Did doctor help haredim dodge draft?
Police arrest Jerusalem psychiatrist for allegedly providing numerous medical opinions helping yeshiva boys evade military service
A Jerusalem psychiatrist, 60, is suspected of providing young ultra-Orthodox men with medical opinions that helped them avoid their military service. She was arrested on Thursday, and released under strict limitations.
The woman allegedly provided almost 30 medical opinions that assisted the men present themselves as "incapable" of serving in the IDF. She received NIS 500 (roughly $120) for each one.
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Jerusalem Police officials said that the psychiatrist, whose identity is still under a gag order, claimed that while her medical opinions were aimed to help release the young men of their military service, they were still accurate and based on her professional experience.
The police had not yet approached the Health Ministry about the case, said an official, being that the investigation is ongoing; an appeal to the ministry will be made if needed, he added.
Attorney Roey Politi, representing the doctor, said his client was "an expert in her field, whose diagnoses are being examined by the IDF prior to recruiting young men to the army.
"The diagnoses were written at the request of her patients, without her knowing the purpose for which they will be used… a privet psychiatrist cannot decree an IDF dismissal, the same way he or she cannot decide on social security mental disability benefits. I'm certain these will turn out to be false accusations."
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