Mothers of yeshivah bochurim arrested by military police tearfully spoke about the shocking arrests of their sons and the difficult ruchniyus conditions in prison to Kol Chai radio host Yankele Friedman.
Hadassah is the mother of Ariel Yechezkel, a yeshiva bochur from Ma’ale Adumim who was arrested a week ago. She described the shock of the arrest, recounting how the police arrived at their home at 3 a.m., dressed in civilian clothing.
“We never believed that such a thing could actually happen,” she said. She said they tried for two hours to prevent the arrest, but the police threatened to arrest her as well. “My son went because he was afraid they would take his mother,” she said painfully. She emphasized the humiliation they put her son through: “They didn’t allow him to go to the bathroom or change clothes; they demanded that the bathroom door stay open.”
Hadassah described the ruchniyus challenges in prison: “Ninety-five percent of the prison staff are female soldiers,” she said. “Ariel suffered especially on Shabbos, when the others were all smoking.”
“He almost gave in and enlisted. He told me: ‘Ima, I just want to get out of here.’ But at the end, he signed a refusal, with help from a lawyer.”
She added that she’s hoping that he’ll be released next Wednesday and asked for tefillos.
Anat Bukra, from Be’er Sheva, is the mother of a yeshivah bochur who was also arrested a week ago. She described the arrest. “A week ago, there were knocks on the door at 11:30 p.m.—eight husky men were there and took my son handcuffed by his hands and feet, handcuffed to a police officer, like some Arab terrorist.”
Anat compared the situation to historical persecutions: “I feel that there is currently a terrible decree upon us, as if we are in the times of the Romans who persecuted lomdei Torah.”
She expressed pain at the lack of public interest, though she noted the large atzeres tefillah “Today it’s my son, and tomorrow it’s another child,” she warned
Rina spoke about her relative who was arrested and whom she has already visited in prison several times. “I feel like the issue is already disappearing from the agenda, and that can’t happen,” she stressed.
She emphasized the suffering of families from the periphery (lower-income cities in northern and southern Israel), especially from small Sephardi yeshivas, where there is insufficient support. “There are families from the periphery that aren’t receiving any assistance. They could end up breaking and agreeing to enlist,” she warned.
Radio host Yankele Friedman clarified for families who may face an attempted arrest: “You do not have to open the door if there is no search warrant.”
He painfully concluded, “To think that we are in the State of Israel, the Jewish state, where lomdei Torah are pursued like this—unfathomable.”
One listener mentioned an Ethiopian boy, Yitzchak ben Esther, who has been sitting in prison for two months and has not received any legal assistance.
It should be noted that although there are legal aid organizations that are assisting lomdei Torah who were arrested, their families must contact the organizations to facilitate legal proceedings. Bochurim from families who are not well-connected or are not part of a Chareidi community may not be aware of the available legal assistance.
(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
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