Protests against military conscription broke out Sunday evening in several locations across Yerushalayim and Beit Shemesh, following a series of recent arrests of chareidi draft evaders and amid mounting concern over the future of the Torah world.

In Yerushalayim, demonstrators gathered along Jaffa Road and Sarei Yisrael Boulevard, while in Beit Shemesh protesters blocked Route 3855, commonly known as the Beit Shemesh bypass road. The demonstrations unfolded as tensions rose over enforcement actions taken against yeshiva students and avreichim in recent days.

At the same time, a military court sentenced yungerman Reb Avraham Ben Dayan to ten days of detention. As reported on Matzav, he was arrested yesterday in the community of Tifrach and brought before the court following his transfer to military custody.

Earlier, a second arrest was reported within a span of less than 24 hours. A yeshiva student was detained in Be’er Yaakov by military authorities on charges of draft evasion and is expected to face legal proceedings, according to a statement from the Committee for the Rescue of the Torah World.

According to the student’s mother, military police detectives entered their home, presented identification, and took her son, Eliyahu Kashi, who until recently had been learning in yeshiva. Dozens of people rushed to the scene and attempted to prevent the arrest, but their efforts were unsuccessful.

The initial arrest that sparked the latest wave of protests occurred last night when Reb Avraham Ben Dayan was detained while in Tifrach. After being stopped by traffic police, he was transferred to the police station in Ofakim and later handed over to the military police.

That arrest led to a protest at the entrance to Ofakim, where dozens of demonstrators converged at the city’s main junction on Route 241 and blocked traffic. Clashes were reported between protesters and police forces at the scene. During the dispersal of the demonstration, police employed crowd-control measures, and three protesters were taken into custody.