According to ynet, thousands of Haredi protesters are gathered outside Prison 10, chanting 'The Torah will not go bankrupt,' in protest of the arrest of a draft deserter.
Thursday evening’s protest outside Prison 10 has escalated sharply. At 21:54 Jerusalem, thousands of Haredi demonstrators are gathered outside the facility, chanting “The Torah will not go bankrupt,” according to ynet. The rally follows a sequence of events reported earlier tonight: at 18:36 Jerusalem, The Zioneer reported that Sanz Hasidim en route to the prison were blocked by activists from the extremist Jerusalem Faction. Minutes later, a quiet protest by the Sanz community was underway over the arrest of two draft evaders. By 18:36, the Admor of Sanz (the sect’s leader) was personally leading the rally. The current gathering, which is larger and more vocal, represents a further intensification of the protest.
The thread has seen a rapid evolution in source quality and scale. The first report (18:36 Jerusalem) was based on a single journalist, Shilo Fried. The second and third reports (also 18:36) relied on journalist Eli Hirshman, who documented the quiet rally and the rebbe’s leadership. The current update, citing ynet, adds a major news outlet’s confirmation of the protest’s size and the specific chant. The identity of the arrested deserter and the circumstances of the arrest remain unconfirmed by official sources.
This protest is the latest in a series of Haredi demonstrations against the arrest of draft evaders. As The Zioneer has reported over the past several weeks, rallies have taken place in Ashdod, Jerusalem, and at Prison 10 itself, with varying levels of participation. Earlier this week, Gur Hasidim held a dance protest outside the same prison, and Shas MKs joined a separate rally. The demonstrations have occasionally involved road blockages and confrontations with police.
It remains unclear whether the deserter at the center of tonight’s protest is the same individual whose arrest sparked earlier rallies, or a different detainee. No official statement from the military or police has been issued regarding the arrest or the protest.
3 developments
- StrongHundreds of Haredim block police in Ashdod to prevent arrest of draft deserter — who is not Haredi
- StrongExtremist Haredim protest outside Beit Lid military base against draft-evader arrests
- DevelopingThousands of Gur Hasidim dance outside Prison 10 in protest rally
- DevelopingGur Hasidim dance outside Prison 10 as news spreads of expected release of deserter
Source and signal
- Internal intake