The wedding of Ariel Shamai, a talmid of Yeshivas Ateres Shlomo whose arrest made him one of the most widely recognized figures in the public struggle surrounding the draft issue in the Torah world, will be held tonight.

The chasunah is scheduled to take place at the Armonot Chen Hall in Bnei Brak, drawing leading rabbanim, roshei yeshiva, public figures, and large numbers of bnei Torah who are expected to participate in the celebration.

Ariel rose to national attention after he was arrested for failing to report to the draft office, an event that ignited intense reaction within the chareidi street. His detention quickly became a flashpoint in the broader debate over the status of yeshiva students and military service.

The arrest triggered a series of unprecedented protests, culminating in the historic “Million Man Atzeres,” a massive gathering of tefillah at the entrance to Yerushalayim. Hundreds of thousands of bnei Torah from across communities and backgrounds attended at the direction of leading gedolei Yisroel.

Rav Shalom Ber Sorotzkin, who was en route to the United States at the time of Shamai’s arrest, returned to Eretz Yisroel and spearheaded a protest movement of a scale not previously seen.

Shortly thereafter, Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch arrived at the gates of Military Prison 10, where he delivered a shiur klali marking the beginning of the winter zeman to thousands of talmidim of Yeshivas Ateres Shlomo.

The following day, the yeshiva arranged for a helicopter to circle above the military prison, carrying protest banners and broadcasting messages over powerful loudspeakers. Days later, a special tefillah gathering was held at the prison gates, attended by 5,000 young children from the Talmudei Torah affiliated with the yeshiva.

In a dramatic turn of events, Shamai was unexpectedly released during the levayah of the mother of Rav Sorotzkin. Within hours, the leadership of Ateres Shlomo organized a large-scale reception in his honor. Shamai was carried on a horse and carriage through the celebration and received a gift from leading gedolei Yisroel in recognition of what supporters described as his steadfastness.

Now, as he builds his new bayis ne’eman b’Yisroel, the wedding is expected to serve not only as a personal simchah, but as a symbolic moment for many within the yeshiva world.

{Matzav.com}{