Degel HaTorah leader backs car protest as ultra-Orthodox turnout widens

Organizers of a major protest said Rabbi Moshe Hillel Hirsch, the leading figure of Degel HaTorah and a senior Torah authority, has warmly blessed those taking part and prayed that they will help elevate the honor of Torah with abundant divine assistance. His backing comes after Agudat Yisrael, the Jerusalem Faction and the Edah HaChareidis had already formally announced support for the demonstration.

The organizers said the endorsement is expected to bring unprecedented participation from thousands more Lithuanian Haredi car owners, who are set to join the protest today. They warned the expanded turnout will cause major traffic disruptions on central roads across the country.

In prominent Haredi communities such as Rekhasim and Telz Stone, residents have already organized to leave together in large convoys, joining their Hasidic counterparts in what the organizers described as a powerful show of force.

Gur Hasidim are also preparing to join. The Gur Rebbe, who traveled to Medical Center in Tel Aviv for continued treatment for his eyes, instructed his driver, Rabbi Avraham Typenbrun, to take part in the car protest with his vehicle. In the Slonim Hasidic court, where a wedding is scheduled, leaders nevertheless called on followers to participate as well.