Thousands Protest Military Imprisonment of Sanz Hasidim for Torah Study

Nearly 5,000 members of the Sanz Hasidic community gathered on Thursday evening outside Military Prison 10 in Kfar Yona to protest the continued detention of two of their own, a kollel scholar and a yeshiva student, imprisoned for studying Torah instead of serving in the military. The protest was called by the Sanz Rebbe, who interrupted his stay in Caesarea to lead the demonstration and express solidarity with the imprisoned men.

Speaking from a stage set up in front of the prison walls, the Rebbe emotionally declared, "Blessed are you who are caught for the words of Torah. One thing can be said: the Torah will not go bankrupt." He urged the crowd to maintain spiritual dedication even in times of persecution, emphasizing the need for self-sacrifice according to Jewish law and warning against following mistaken paths.

The incident began days earlier when the two men, including the grandson of the late Rabbi Eliyahu Shmuel Shmerler, former head of the Sanz yeshiva, went to the military recruitment office to legally arrange their exemption from service. Instead, they were unexpectedly classified as "deserters" due to recent changes in conscription laws and immediately arrested by military police. They were taken without farewells to their families and placed in solitary confinement at Prison 10.

The news shocked the Sanz community in Netanya and the broader Torah world. A call was issued for kollel members, yeshiva students, and educators to increase Torah study and prayers for the swift release of Avraham Tzvi ben Reizel and Shmuel Shmuelka ben Esther. The community continues to pray for their transition from darkness to light and from captivity to redemption.