A yeshiva bochur was arrested on Sunday evening by military police for desertion from the IDF and sentenced to 14 days in a military prison. The incident began when the 21-year-old bochur was stopped by traffic police on Purim for a routine check. His name came up as an army deserter and he was summoned on the spot to an immediate court hearing. When he arrived at the court, the military police were waiting for him and he was immediately sent to a military trial and sentenced. Kikar H’Shabbat reported that the bochur is a “mitchazeik” [someone growing closer to Yiddishkeit] and comes from a family who became frum in recent years. He is a talmid of the Maorot HaTorah Yeshiva in Telzstone, a yeshiva for bochurim from non-yeshivish backgrounds. The Agudas Bnei Hayeshivos hired a lawyer for the bochur and issued a statement saying: “This is a mitzchazeik talmid yeshivah, who moved to a yeshiva framework where he began to learn Torah for most of the day.” Someone involved in the Chareidi recruitment issue told Kikar: “The case of this bochur is the classic case that the Rabbanim spoke about. He is not a standard yeshivah bochur, he is a ‘mitchazeik’ who moved to a yeshiva framework from a family that was growing close to Yiddishket.” “In the coming hours, we will see what happens with the bochur and it will then be decided whether to go out to the streets for stormy protests throughout the country. The Sephardi Chachmei HaTorah and the Roshei Yeshivos of Maorot HaTorah have announced that they intend to wage a battle for the bochur’s full release from military prison so he can swiftly return to the benches of the Beit Midrash.” He continued by saying that “the Sephardi Rabbanim will put all their weight behind this bochur, who was only mitchazeik in recent years and can easily succumb to the IDF’s threats and leave yeshivah for the army.” “The Sephardic Chachmei HaTorah who spoke with Agudas Bnei HaYeshivos emphasized that the main struggle against the recruitment decree is being waged over this case and similar ones. Even those who are not classic talmudei yeshivah must not fall into the framework of the destructive army.” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)