From Haredi draft dodger arrested at airport while trying to leave for Uman — reports
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleSam Sokol is a former political correspondent at The Times of Israel. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
A 23-year old draft dodger was arrested at Ben Gurion International Airport this morning after attempting to fly abroad to attend the annual Rosh Hashanah pilgrimage to the Ukrainian city of Uman, Hebrew media outlets report.
According to the Kan public broadcaster, the man, a student at the Chut Shel Hesed yeshiva, attempted to leave the country on an American passport before being detained. He has been sent to a military prison, the report says.
The arrest seems to be the first case of a draft evader from the Haredi community being held while trying to leave the country for a religious pilgrimage.
Haredi political leaders have been lobbying for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and military officials to allow draft-dodging yeshiva students to join the annual pilgrimage to Uman, which hosts tens of thousands of Hasidic Jews who visit the tomb of Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav over Rosh Hashanah.
The Attorney General’s Office recently informed the government that it has no right to create a mechanism to let ultra-Orthodox draft dodgers leave Israel.
The Times of Israel Community.