IDF Arrests Dozens of Chabad Bochurim at the Airport

Dozens of Chabad bochurim returning to Eretz Yisroel after spending their year of kevutza by the Rebbe were arrested by military police at Ben Gurion Airport on Tuesday morning. The bochurim were handcuffed and taken into military custody, with some already sent to military prison and others facing the threat of imprisonment.

The bochurim, mostly around 19 and 20 years old, had just arrived after a long flight from New York. Their parents, many of whom had not seen their sons for 14 months, were waiting to welcome them home. Instead, military police were waiting at passport control, where the bochurim were arrested before they could reunite with their families.

Parents complained that they were not even allowed to greet their sons as the bochurim were led away. Their passports were confiscated, and they were taken onto buses under military guard.

The arrests were part of an operation planned in advance by the IDF specifically for the returning flight. Of the 80 bochurim aboard, more than 40 were arrested and taken to the Tel Hashomer military base. Several have since been transferred to military prison, while others face imprisonment as the army seeks to enlist them immediately.

The bochurim had traveled to New York with permission for their regular year of kevutza and returned intending to report to the military authorities. Instead, they were arrested upon arrival and taken into custody before reaching their homes.

R’ Shimi Segal, spokesman for Chabad in Eretz Yisroel, issued a statement on behalf of the Beis Din Rabbonei Chabad, which had been working with the authorities even before the flight arrived.

“The members of the Beis Din are in direct contact with the various authorities through a special representative appointed for this purpose,” the statement said, adding that preparations had been made ahead of the flight in coordination with the families and relevant officials.

“The members of the Beis Din have been working in recent days, and continue working at this very hour, to ensure that the students receive humane treatment and, following the resolution of their status with the military authorities, are released as quickly as possible to their homes and families.”

The arrests follow the cancellation of Chabad’s longstanding arrangement with the IDF, which for years allowed bochurim to complete their yeshiva studies, including their regular year of kevutza by the Rebbe, before entering military service at a later age.

The arrangement allowed Chabad bochurim to defer enlistment until their mid-20s, with more than a thousand Chabad chassidim subsequently serving in the military. Following its cancellation, four alternative proposals submitted by the Beis Din Rabbonei Chabad were rejected by the military.

In June, Defense Minister Yisrael Katz instructed the IDF to formulate a replacement arrangement after military officials recognized that cancelling the previous framework had cost the army hundreds of potential Chabad recruits. Nearly four months later, no replacement has been established, leaving bochurim returning from their regular year of learning facing arrest and military imprisonment.

The arrests have drawn particular criticism given Chabad’s longstanding involvement in assisting Israeli soldiers and civilians. Chabad chassidim regularly visit soldiers on military bases and at the front lines, while shluchim throughout the world assist Israelis wherever they find themselves. Many Chabad chassidim also serve in the military after completing their years in yeshiva.

The arrests, carried out exactly one week before Israel’s national elections on October 27, have drawn sharp condemnation from senior government officials.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, speaking on Kol Barama radio Tuesday morning, called the arrests “unacceptable,” criticizing them as undermining efforts to resolve the charedi draft issue without coercion.

“We must preserve the world of Torah, because it is what preserved us,” Netanyahu said.

Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu of Otzma Yehudit said:

“The arrest of Chabad chassidim returning from a period of study in the United States was not intended to increase recruitment rates, but precisely the opposite.”

“Most Chabad chassidim enlist and share the burden. For years, they had a special enlistment track, until the judicial system cancelled it. Today’s arrests only harm recruitment and harm the charedim who do enlist.”

Eliyahu also accused senior legal authorities of pressuring the military to carry out arrests in the week preceding the elections, alleging political interference in their timing.

MK Meir Porush said:

“I have worked in the past, and throughout the past year as well, to regulate the status of Chabad yeshiva bochurim. I am now in contact with officials in the IDF and Defense Ministry in an effort to assist the temimim who were arrested this morning at Ben Gurion Airport.”

With more bochurim still overseas preparing to return, the politicians condemning the arrests now face the test of securing the bochurim’s speedy release and finally reaching an arrangement that prevents further arrests and imprisonment.