From the Liveblog of
Sunday, August 10, 2025
Hundreds rally outside military prison to protest Haredi draft-evaders’ detention
Hundreds of members of the Gur and Boyan Hasidic groups, as well as from the extremist Jerusalem Faction, are protesting outside the Beit Lid military prison to decry the detention of ultra-Orthodox draft-dodgers arrested and held there.
According to Army Radio, the demonstrators are chanting against the “heretic” State of Israel, holding prayers, and calling the names of those arrested.
Some Jerusalem Faction members are reportedly trying to persuade the demonstrators to try to break into the prison, but no such action is taken.
האדמו"ר משבט הלוי בתפילה משותפת עם חסידי גור לשחרור העצורים החרדים, בהפגנה מול כלא 10 pic.twitter.com/hKGxzbqMYQ
— דניאל גרובייס daniel grovais (@daniel_grovais) August 9, 2025
"אברהם יצחקוב, כולנו איתך" | המפגינים מהפלג הירושלמי מלמדים את המפגינים חסידי גור איך להפגין וקוראים בשמם של העצורים החרדים בכלא pic.twitter.com/y1fretQFWU
— דניאל גרובייס daniel grovais (@daniel_grovais) August 9, 2025
On Thursday, prominent Haredi leader Rabbi Dov Lando visited the prison to offer support to yeshiva students arrested for draft evasion, telling them that the entire Haredi community stands behind them.
For the past year, the Haredi leadership, including Lando, has rejected any attempt to find a compromise to draft at least some of the ultra-Orthodox youth to the military, after last year the High Court ruled that the decades-long blanket exemptions from army duty traditionally afforded to the Haredi community were illegal.
Lando, who serves as the spiritual leader for the United Torah Judaism party’s Degel HaTorah faction and is one of the most prominent figures in the non-Hasidic ultra-Orthodox community, has repeatedly told yeshiva students to ignore draft orders.
Sam Sokol contributed to this report.
The Times of Israel Community.