A fiery debate unfolded in the Knesset Monday as United Torah Judaism MK Yitzchak Goldknopf returned to the parliament and delivered a passionate address, accusing the government of failing to uphold coalition agreements regarding the draft law for yeshiva students. In a dramatic session of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Goldknopf demanded that the government “stand by its agreements,” while outgoing committee chairman MK Yuli Edelstein declared, “I prevented institutionalized draft dodging with my own hands.”
The committee voted to remove Edelstein from his post and replace him with MK Boaz Bismuth, in a narrow vote of 9-7. Bismuth pledged to approach his new role “with a sense of sacred duty,” emphasizing unity during wartime and vowing to “rise above division” for the sake of the nation.
Earlier in the day, during the committee’s deliberations, Goldknopf launched a blistering criticism of the government, lamenting broken promises regarding the draft exemption for yeshiva students. He illustrated his message with an emotional story of pidyon shevuyim (redeeming captives), involving one of the Rebbes of the Ruzhin dynasty in Siberia — a story that also included reference to Yuli Edelstein’s past imprisonment in Soviet Russia.
Goldknopf recounted how the Rebbe of Chernobyl sought to free a Jewish prisoner just before Pesach, describing it as both pidyon shevuyim and pikuach nefesh. When the prison commander demanded an exorbitant sum, the Rebbe said he’d sell his own house if it would save a Jew’s life. “That was the message of our Gedolim in past generations,” Goldknopf said, adding that the situation today, with Jewish hostages still held in Gaza, echoes those values.
He described his own visits to the devastated communities of the south — Be’eri, Nir Oz, and Re’im — just days after October 7 in his previous role as Minister of Housing and Construction and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office. “I resigned from those positions,” he said, “but I won’t be silent about broken agreements.”
Goldknopf insisted that the coalition deal does not invent anything new but simply seeks to preserve the long-standing arrangement that exempts full-time yeshiva students from army service. “Ben-Gurion himself signed it,” he declared.
He addressed allegations of mass draft evasion by the chareidi community, dismissing claims of “100,000 shirkers” as exaggerated. “There are chareidim serving loyally in many army roles,” he said. “I myself have a nephew serving at the front in Gaza, and a grandson there as well.”
He emphasized that the chareidi community is not detached from national service. “Every chareidi family has children or grandchildren contributing,” he said. “We didn’t come here to demand evasion. We came to secure the legal status of yeshiva students whose entire life is Torah.”
Goldknopf denounced the growing hostility he sensed in the room, contrasting it with the unity expressed by the families of hostages. “There’s no ‘us’ and ‘them,’” he said. “We’re one people. Everyone serves in their own way — whether on the front lines or in the beis medrash.”
He turned directly to Edelstein: “You didn’t want to recognize the contributions of chareidim who worked with rescue teams on October 7, helping the wounded. But when it comes to debating the law, you pretend they don’t exist.”
Goldknopf concluded by reiterating that Torah learning must continue to be protected. “Just as you care for the soldiers on the front lines,” he said, “you must also protect the lomdei Torah. This arrangement has existed for 76 years — even under Labor governments we didn’t have these problems.”
Edelstein, in turn, stood firm during what is expected to be his final committee meeting as chairman. “From the start, I made it clear — there will be no fake draft law,” he said. He explained that the absence of a Knesset majority made it impossible to present a full draft, though he knew that any version he released would face criticism.
Despite facing personal attacks, Edelstein noted, “I’ve never been known for hating chareidim, and I don’t plan to start now.” He added that he has always sought a fair and reasonable law. “But the chareidi leadership refused to cooperate,” he said. “Changing committee chairmen won’t fix anything. This dismissal will only lead to chaos, especially with the IDF now launching enforcement operations. Today’s vote is the final nail in the coffin for the draft law.”
Edelstein ended with a message to reservists and their families: “This issue is in my blood. Even when we’ve disagreed, I’ve always fought to protect you. I promise not to abandon you — whether from inside the committee or outside it. I prevented institutionalized draft dodging with my own hands.”
How sad that not one but two!! of his family members have been taken into the shmad that is the Zionist army.
Regarding the general story, this is the bottom line:
“Goldknopf insisted that the coalition deal does not invent anything new but simply seeks to preserve the long-standing arrangement that exempts full-time yeshiva students from army service. “Ben-Gurion himself signed it,” he declared.”
Where is Agudath Yisrael, who was the other party in that deal? Why are they silent, rather than telling the world that the wicked Zionists are breaking their deal?
If we keep strong and help release those arrested, the reshaim won’t have power over us.