Gur Hasidim Prepare Prayer Rally Near Military Prison Over Yeshiva Student's Arrest

The Gur Hasidic community is organizing a central prayer rally tomorrow evening, led by the Gur Rebbe, outside Military Prison 10 in protest of the arrest of a yeshiva student from their sect. The student was sentenced to 20 days in prison after failing to comply with military draft orders. The rally will begin at 9:30 p.m. and will include evening prayers, recitation of Psalms, and inspirational speeches as part of the protest.

The arrested student, from the Shafat Emet yeshiva, was detained after multiple attempts to regularize his draft status. Initially, he mistakenly appeared at the Jerusalem draft office instead of Haifa, where his draft was scheduled. After being redirected and returning to Haifa twice, military officials declared him a draft dodger since two days had passed since his official draft date. Gur leaders claim the arrest resulted from bureaucratic delays despite the student's efforts to comply.

Senior Gur officials have completed coordination with Israeli police, who will secure the event. Preparations were observed near the prison today. The Gur Rebbe recently met with Rabbi Shimon Shisha, an activist supporting yeshiva students on draft issues, to discuss the situation following the student's arrest.

This rally follows a similar large-scale protest by the Sanz Hasidim at the same prison, which drew about 5,000 participants. The Sanz Rebbe emotionally condemned the persecution of Torah scholars, highlighting a growing wave of protests in the ultra-Orthodox community against the detention of yeshiva students.

It remains unclear whether the Gur rally will attract thousands or be smaller, but the Rebbe's presence is expected to draw significant attendance.