The Edah HaCharedit community announced Tuesday it will join Wednesday's Gur Hasidic vehicle-convoy protest against what it called 'persecution of the Haredi public' and the arrest of yeshiva students. A meeting at the rabbinical court included Rabbis Fischer, Rosenberg, and Schlesinger, who decided all Edah members should participate.
The Edah HaCharedit — the umbrella organization of the most insular Haredi communities in Jerusalem — announced Tuesday evening that it will join the Gur Hasidic vehicle-convoy protest scheduled for Wednesday afternoon. The decision came after a meeting at the rabbinical court (Badatz) attended by senior rabbis Fischer, Rosenberg, and Schlesinger, who called on all Edah members to participate in what organizers describe as a protest against 'the persecution of the Haredi public' and the arrest of yeshiva students over draft evasion. This endorsement, reported at 19:24 Jerusalem on Tuesday, expands the protest's base beyond the Gur movement and is likely to increase turnout.
As The Zioneer first reported at 00:52 Jerusalem on Monday (June 22), the Gur Hasidic community began organizing a nationwide vehicle convoy to Prison 10, with departure points set in 19 cities including Jerusalem, Bnei Brak, and Ashdod. By the same hour, organizers confirmed the departure time of 16:00 Wednesday and submitted 80 departure routes to police for approval, with Agudat Yisrael leading the planning. Heavy traffic disruptions are expected on Routes 57, 6, and 4, as reported in subsequent bulletins.
The Edah's involvement signals a rare public mobilization by the most reclusive wing of the ultra-Orthodox sector, which normally avoids mass demonstrations. The protests come amid a widening campaign by Haredi communities against arrests of draft evaders, which have included blockades of highways and the Jerusalem light rail in recent weeks, as The Zioneer reported on June 7, 11, and 18. A separate Shas-led rally led by Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef was also reported on Tuesday at 15:31 Jerusalem.
It remains unclear how many Edah HaCharedit members will actually turn out for the Wednesday convoy, as the group's participation was announced only the evening before. The precise impact on traffic beyond the expected heavy disruptions on the cited routes is also unverified.
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