Rosh Yeshiva Says Arrested Bochur ‘Still Has Not Recovered’ From Military Detention

Rabbi Dovid Boaron, rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Kibbutz Givat Ze’ev, says one of his talmidim is still struggling to recover after spending five days in military detention following his arrest as a draft evader.

Speaking in an interview with Kol Chai, Rabbi Boaron recounted the recent arrest of Reuven Lamenatzeach, a student at the yeshiva who was detained while returning from a family event.

According to the rosh yeshiva, undercover officers stopped the bochur on Highway 1 and quickly discovered that he had been classified as a draft evader.

“When they saw that he was a draft evader, they immediately identified him. Unfortunately, they did not even allow him to make a phone call to his parents. They immediately took him away in handcuffs,” Rabbi Boaron said.

Although Lamenatzeach was released after only five days—a relatively short period compared to some similar cases—Rabbi Boaron said the experience left a deep impact on the young man.

“He came out broken. There is a lot of humiliation that people go through there,” the rosh yeshiva said.

Relaying what the bochur told him after his release, Rabbi Boaron described difficult conditions in both detention and military prison. He said the student slept on a thin mattress placed on the floor, had limited opportunities for tefillah, and faced challenging living conditions.

“The hardest part, he said, was the humiliation. If a shirt was slightly out, there were immediate punishments. These are things a ben Torah is not accustomed to.”

Rabbi Boaron added that the bochur was housed together with Bedouin detainees and encountered circumstances that were entirely unfamiliar to him.

“He told me, ‘I would not wish this on anyone.’”

The rosh yeshiva said that although the detention lasted less than a week, its effects remain evident.

“Today he has already returned to the yeshiva, but I see that the bochur is still not fully here. It will take time for him to recover from the experience.”

Following his release, Lamenatzeach visited several gedolim to receive encouragement and guidance.

Rabbi Boaron said that during a visit with Rav Meir Tzvi Bergman, the message was simple and repeated several times.

“Do not be afraid, do not be afraid.”

According to the rosh yeshiva, Rav Bergman emphasized those words repeatedly in an effort to strengthen the young man’s spirits.

The bochur later visited Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, where the conversation turned to a friend who had been with him during the incident but was not arrested.

“He asked whether the friend was Ashkenazi, and when they answered that he only looked Ashkenazi, he replied with a smile, ‘No, it is important that he is Ashkenazi.’”

Rabbi Boaron also shared details about how that friend managed to avoid arrest.

“He started talking with the officers about the draft, chatted with them for a bit, and then simply took off and left,” the rosh yeshiva said, describing the escape as another miracle that occurred that night.

During the interview, Rabbi Boaron also discussed the growth of the institutions under his leadership in Givat Ze’ev. He said the local cheder now serves nearly 300 students and that the yeshiva, founded approximately two years ago, operates three daily learning sessions with a strong emphasis on intensive Torah study.

Concluding the interview, Rabbi Boaron expressed concern that additional arrests of yeshiva students may lie ahead.

“This is only the beginning,” he said. “If there is no Torah, there is no derech eretz and there is no state.”

{Matzav.com}