Million-Man March in the Works as IDF Holds Talks With Charedi Leaders

In a bid to defuse tensions, senior IDF officials recently met with HaRav Chaim Aharon Kaufman, head of the Va’ad Hayeshivos, Makor Rishon reported Wednesday. According to sources familiar with the meeting, both the army and Charedi leadership recognized the danger of pushing the situation to a breaking point and expressed a mutual interest in avoiding open conflict.

Meanwhile, behind the scenes, preparations are quietly underway for what could become a historic “million-man march” to the homes of Gedolei Yisrael in response to the recent wave of arrests targeting bnei yeshiva. No date has yet been set; the Rabbanim are watching closely to see whether the army will continue its arrest operations before giving the final green light.

One source close to a leading Rav explained:

“Right now, there’s an attempt to reach an understanding with the army. That’s why the march hasn’t been formally announced. But if the arrests continue without dialogue, the most likely date would be next Thursday, Erev Rosh Chodesh Elul.”

Organizing a demonstration of that scale requires enormous logistics, and preparations are already in motion—awaiting only the approval of the Gedolei Yisrael.

This would not be the first time such a massive gathering shook the streets of Yerushalayim. In March 2014, over half a million people—Gedolei Yisrael, rabbanim, yeshiva bochurim, avreichim, and families—filled the streets from the entrance of the city to the heart of Geulah for an Atzeres Tefillah against government plans to criminalize draft resistance. That event, remembered as one of the largest gatherings in modern Israeli history, brought the entire capital to a standstill as the nation’s Torah leadership led heartfelt prayers and public calls to defend the sanctity of limud Torah.

In a potential sign of de-escalation, a senior Degel HaTorah official told Walla that the IDF is considering releasing all bnei yeshiva currently held in military prison within the coming week. While no official statement has been issued, internal briefings indicate such a move may be imminent.

“The Rabbanim’s goal is simple: that bnei yeshiva can return to their learning without living under the shadow of arrest,” the official said. “We are not looking for conflict for its own sake. If the government makes it clear that it will not carry out proactive arrests of Charedi ‘deserters,’ there will be no need to escalate.”

Still, arrests have not entirely stopped. Overnight Tuesday, another yeshiva bochur was taken into custody in Bat Yam. The IDF insists his detention was part of a routine enforcement action unrelated to Charedi draft cases, and claims there is no plan to launch the large-scale arrest operation previously scheduled for the start of Bein Hazemanim.

Notably, all recent arrests of yeshiva students have taken place in mixed cities, with none carried out in Charedi population centers.

In a separate incident, a young avreich from Ashkelon was detained at Ben Gurion Airport on Tuesday while en route to a vacation abroad. He was later released home after a disciplinary hearing.

For now, the fate of the million-man march—and the direction of this crisis—hangs on whether the IDF will follow through with mass arrests or choose to step back.