Newlywed yeshiva student jailed for 20 days after arrest at wedding feast

A military court sentenced a newlywed ultra-Orthodox student to 20 days in prison on Sunday.

IDF Military Police arrested Yaari Lieberman in front of his wife while the couple traveled to a family celebration. The incident occurred days after the two married. Lieberman is a student at a yeshiva, a religious school. He was taken to a military prison and later judged guilty of evading the draft.

The arrest followed a specific pattern of enforcement. Officers arrived at the scene in civilian clothes. They did not wear identification badges. Reports indicate the officers tracked Lieberman using his cellphone location. They did not tell his wife that they were Military Police. His wife feared he had been kidnapped. The couple had just stepped off a bus. They were heading to a Sheva Brachot meal. This is a traditional festive dinner held during the week after a Jewish wedding.

Senior political figures from the haredi community reacted with anger. MK Yitzhak Goldknopf, chairman of Agudat Yisrael, blamed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the situation. Goldknopf called the arrest a new low in the hunt against Torah scholars. He said the pursuit of students who study Torah has crossed every line of humanity. He demanded the groom's immediate release. Goldknopf accused Netanyahu of failing to pass a law that would regulate the status of yeshiva students. He stated that the responsibility for these disgraceful arrests lies with the prime minister.

MK Yaakov Asher, chairman of United Torah Judaism, appealed to the defense minister on Sunday. Asher asked for intervention to secure Lieberman's immediate release. He described the arrest as an opaqueness that knows no bounds. He said this is not a totalitarian state or a police state. MK Yinon Azoulay, chairman of Shas, also acted quickly. He moved to sign an urgent petition. The petition calls on the defense minister to release the newlywed student.

This was not the first time Military Police tried to detain Lieberman. On October 6, officers went to his parents' home in Modi'in. They attempted to arrest him then. Protesters gathered outside the residence. They demonstrated against the attempt. After about two hours, the crowd prevented the officers from taking Lieberman into custody.

The community expects violent demonstrations in the coming days. Opposition is growing within the haredi sector regarding the enforcement of the mandatory IDF draft. The defense establishment continues to enforce conscription requirements. Haredi party representatives want a specific law. They believe legislation will define the military service status of yeshiva students and stop future arrests.