Almost 30 draft dodgers have been arrested at Ben Gurion Airport trying to leave the country to attend the annual pilgrimage to the Ukrainian city of Uman, the Jerusalem Faction announces.
According to the extremist ultra-Orthodox group, which is vociferously opposed to the enlistment of yeshiva students, “nearly 30 ultra-Orthodox evaders have been detained at the airport since this morning on their way to Uman and were arrested by the military police and transferred to [the IDF base at] Tel HaShomer. In the coming hours, they will stand trial or disciplinary proceedings.”
The group says it expects more arrests of evaders attempting to leave the country over the coming days.
If correct, this marks a significant increase in arrests. Earlier today, the Jerusalem Faction stated that eight draft dodgers had been arrested at the airport this morning, raising the number held in military custody to 33.
Afterwards, United Torah Judaism chairman Yitzhak Goldknopf called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to work for their “immediate release,” claiming that they had been imprisoned “for the ‘crime’ of Torah study.”
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From the Liveblog of
Monday, September 15, 2025
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