The Indoctrination of Charedie Children Begins in Earnest

 

I am deeply disturbed by the recent spectacle of thousands of Tinokos shel Beis Rabban—young yeshiva children—being pulled from their sacred learning and paraded outside a prison to protest the detention of a draft dodger. 

According to reports, thousands of young Charedi yeshiva students from the Ateret Shlomo network were brought to protest outside Beit Lid military prison, where draft dodger Ariel Shamai was being held. They wore yellow hats emblazoned with slogans like “Bring him back to yeshiva now,” deliberately echoing the “Bring them home” campaign for hostages held by Hamas

Who authorized this mass bittul Torah? Which gadol took responsibility for closing yeshivos and turning Torah into a political prop?

The symbolism was grotesque. Yellow hats—meant to evoke the suffering of hostages held by Hamas—were handed out to children, as if skipping military service were equivalent to being kidnapped by terrorists. This is not just tone-deaf. It is a perversion of empathy and a mockery of those who are truly suffering.

Who paid for the hats? Who funded the buses? Who orchestrated this campaign of manipulation?

Torah is not a tool for protest. It is a source of light, of truth, of derech eretz. To exploit children, to distort sacred symbols, and to equate civil disobedience with national trauma is a betrayal of everything Torah stands for.

But someone made a decision to shut down Torah learning for thousands of Tinokos shel Beis Rabban to stage a protest that many see as deeply misguided. The question Torah mah tehei aleha isn’t rhetorical—it’s a cry from the soul.

This isn’t just about politics. It’s about the sanctity of Torah, the dignity of protest, and the responsibility of leadership

We are a nation at war. Soldiers are dying. Families are grieving. And instead of unity, we are witnessing a campaign of division dressed in the garb of righteousness.

This is not kavod haTorah. It is chilul haTorah.