Missing Israeli Teen Moishy Kleinerman Sought by Military Police as Draft Evader

In an incident that has sparked outrage, Israeli military police recently arrived at the home of the family of missing teenager Moishy Kleinerman in Modi'in Illit, seeking to locate him as a suspected draft evader—four and a half years after his disappearance. “We're looking for him too,” the family reportedly told the officers.

The incident was reported by Shlomi Zionce, an American Hasidic journalist who has been covering Kleinerman's disappearance for the American Haredi publication Ami Magazine. According to the report, military police representatives visited the family's home after Kleinerman was classified in IDF records as a draft evader for failing to report for military service, despite having been missing since March 2022.

IDF Responds to Military Police Visit

In response to the report, the IDF explained that draft notices are routinely issued to individuals who reach the appropriate age and that authorities investigate when recipients fail to report for service.

“Draft notices are sent to all eligible candidates of the appropriate age. If someone fails to appear, authorities investigate their whereabouts and visit their home,” the IDF said. “When IDF representatives arrived at the residence and understood the circumstances, they left. The IDF hopes and wishes that the family will find him soon.”

The report also indicated that the family has faced payment demands and fines from Israel's National Insurance Institute after Kleinerman reached the age at which National Insurance contributions became mandatory and no payments were made. The National Insurance Institute has not yet responded to the report.

Missing Since March 2022

Moishy Kleinerman, born in October 2005, has been missing since March 25, 2022. He traveled to Meron with friends for Shabbat without a mobile phone, promising his family that he would contact them through a friend. However, he never made contact, and his whereabouts have remained unknown ever since. After three days without hearing from him, his parents contacted the police, although search operations reportedly did not begin until ten days after his disappearance.

More than four years later, Kleinerman's family continues to live with the uncertainty surrounding his fate. The reported military police visit and National Insurance payment demands have raised questions about coordination between government agencies and whether official records adequately reflect his status as a missing person.

While his family continues searching for answers, government systems reportedly still treat Kleinerman as someone obligated to fulfill his military and civilian responsibilities, highlighting an apparent failure to cross-reference information about his disappearance.