Loyalists of a hardline ultra-Orthodox faction were demonstrating across the country on Wednesday evening against the arrest of a yeshiva student associated with the group for failing to present himself at an IDF enlistment office for preliminary conscription processing.
The Jerusalem Faction led by Rabbi Shmuel Auerbah opposes any cooperation with the state regarding the enlistment of haredi yeshiva students and instructs yeshiva students associated with the group not to report to the IDF even for the beginning of the bureaucratic process, as do the majority of haredi youth.
A yeshiva student, Yaakov Yisrael Paz, from Ashdod associated with the Jerusalem Faction was arrested on Sunday by military police for failing to report when called.
Faction supporters, who account for as much as 15 percent of the haredi community, announced they would protest the student’s arrest in numerous locations around the country, including Jerusalem, Bnei Brak, Beit Shemesh, Modiin Ilit, Elad, Ashdod and Petah Tikva as well as at IDF Prison 6 close to Haifa where the student is being held.
“In accordance with the instructions of Rabbi Shmuel Auerbach, demonstrations will be held on Wednesday night because of the imprisonment of the prisoner from the Torah world Ya'akov Yisrael, and because of the legislation of the awful decree of conscription,” the Jerusalem Faction said in a statement to the press.
The protests are being held at major traffic junctions.
Previous protests by the faction have been violent although Wednesdays demonstrations were expected to be less confrontational.

By JEREMY SHARON