Rights10/12/2026

Education Ministry to Examine Students’ Participation in Protest Near Military Prison

Hundreds of students from Breslov Hasidic educational institutions were brought in an organized manner to Military Prison No. 10 at Beit Lid for a protest against the detention of ultra-Orthodox draft evaders. The Education Ministry said that using students in political protests as part of educational activities is prohibited and instructed the ultra-Orthodox district to take stringent measures.

Key facts

•Location of the protest: Military Prison No. 10, Beit Lid
•Participants: hundreds of students from Breslov educational institutions
•After returning from holiday trips, 64 ultra-Orthodox men were arrested
•The examination is being conducted by the Education Ministry’s ultra-Orthodox district
•No particular sanctions or statutory provision were specified

What Happened

The students arrived by bus from Safed, Jerusalem, Beit Shemesh, Beitar Illit, Modi'in Illit and Tel Aviv. Seating areas, refreshments and drinks were prepared for them near the prison; the participants recited prayers and listened to religious sermons. The director of Breslov educational institutions, Rabbi Yoel Fuchs, read out the names of the imprisoned draft evaders, and the children responded with words of support.

The Reason for the Protest

The event was organized following the detention of ultra-Orthodox draft evaders, particularly Breslov Hasidim who flew to Uman to visit the grave of Rabbi Nachman. According to a document submitted to the High Court of Justice by Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, 64 ultra-Orthodox men were arrested at Ben Gurion Airport after returning from holiday trips. Several dozen more people were arrested on their way to Uman at the airport and at land border crossings and were transferred to a military prison.

Education Ministry’s Response

The ministry said that using students to participate in political demonstrations as part of school activities is unacceptable and prohibited. The ultra-Orthodox district was instructed to act “with the utmost severity,” and the circumstances are being examined by supervisory officials. If it is found that the ministry’s guidelines were violated, the matter will be reviewed in accordance with procedures; the source does not specify any particular sanctions.

Conscription Background

The protest took place against the backdrop of increased enforcement of mandatory military service and the personnel shortage in the IDF. The outgoing head of the Manpower Directorate, Brigadier General Shay Tayeb, said that after the outbreak of the war on October 7, 2023, operational needs rose sharply and that the military still lacks thousands of soldiers. The source does not cite a judicial ruling regarding the children’s participation in this event, nor does it specify the particular statutory provision on which the ministry relied.

What this means for you

For parents and schools, the ministry’s position means that organized student participation in a political demonstration as part of school activities may lead to a ministry examination. The consequences will depend on whether supervisory officials determine that the rules were violated; the publication did not specify predetermined measures. The right of private individuals to participate in protests was not discussed separately in the article.

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