Yehuda Chayon, a bochur currently imprisoned in Military Prison 10 for refusing to enlist in the IDF, says he was not permitted to hear the reading of Parshas Zachor from a Sefer Torah on Shabbos.
Chayon, who has been held in the military prison for nearly two weeks, told friends during a phone call from the facility that prison authorities did not allow him to hear the special kriah.
“For the first time since I was 10 years old, I did not hear Parshas Zachor from a Sefer Torah, which is a mitzvah d’Oraisa,” he said.
Following the report, Knesset member Meir Porush issued a sharply worded statement condemning the situation and criticizing the IDF, the judicial system, and Defense Minister Yisroel Katz.
“This is another incident proving that the army is in no way prepared to incarcerate bnei yeshivos, and yet, under criminal legal guidance, they continue to arrest lomdei Torah,” Porush said.
He added that while the military may be highly capable in other areas, it falls far short when it comes to accommodating religious needs.
“It is possible that there are areas in which the army is among the best in the world, but when it comes to adapting to religious requirements, it is very, very far from that,” he said.
Porush also demanded immediate action to address the situation.
“It is an absolute disgrace that in a Jewish state, under Jewish leadership, bnei yeshivos are arrested for limud haTorah, and it is far worse when they are forced to violate mitzvos haTorah. Situations like this, which would be unthinkable in any democratic country, require immediate attention. Even in the midst of the war with Iran, this cannot be delayed.”
The lawmaker also called on the judicial system to intervene.
“One would expect that the same judicial system that, even during wartime, searches for ways to punish lomdei Torah would hurry to stop this wrongdoing that is taking place under its responsibility,” Porush said.
Porush added that parliamentary inquiries he submitted to Defense Minister Katz regarding the accommodation of religious needs in military prisons have so far gone unanswered.
“This is very puzzling. One would expect him to act and condemn this conduct,” he concluded.
{Matzav.com}
This demonstrates sharp discrimination.
When my son was in Military Prison 6 a few years back (because he insisted on a combat position rather than the jobnik position they assigned him), there were Torah shiurim throughout the day (which even the Druze inmates attended, due to the good air-conditioning in the beis medrash), plus regular minyanim and my son ended up with more Torah and davening than he’d had since leaving yeshivah.
So it’s very easy for them to allow the young men in military prison to fulfill obligations of limud Torah and davening.
In the above case, they davka interfered with this young man, presumably from passive-aggressive vengeance.
He did have to hear parshas Zachor. He lived it.