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Five Years of Evasion

Yeshiva Student Gets 40 Days for Draft Evasion

Military court sentences Michael Petrof to 40 days imprisonment after five-year desertion record • Son of Maalot HaTorah head arrested on Highway 6 | Mass Peleg protests expected Thursday (Haredim)

40 Days in Military Prison: Yeshiva Student Receives Harsh Sentence After Five Years as Draft Dodger

A military court delivered an unusually harsh sentence Tuesday, sentencing Michael Petrof, a student at the hardline Maalot HaTorah Yeshiva, to 40 days imprisonment following his arrest on Highway 6. The severity of the punishment stems from the fact that Petrof had been classified as a military deserter for five consecutive years.

Attorney Menachem Shtauber, who represented Petrof throughout the military justice proceedings, confirmed the sentence marks one of the more severe punishments handed down in recent draft evasion cases. The conviction and sentencing follow Petrof's refusal to report to IDF recruitment offices or cease his Torah studies at the yeshiva, despite repeated summons from military authorities.

The case has become a flashpoint in Israel's escalating confrontation over haredi military service. Petrof is the son of Rabbi Yosef Petrof, head of Yeshiva Maalot HaTorah and a prominent leader within the Jerusalem Faction, the hardline ultra-Orthodox movement known for its uncompromising opposition to any form of military conscription for yeshiva students.

Anti-draft protests
Anti-draft protests (Photo: Yonatan Sindel / Flash90)

The Jerusalem Faction's Committee for Saving the Torah World has already begun mobilizing for mass demonstrations scheduled for Thursday, in what is expected to be one of the largest protests since the movement issued dramatic safety warnings following last week's chaotic railway blockade near Ganot Junction.

In a striking development that reveals deep anxiety within the movement's leadership, protest coordinators distributed urgent emergency protocols to demonstrators ahead of Thursday's planned actions. The guidelines include an emphatic disavowal of rail track blockades and a stark warning that stepping onto railway lines constitutes "certain death."

"Anyone Who Thinks They Can Block Trains Should Know This Means Certain Death"

According to leaked audio recordings obtained by Kikar HaShabbat, Jerusalem Faction leaders issued an unequivocal message to protesters: "Anyone who thinks it's possible to block Israel Railways tracks should know this means certain death! Heaven forbid, do not go onto the tracks under any circumstances."

Haredi protesters
Haredi protesters (Photo: Yonatan Sindel / Flash90)

The extraordinary safety protocols represent a dramatic attempt by movement leaders to distance themselves from last week's rail incident, which drew widespread condemnation and raised serious questions about protest tactics. The guidelines reveal the delicate balance Jerusalem Faction leaders must strike between maintaining militant opposition to the draft while avoiding actions that could result in fatalities or catastrophic public relations damage.

The Petrof case arrives amid broader coalition tensions over haredi military service. Just this week, Shas and United Torah Judaism issued an ultimatum to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, threatening to freeze all coalition legislation unless the Knesset advances Basic Law: Torah Study, a constitutional amendment that would enshrine yeshiva students' exemption from military service.

The timing of Petrof's sentencing could not be more politically charged. With the Knesset set to vote Wednesday on the controversial Torah law, and mass protests planned for Thursday, the 40-day prison term has become a rallying cry for hardline elements within the ultra-Orthodox community who view military draft enforcement as an existential threat to the yeshiva world.

Further updates on Thursday's demonstrations and their scope are expected as the Jerusalem Faction finalizes mobilization plans.
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