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A deeply distressing scene unfolded at Ben Gurion Airport on Tuesday morning, when 42 Chabad Bochurim returning from their year of Kvutza in 770 were arrested by military police immediately upon their arrival in Eretz Yisroel.

Approximately 80 Bochurim were aboard the flight. They had spent the past year learning in 770 as part of the Kvutza program, immersing themselves in Torah and Chassidus, before returning home to continue their studies and prepare for Shlichus in Yeshivos Tomchei Temimim and Chabad Houses throughout Eretz Yisroel.

For many of their parents, the landing was supposed to mark the long-awaited end of 14 months apart from their sons. Instead, families waiting in the arrivals hall were confronted with the painful possibility that their sons would be taken away in handcuffs rather than welcomed home.

According to reports, military police confiscated the passports of the Bochurim who were detained and held them pending transfer to the military induction center. The operation had reportedly been prepared in advance, with additional military police present to apprehend the returning Bochurim.

The arrests were carried out under the Defense Service Law, following the cancellation of the longstanding arrangement between Chabad Yeshivos and the IDF that had enabled Bochurim to complete their year of learning by the Rebbe before entering military service at a later age.

The arrangement had provided a framework for Chabad Bochurim to continue their Torah studies, with the understanding that they would address their military status at a later stage. Its cancellation, without a mutually agreed replacement arrangement in place, has left returning Bochurim facing arrest and imprisonment.

As the day progressed, the IDF announced that all 42 detainees had been processed. According to the military, 27 of the Bochurim expressed willingness to enlist and were found fit for military service. They received suspended sentences and were released, with enlistment procedures expected to begin in the coming weeks.

The remaining 15 were sent to military prison. The IDF said that 13 had declined to cooperate with the enlistment process and were consequently sentenced to imprisonment. Two others, whom the military classified as having evaded service for more than 540 days, were sent directly to military incarceration.

The arrests prompted sharp criticism from within the Chabad community and beyond.

Journalist Aryeh Ehrlich, whose younger brother was among the Bochurim returning from Kvutza, expressed outrage over the treatment of the students.

“Like the worst of criminals: around 50 outstanding yeshivah students from the Chabad Chassidus community, who spent the past year at the Rebbe of Lubavitch’s court, are now being detained after landing at Ben Gurion Airport to return home, and are on their way to military prison for the ‘crime’ of learning Torah,” he wrote.

Ehrlich said he intended to lead the public campaign throughout the day until justice was achieved for the Bochurim.

The arrests also raised renewed questions about the absence of a workable arrangement for Chabad Bochurim who spend a year learning by the Rebbe. Despite efforts to establish an alternative framework, the Bochurim arrived home to a situation in which their status had not been resolved.

The timing added to the concern, with national elections approaching and no political party having yet presented a practical, effective solution that would protect the Bochurim’s ability to continue their Torah studies while addressing the issue of military service.

The IDF’s Response

In response to an inquiry from ChabadInfo, the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said that Military Police routinely enforce the Defense Service Law, including at border crossings, in coordination with the relevant authorities, among them the Population and Immigration Authority.

“The individuals in question, who passed through the Ben Gurion Airport border crossing, are obligated to enlist and will be tried in accordance with the law,” the statement said. “The IDF will continue to enforce the Defense Service Law equally and to uphold the obligation to serve.”

A senior military official also told ChabadInfo that dozens of individuals obligated to enlist had been arrested at the airport.

According to the official, those who were not classified as long-term legal draft evaders would face a significant legal process. If they expressed genuine willingness to enlist, they could receive a suspended sentence and be inducted into the IDF, in line with the military’s policy toward the wider population.

The military’s position was therefore clear: the Bochurim were considered obligated to enlist, and their release depended on their response to the enlistment process.

ChabadInfo will continue following the efforts of Chabad Rabbonim and community representatives to secure the release of the Bochurim in custody and establish a practical arrangement that respects the Bochurim’s commitment to Torah study and the unique path of Chabad education. Updates to Follow.

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