Haredi Draft Evasion Support Program 'Prison 1000' Sees Surge in Participants

A financial aid initiative for Haredi men arrested for refusing IDF conscription, dubbed 'Prison 1000,' has seen a significant increase in registered members. The program provides 1,000 shekels for each day of arrest. Nearly 10,000 yeshiva students and Torah scholars have joined the initiative, established to offer social and financial support to those detained for draft refusal within the Haredi community, according to program organizers.

The program operates on a mutual aid model, granting a 1,000 shekel stipend for every day a member is arrested for refusing to enlist. These funds are intended to cover legal expenses, travel costs, and lost workdays for family members. Funding comes from a nominal fee of up to one shekel per day of arrest and three shekels per month in administrative fees from program members. Organizers emphasize that eligibility for the stipend is strictly limited to "surprise arrests" imposed on Torah scholars, excluding voluntary detentions such as intentionally reporting to recruitment offices or planned border crossings.

The program claims broad rabbinical and public backing, including support from prominent yeshiva leaders such as Rabbi Dov Landau, Rabbi Moshe Hillel Hirsch, and Rabbi Meir Tzvi Bergman, as well as former Sephardic Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef and several Hasidic rebbes.