Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Ariel Shamai Freed Five Days Early From Military Prison After IDF Draft Refusal

Appeals by an attorney alongside a draft activist secured the move, reinforcing his role as a symbol of ultra-Orthodox resistance to conscription.

Overview

  • The Ateres Shlomo student left Military Prison 10 in Beit Lid on Wednesday, five days before his scheduled release, during the levayah of Rebbetzin Leah Feiga Sorotzkin.
  • He had served a 15-day term for failing to enroll in the IDF, a case that drew protests outside the prison and energized a mass rally in Jerusalem.
  • The prison commander approved the early release following efforts by attorney Menachem Stober and draft activist R' Shimon Shisha, described by supporters as an unusual procedure.
  • Hundreds welcomed him back at the yeshiva in Rishon Lezion with singing, a horse-drawn carriage, and blessings from senior rabbinic leaders.
  • Shortly after leaving custody, he visited Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch in Bnei Brak to offer thanks for support, with the rosh yeshiva saying he looked “a hundred percent.”