The wave of arrests targeting yeshiva students who did not report to draft offices, in accordance with the directives of leading rabbonim, continued into Friday. Just hours before the onset of Shabbos, another bochur was taken into custody.
Initial details indicate that the detainee is once again a Sephardi yeshiva bochur, this time from Yeshivas Be’er Yehuda in Yerushalayim. He was stopped by traffic police and subsequently handed over to the military police.
A recent investigation by Matzav.com revealed that nearly all those detained so far are either Sephardi students or baalei teshuvah enrolled in yeshivos that cater to chozrim b’teshuvah. Even in cases where attempted arrests failed, the targets were from the same groups.
A senior figure close to one of Shas’s prominent rabbonim said: “This is a deliberate move by the IDF. They are afraid to touch the Lithuanian and Chassidic communities, fearing a massive uproar, so they go after the ‘weaker’ ones — our Sephardi yeshiva students and baalei teshuvah. This is a disgrace that must be addressed.”
At the same time, IDF officials rejected the allegations, insisting that the operations are not discriminatory. Military sources claim that the arrests were “random and not directed specifically at Sephardim or baalei teshuvah,” explaining that enforcement is focused on non-chareidi areas, “which naturally include more Sephardim and returnees.”
The IDF spokesperson’s office issued a statement saying: “The Military Police are carrying out enforcement actions against draft evaders and deserters in accordance with the law. There has been no change in policy.”
{Matzav.com Israel}
The resha’im are after the souls of Sefardim and balei tshuvos.