Tens of thousands of Gur Hasidim are holding an extraordinary protest on Wednesday outside Prison 10, after the arrest of a member of the community for draft evasion. In a rare move, the Gerrer Rebbe came in person to join the rally, and a special platform was prepared for him amid heavy crowding and congestion at the site.
Police said Highway 57 eastbound at Beit Lid Junction and the westbound lane near Kfar Yona were closed to traffic because of the protest. Drivers were urged not to come to the area, to use alternative routes and to follow police instructions.
According to the report, the decision to stage the public show of strength was made after the arrest of a Gur Hasid from Ashdod who was detained when he arrived to regularize his military status. By Wednesday morning, after hours of talks with Israel Police and the necessary approvals, the movement’s leadership decided that the Rebbe himself would attend.
Until that point, the original plan had been for only the Rebbe’s sons to represent the leadership. Once the approval came through, the hasidic community responded with a general mobilization, and thousands of older men, yeshiva students and married men were said to be arriving by trains and hundreds of buses from Gur centers across the country to protest what they view as a battle over a core religious issue.
