UTJ’s Goldknopf demands Haredi draft dodgers in military prison get special Shabbat meals

United Torah Judaism chairman Yitzhak Goldknopf demands that Haredim arrested for IDF draft evasion be granted special privileges not provided to others held in military prison.

Writing to Defense Minister Israel Katz and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, Goldknopf calls for their “immediate intervention,” insisting that limiting the number of visits permitted to the rabbis of the draft evaders “is a serious violation of their rights.”

He declares that he is shocked that yeshiva students who dodge the draft “are being thrown behind bars as criminals simply because of their devotion to Torah study.”

The Hasidic politician goes on to insist that “in the Jewish state there is no reason” why the prisoners should not be provided with special rations on Shabbat, stating that they should be served fare “that is adapted to their lifestyle and Shabbat tradition.”

“For a Haredi man, this is a serious violation of his well-being and ability to maintain the character of the [Shabbat] day,” he states.

Goldknopf’s letter comes after he and fellow United Torah Judaism MK Meir Porush visited ultra-Orthodox draft dodgers in military prison this morning, claiming, falsely, in two separate statements that the men had been incarcerated for studying Torah.

“Our hearts are broken to see a 19-year-old boy, who completed the Talmud twice and has spent his entire life studying Torah, languishing in prison simply because he wanted to continue studying in the yeshiva. It is difficult to accept this reality, especially under a right-wing government,” said Goldknopf, demanding that “every Torah student” be allowed to continue studying without disruption.

Ultra-Orthodox lawmakers have paid multiple visits to yeshiva students incarcerated for refusing to enlist in the IDF in recent months.