A large Haredi anti-conscription protest outside Prison 10 near Tel Hashomer is reporting great urgency and extreme crowding, according to organizers on the ground. The Gerer Rebbe is expected to address the crowd as the demonstration swells.
The Haredi anti-conscription protest outside Prison 10 near Tel Hashomer has escalated sharply, with organizers on the ground reporting 'great urgency and extreme crowding' as thousands continue to arrive Wednesday afternoon. The demonstration, which began swelling around 16:00 Jerusalem, now anticipates an address by the Gerer Rebbe from a podium set up earlier today, lending significant rabbinical authority to the rally.
The thread of this protest has unfolded rapidly over the past 24 hours. **Tuesday, 17:48 Jerusalem** — The Zioneer first reported that the Gur Rebbe personally called on followers to gather outside Military Prison 10 on Wednesday at 16:00, following arrests of Haredi draft evaders. That initial report noted a similar protest had been led by the sect's rabbis earlier Tuesday. At the same timestamp, the Zioneer reported the protest was coordinated with police, with organizer E. Herschman confirming the 16:00 start. By the same minute, the Zioneer had reported that the Gerer Rebbe would personally attend the protest and speak from a special podium, and that Israel Hayom was publicizing the event. **Wednesday, 17:48 Jerusalem** — The Zioneer updated that the protest was large and the Gerer Rebbe was expected to address the crowd. Source quality broadened from one outlet (N12, citing Herschman) to multiple Israeli newsrooms reporting on the scene.
As The Zioneer reported throughout Tuesday and Wednesday, the protest is part of the wider Haredi campaign against the IDF draft, which has seen repeated mass demonstrations in recent months. The involvement of the Gerer Rebbe marks a significant escalation in rabbinical endorsement.
What remains open is the exact size of the crowd and whether any arrests or confrontations with police will occur, as organizers had earlier coordinated with police and instructed followers to avoid provocations.
17 developments
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- DevelopingPolice release detainee from Haredi protest as crowd celebrates
- DevelopingMK Goldknopf joins Gur Hasidic protest near Beit Lid, recites Psalms
- StrongHundreds of Haredim block police in Ashdod to prevent arrest of draft deserter — who is not Haredi
Source and signal
- Internal intake