Israel MK Aryeh Deri visits draft‑dodging yeshiva students in Prison 10

Shas chairman Aryeh Deri and United Torah Judaism chairman Yitzhak Goldknopf visited Prison 10, where roughly ten Haredi yeshiva students are detained for refusing compulsory military service. During the tour Deri met the detainees, distributed copies of holy books bearing a personal dedication, and pledged to provide additional study materials. He said, “From here we cry out: stop treating Torah learners like criminals,” and announced that Shas will work this week to advance a Basic Law: Torah Study to enshrine the supreme value of Torah learning in Israel. Goldknopf echoed the sentiment, stating that the community did not return after two thousand years of exile to be arrested for studying Torah.

The visit sparked sharp criticism from Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who called the MKs “living in a parallel universe” and accused them of being disconnected from the nation’s soldiers and bereaved families. The delegation also met families of detainees and discussed legal strategies with attorneys. The incident highlights the ongoing political clash over the status of full‑time Torah students and Israel’s draft‑evasion policies.