Israel Police Commissioner Danny Levy faced fierce backlash on Monday from Chareidi parties after ordering officers to detain draft dodgers encountered during routine interactions and transfer them to military authorities.
According to the new directive, any officer who encounters a draft dodger during any interaction must detain the individual, notify the military police, and wait for military investigators to arrive within 30 minutes.
The order, first reported by Ynet, marks a major shift in policy after months during which police had reportedly avoided arresting Chareidi draft dodgers and had instructed district commands “not to deal with the issue.”
The Shas party sharply condemned the decision, saying: “At a time when violence and crime are surging, and murderers are roaming freely in the streets, instead of properly addressing national security, the police have decided to devote resources to pursuing precious Lomdei Torah as if they were hardened criminals. It’s a disgrace that this is happening in the Jewish state.”
Shas also slammed the Attorney General’s Office: “Mr. Commissioner, do not fall into the political trap being led by the Attorney General and her team, whose entire goal is to bring down the government. Don’t lay your hands on bnei yeshivos and lomdei Torah.”
Degel HaTorah chairman Moshe Gafni also attacked the decision, saying: “How much further will the Attorney General drag Israeli society into the depths of the abyss? And davka the Police Commissioner will be forced to confront lomdei Torah — and that will be his badge of honor.”
(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
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5 Responses
If only Shas and UTJ respected Bnei Torah and didnt try to include those who dont learn. Real Bnei Torah should be allowed to sit and learn. Their learning protects Am Yisroel. Its those who are not seriously learning that Shas and UTJ are protecting, and causing harm to Am Yisroel. HaRav Schach zatz”al clearly stated that they are din of a Rodef.
In generation after generation government officials issued decrees that made life very hard for yidden. And as the Chofetz Chaim said blaming the officials is like blaming the stick being used to hit instead of understanding the power wielding the stick is responsible. So while its the job of the politicians to make statements it is very important that we understand they are merely the stick, so blaming them and being angry with these people as if they are the true cause and reason for the new policies is not only misguided, it fails to truly comprehend what is actually happening.
@Sonaat Yisrael; Yes Rav Shach ZT”L and others agreed to working chareidim to join the army, and indeed countless young men did decades ago, but times have changed. With women in tanks, immorals in dorms with men etc etc, no chareidy person can go there. Even Dati-Leumi Rabbonim complaint about the situation, but the IDF leaders refuse to meet them or to accommodate the religious in any way.
Chofetz Chaim writes in Nidhei Yisroel (1890s) to those settling in faraway countries where they were sending kids to public schools and providing no or insufficient Jewish education: it should be possible, and already done by some, to provide Torah education without violating laws of the country. Surely, it should be possible to learn Torah in EY without violating the laws of the country.
DavidtheKanoi, are you saying conditions in the army now are worse than they were by R Schach time!? To the opposite, three is a whole large religious community in Israel and multitudes of religious soldiers, and access to all kind of media to protest every illegal order of beard shaving. What may be true that the new generation is not willing to confront any challenges in life, demanding from Hashem to provide them with a non-challenging environment where they can comfortably sit with a sefer. Such hutzpah did not exist ever in Jewish history.