Thousands of Gur Hasidim to Rally Outside Military Prison Over Draft Arrest

Thousands of Gur Hasidim are expected to hold a major protest on Wednesday afternoon outside Military Prison 10, in what the article calls an unprecedented move for the Hasidic world. The demonstration is being organized after the arrest of a Gur yeshiva student from Ashdod, who is considered a draft evader because he did not report or regularize his military status.

According to sources in the Hasidic community, the student was unexpectedly arrested on Tuesday while he was already in the process of trying to regularize his status with the army, including efforts to obtain a medical or other exemption. He was transferred to Military Prison 10, where he remains detained pending further handling of his case. The protest will be led by the sons of the Gur Rebbe.

Community organizers say they are in the final stage of preparations and are coordinating closely with police and the Israel Defense Forces to keep the rally orderly and safe. Officials from the movement are meeting with local commanders to finalize logistics. The article notes that this is not the first such protest at the prison, and that a similar demonstration took place less than a year ago, when Rabbi Nechemia Alter, the Rebbe’s son, also delivered remarks there.

The timing of the rally comes after a planned convoy protest by Lithuanian Haredim was postponed at the last minute due to pressure from leading Lithuanian rabbis. Because Gur is the largest Hasidic group in Israel, organizers estimate at least 10,000 participants will arrive from across the country in organized buses, raising expectations of heavy traffic on roads leading to and around the prison during the afternoon.