An ultra-Orthodox Israeli man who served three months in military detention for evading compulsory service was released this week and welcomed home with a public celebration in northern Israel, drawing renewed attention to tensions over army enlistment in the Haredi community.
Yonatan Cohen, 25, from Kiryat Ata, was released Thursday from Military Prison No. 10 after being jailed for desertion. Upon his return, he was greeted in the ultra-Orthodox town of Rechasim with a festive procession organized in his honor, described by participants as a welcome for an “imprisoned Torah scholar.”
With limousine and dancing: Haredi draft dodger gets hero’s welcome after release from prison
(Photo: Shmuel Shenkar)
Cohen and his family arrived in a limousine donated by supporters, as hundreds of residents gathered near a local yeshiva, singing and dancing. The procession continued as an escort accompanied him back to his home in Kiryat Ata.
Organizers said the event was supported by groups that assist ultra-Orthodox men seeking to avoid military service, including organizations that help pursue exemptions on medical, psychological or other grounds. They also said a private attorney was hired to represent Cohen during his legal proceedings.
Cohen was arrested overnight during a broader enforcement operation carried out by Israeli police in several cities. The operation was part of a stepped-up effort to enforce military draft orders, launched in May under instructions from IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir.