From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, April 22, 2025
Organization guides Haredi Israelis abroad on steps to ensure they are not drafted
Sam Sokol is the Times of Israel's political correspondent. 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"
An ultra-Orthodox organization connected to some of the community’s top rabbinic leaders issues an appeal to Haredi Jews with Israeli citizenship living abroad to take steps to ensure they are not drafted to the IDF when they come to Israel to study in yeshivas.
In an English-language message, the Vaad HaYeshivot (Yeshiva Committee) warns that yeshiva students no longer enjoy a legal exemption from conscription. In order to make sure that they avoid any military entanglements, the committee advises students to approach their local Israeli consulate to change their status to “children of emigrants.”
Under such a status, they are allowed to study for up to four years in a yeshiva in Israel while retaining an exemption from mandatory service.
A recent Times of Israel investigation found that the committee, which until last year enjoyed millions of shekels in annual government funding, has been actively advising Israeli yeshiva students to ignore enlistment orders.
גזירת הגיוס – מערכה חוצת גבולות; ועד הישיבות מפרסם בחו"ל הנחיות חשובות לתקופה זו לתלמידים בני מהגרים המבקשים ללמוד בישיבות בארה"ק pic.twitter.com/rTRpGkAqag
— משה ויסברג (@moshe_nayes) April 22, 2025
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