Over 25,000 Gur Hasidim Protest Israel Yehuda Fein's Detention Outside Prison 10

On Monday evening, more than 25,000 Gur Hasidim gathered outside Prison 10, led by the Gur Rebbe, to protest the arrest of yeshiva student Israel Yehuda Fein. Rabbi Meir Palkser, head of the "Chidushai HaRim" yeshiva, delivered a fiery speech emphasizing the Torah as the sole protection of the Jewish people. He cited Midrashic teachings that as long as the voice of Jacob is heard in synagogues and study halls, enemies cannot prevail over Israel.

Rabbi Palkser lamented that the Israeli government and its ministers fail to recognize what other nations understood millennia ago: that Torah study is the nation’s defense. He referenced the Talmudic ruling in Makkot that Torah learning at Jerusalem’s gates enabled warriors to stand firm in battle. With Israel engaged in prolonged conflict on seven fronts, he criticized authorities for disrupting the defenders of the people instead of supporting them.

Using Rabbi Akiva’s parable of fish needing water, Rabbi Palkser compared Torah study to oxygen essential for life, warning that yeshiva students cannot survive without it. He issued a stern warning to those who disparage Torah scholars, citing Maimonides’ ruling that such individuals forfeit their share in the World to Come and suffer consequences in this world as well.

The nighttime protest, held on the eve of the Tisha B’Av mourning days, was framed as a continuation of historic protests against decrees of destruction, recalling Judah ben Shamua and his peers who opposed Roman decrees. Rabbi Palkser called on the public to renew their commitment to Torah out of love, as in the days of Esther, to merit complete redemption soon.