Illustration: IDF draft office.

Lubavitcher Chosson Arrested After Enlisting in IDF

A young Lubavitcher, who had just recently celebrated his engagement, showed up at the IDF offices in Israel expecting to submit himself to the army draft. Instead of being signed up, he was arrested for being AWOL.

The fellow had received a deferment from army service for learning in yeshiva. Eventually he finished his learning and traveled abroad in the capacity of being a Chabad shliach. But as soon as he stepped out of the country, unbeknownst to him, he was registered as being officially AWOL.

He returned to Israel in October and appeared at some point before the army draft board to be enlisted. He was immediately arrested for being AWOL. His excuse that he did not know he was AWOL fell on deaf ears, and he was served with an indictment.

Due to the involvement of the IDF Defense Attorney, he was moved to an “open arrest,” which allowed him to begin his actual service and training. His commanders have reported that he is serving well, with high motivation.

Despite officially being under arrest, he was able to get married and he has even been allowed out to go home for short periods of time.

His trial is coming up this week, and the prosecutor wants him in jail.

The defense says that doing so would harm the army’s ability to attract other Haredim to the service, and they shouldn’t go hard on someone whose community they are trying to attract.

9 Comments

  • רשעים רשעים רשעים

    רשעים רשעים רשעים רשעים רשעים רשעים רשעים רשעים רשעים

  • DaasTorah

    The defense attorney is correct- if you throw him in jail it will only motivate other chareidim to avoid the IDF through extreme measures.

  • YMSP

    The anti-frum sentiment in the IDF, egged on and made many times worse by people like Bennett, the “modern-orthodox” (i.e. anti-frum), is what led to this kind of travesty. It’s time to stand up and do something about it.

    The frum parties see the seriousness of this and at one point suggested a boycott of settler products. This may be needed to stop travesties and will prevent them from endangering themselves.

    Non-Jews recognize that the Torah helped save the land miraculously, numerous times. Endangering Toras Eretz Yisroel is like throwing out the best and most reliable weapon we have (and it should be noted that it’s a defensive weapon – that brings safety me’ikara). Something needs to be done.

    • I respectfully disagree

      What you call Anti Frum settles, have daily Mesiras Nefesh for Shleimus Ha’aretz. Yes we might have a different way of doing things than them, but when we scream Shleimos Ha’aretz, they are actually doing it with bullets to their heads, and the heads of their precious kids.

      In my humble opinion they are a very holy community whom we should be proud of.

      To side with ideas of boycotting settler products sounds more like Arafat Ym”S and Neturei Karta.

      P.S. If you knew some of them on a personal level you would see that they are very sincere people who learn and live Torah on a daily bases (I have family who are part of this group).

  • one rule for everyone

    I have a family member who arrested in Israel for the same reason. This has morning to do with religious ournot. This is a, law on the books and why the government never gives visas out to travel out if the country before any service.

  • TO NUMBER 6

    Number 6, I wonder, are these the same soldiers who went with mesiras nefesh to evict the innocent people from gush katif????? they should really be commended for acting like nazis. It had to take A LOT of mesiras nefesh to throw out whole families from their hard earned homes and shuls etc. without batting an eyelash!