Jerusalem – Thousands of haredi men and women from ultra-Orthodox grouping took to the streets of Jerusalem Monday night to celebrate the release of four yeshiva students from military prison.
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The Jerusalem Faction, staged the celebration for the yeshiva students who were arrested for refusing to report to IDF enlistment offices when called to do so.
Yeshiva students sang and danced while joyful Jewish music blared out from massive speakers along the length of the route down which the participants marched.
The rally was approved by the Jerusalem Police and large sections of Bar Ilan street and other thoroughfares were closed to traffic.
Rallies staged by the Jerusalem Faction frequently turn violent at the close but there was no violence by time of press.
The four boys who were feted at the rally, Naftali Rishi, Eliyahu Goldberg, Haim David Halva and Shlomo Zalman Miller were arrested by military police last month.
They are all associated with the Jerusalem Faction which is headed by Rabbi Shmuel Auerbach, a haredi leader who opposes any cooperation with the government over the issue of haredi enlistment to the army.
Rabbi Auerbach has instructed yeshiva students associated with his faction not to present themselves for preliminary procedures at IDF enlistment offices, even though this renders them liable to arrest by military police for draft evasion.
The mainstream non-hassidic and hassidic haredi leaders do allow yeshiva students to present themselves for preliminary processing although until 2017 such men generally receive deferrals and exemptions.
Rabbi Auerbach’s faction is thought to amount to approximately 15 percent of the non-hassidic haredi community, and so the number of yeshiva students arrested for not reporting to IDF offices is not high, but has been a frequently occurring story for the last 18 months.
Jerusalem Faction loyalists, most often youths, have staged several violent demonstrations over the last year, and frequently seek to disrupt traffic during such riots as happened earlier this month.
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Anyone evading the IDF should lose gov’t benefits.
Can’t understand why they should be able to “learn” gamarrah all day when their brothers and sisters are fighting for their country.
Shame on all those attending. Big chillul Hashem.
your prejudice description of this bachurim is simple ” sinas am huorec le talmid chuchem”no more coment j. l
Fine if they want to learn and not serve – but they should not receive any government benefits that are offered to those who serve in the military or do alternative service.
If they want to take benefits but not serve then it seems like they are chazerim who come to take from others without contributing.
does it bother you that there are programs in aMerida and that all these low class people are just eating up the money? Well, so is life.
WOW, amazing kiddush Hashem, Gevaldick…….
מי כעמך ישראל,
What a kiddush hashem, & for all jew haters who comment here to cut there benefits listen to me its not israel money its USA $$ they getting 3 billion $ a year so relax.
Is this a mass protest or a mass simcha? The bochurim here look like they’re engaged in a mass circle dance. The law of the land is the law.
#1 & #3 Your arguments are flawed, as even the Bucharim of the Satmar affiliated yeshivos who do NOT take any money from the government also are included in the same gezeira.
Fact is that the Army does not want the Bochurim as soldiers, this was just a vote getting tactic from the rabid anti chareidim Lapid
Nebech at a time when the world is battling Isil, these selfish kids think they have no obligation to help protect their mothers and sisters.
Disgusting. Not only are they sad excuses for frum Jews, they waste their time celebrating when they should be learning – isn’t that the point of draft dodging? So they cause a huge financial burden on the city resources (police, garbage pickup etc) AND they aren’t doing what they are supposed to do.
It’s a massive chilul Hashem – why are chilonim the only ones who should serve & protect? These cowards want it every way, it makes me sick. These people are leeches off the system.
The resistance has nothing zero to do with the army. All you commenters who think oh the triefna rashiom juts want to shamd us in the army are very naive at best. Let me tell you guys a secret according the “evil” Lapid & Lipmann’s new law those currently over 23 can work with no that’s right zero army service. So why aren’t they working? Why are we “adopting kollels”? The adopt a kollel campaign has on their pamphlets how children in large numbers are starving and going hungry and have no basic cloths to wear? Is this normal on a large scale? Is this what hashem wants? We have gone insane? We are torturing our own families. You know why they insist on kollel and no work? Because the charedim have this terribly misconceived notion that anything secular is a threat to yiddishkiet. But the torah way is work the land and still be avod hashem. Hasmem does not wnat us to serve him while living in a cave. Guys wake up we must adopt jobs and college programs. These yingerlit are highly intelligent. Why can’t they be Dr’s lawyers, nurses, accountants, IT personnel, special ed, OT etc..?
Perhaps ALTERG or Rafuel can enlighten us?
I follow and fully support the decrees of our Talmidei Chachamim. Mi LaHashem Elai!
There has got to be a compromise somewhere not everyone can be a soldier on the other hand not everyone can be a full time student. It is the responsibility of people to follow the laws of the land which in this case requires public service. There must be a way to incorporate a Haredi Torah lifestyle with National Service. Haredi Jews fulfill this requirement everywhere else in the world from Shomrim to Hatzolah etc. Its time both sides work to find an agreeable solution rather than continually politicizing a fairly basic problem.