Following the arrest of a yeshiva student at Ben-Gurion Airport last week, the Council of Yeshivas today issued new and stringent guidelines regarding the travel of yeshiva students abroad.
In a letter sent to the heads of yeshivot, the council emphasizes that a check with the Ministry of the Interior is not sufficient and that the students must verify with the security authorities that no arrest warrant has been issued against them.
"In light of the approaching Pesach holiday, any student planning to leave the country should contact our office for detailed instructions", the letter read.
The new directives come in the wake of the arrest of a student of the Yeshivat Tiferet Zvi in Jerusalem, who was arrested at Ben-Gurion Airport on charges of draft dodging. He was incarcerated in the Neve Tzedek facility, despite having received prior permission to leave the country, but released the next day.
The council seeks to prevent similar incidents in the future, especially in the period before Pesach, when many yeshiva students are likely to travel abroad.