Jerusalem – Police forces arrested two haredi men Tuesday morning suspected of involvement in a campaign conducted by extremist elements in the ultra-Orthodox community against haredi enlistment to military service.
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One of the suspects was arrested in Bnei Brak and the other in Modiin Illit.
In recent years, radical elements in the haredi community who are fiercely opposed to any form of haredi participation in the IDF have distributed inflammatory posters and fliers depicting haredi men who serve in the military as pigs and corrupted members of the haredi community. Some posters have shown haredi soldiers trying to entice and trap haredi children into joining the army.
Last summer, the anti-enlistment campaigners published a large booklet providing the personal addresses, cell-phone numbers, and other contact details of dozens of haredi men, including haredi IDF officers and personnel, who are involved in the IDF units dedicated to haredi men or are involved in recruiting haredi men for enlistment.
The booklet claimed that “hundreds of haredi recruiters lie in wait for the youth” who are described as “professional missionaries with a haredi appearance” and who “sold their souls to Satan for a little bit of money.”
The police said on Tuesday that the two men arrested were suspected of violating privacy laws and insulting public servant “in light of their involvement in activities against youth of the haredi community who enlisted to the IDF and against those who have worked to enlist them.”
Deputy Defense Minister Eli Ben-Dahan, who has been a vocal advocate of increased police action against the anti-emlsitment campaigners, welcomed the arrests.
“After a drawn-out struggle with those inciting against haredi soldiers we have made a significant and important achievement which will also serve as a warning to other inciters,” said Ben-Dahan following the arrests.
“Their arrest isn’t sufficient however, we must ensure that they are brought to justice and punished. Haredi IDF soldiers are doing something important and brave and are enlisting in order to serve all citizens and we must help them to compete their service in the best possible manner.”