A religious Jewish child was kidnapped by police yesterday from the Breslov School in the city of Bais Shemesh.
On Thursday, May 18, 2017 after school dismissal, a police car arrived outside the Breslov school building. In reaction to recent police violence in the neighborhood, part of the state’s campaign of forced draft into the Israeli Defense Force [IDF] , some of the children started yelling at the police officers. The officers approached the boys with great anger, chased after a number of 8-9 year old boys and caught one 9-year-old.
The officer entered the class room without permission and dragged the child out, not allowing him the opportunity to pick up his religious head cover [yarmulke].
Unbelievably, when the boy’s teacher asked the officer why he was arresting him, he responded, "Because he yelled at me."
When others in attendance attempted to prevent this brutal unjust arrest, the officer threatened that they would be arrested as well.
The child was locked in the car. After the officer drove away, when he realized that this act was excessive, he released the child several blocks away, in a state of total shock and terrible trauma.
Religious Jews refuse to comply with the new draft law because of their principled opposition to the state’s existence and to the concept of Jews waging wars against nations. Their communities have become accustomed to clashes with the police over the draft, as well as the arrest and imprisonment of draft-age young men. This arrest of a 9-year-old child, however, is an unprecedented offense.