Despite haredi protests, the IDF continues to detain yeshiva students who did not report for enlistment. Yesterday, a yeshiva student was detained at Ben Gurion Airport on his way to the United States, where he planned, he said, "to spend Sukkot with his Rabbi."
Most of the arrests in recent days were among students returning from Uman in Ukraine, where they stayed during Rosh Hashanah. Some were detained immediately on arrival at the airport, and others were detained while on their way home.
Protests in the haredi community are mounting over the fact that dozens of yeshiva students are expected to be held in military prison during Sukkot. Community officials said, "Sukkot is a time of joy - but how can the joy be complete when God-fearing yeshiva students sit in prison for being yeshiva students?"
Lawyers are working to secure their release before the start of the holiday, but so far there has been no progress. The activists said, "There can be no truly complete Sukkot when there are yeshiva students sitting in prison."
Yesterday, UTJ MK Yitzchak Goldknopf wrote to Prime Minister Netanyahu about the issue: "Media reports indicate that the emerging deal includes the unbearable price of releasing 250 terrorists with blood on their hands who are serving their sentences in Israeli prisons for murder, while leaving hundreds of bereaved families and thousands of injured. On this occasion, I would like to remind you of the many Torah students who were also hunted down by law enforcement agencies for the crime of studying Torah, who are also sitting in Israeli prisons during the holidays that are sacred to us. I would like to ask you to act immediately and release them from prison before the holiday is sanctified so that they too, can celebrate the holiday of Sukkot with their families. Mr. Prime Minister, be strong and courageous in the face of the evil elements who are forcing the Jewish state to imprison citizens whose only sin is studying their Torah."