of-israel
To YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem
Can you stop saying “for the crime of limmud Torah” every time a yeshiva bochur is arrested. We all know what “crime” was commited.
Is anyone here familiar with an exception to that which is cited in Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 329) regarding what Jewish communities need to do when physically attacked?
I’m looking for support in Shulchan Aruch for the notion that, when under attack, individuals who are busy learning should continue learning and shouldn’t pick up weapons and fight.
We’re all aware that this is a triggering & emotive issue, but let’s look at the facts.
Facts only please – no mudslinging.
Thanks in advance.
To YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem
Please continue saying “for the crime of limmud Torah” every time a yeshiva bochur is arrested. We all know that’s what really bothers them. They don’t want lousy haredi soldiers; they want to assimilate a hostile population