Following the Israeli security establishment's decision to issue thousands of draft orders to haredi citizens in July, there is growing concern among haredi communities abroad.
Haredi leaders are warning: "Do not rush to grant citizenship to your children."
On Monday morning, the haredi Hamevaser newspaper issued an unprecedented public warning, sparking widespread reactions in Jewish communities abroad. In its warning, haredi activists advise parents of yeshiva students from abroad who come to study in Israel to carefully consider every step regarding citizenship to avoid draft obligations.
The message read: "Activists involved in this issue would like to clarify that due to the Attorney General's decrees, the critical age is no longer 26, but 28. Anyone who did not turn 26 by the end of June 2023 is considered legally liable for conscription until the age of 28."
It was also noted that "the determining factor in the matter is not the moment of citizenship but the arrival in the country. That is, even those who arrived in Israel after the age of 18 and did not complete the immigration process, but remained in Israel, may be considered eligible for enlistment if they meet the criteria."
As a result, new practical guidelines are being published for students from abroad - mainly for yeshivas that accept students from the Diaspora - to ensure each student receives personalized guidance before beginning the immigration process or applying for Israeli citizenship.
"This is not a call to avoid aliyah (immigration to Israel)," these sources insisted, "but a call for responsibility. The Land of Israel is sacred, and we all aspire to live and settle there, but not at the cost of handing our children over to a government that threatens to arrest them for studying Torah."