Thousands of Gerer chassidim gathered Monday evening outside the gates of Israel’s Military Prison 10 for a mass tefillah rally and protest led by the Gerer Rebbe, following the arrest of a talmid of Yeshivas Sefas Emes. The demonstration was held in protest of what organizers described as an affront to Torah and a desecration of Heaven’s honor. United Torah Judaism chairman MK Yitzchak Goldknopf was also in attendance.

Ahead of the rally, Rabbi Itche Meir Tauman, director of the Gerer beis medrash, circulated a recorded message urging members of the kehilla to participate. He said, “With Hashem’s help, all those who fear the word of Hashem are called to a gathering of prayer and outcry on Monday night, Parshas Va’eschanan, at 9:30 p.m. outside Military Prison 10, to protest the humiliation of Torah and the desecration of Heaven’s honor.”

The protest was organized following the arrest of Yeshivas Sefas Emes student Yisrael Reuven Fine, who was jailed after appearing at the military draft office on three consecutive days in an effort to resolve his draft status.

According to sources within the Gerer kehilla, Fine’s original draft appointment was scheduled for last Monday. He reported as instructed but mistakenly arrived at the Yerushalayim draft office instead of the Haifa office where he had been directed to appear.

Officials in Jerusalem redirected him to Haifa, but by the time he arrived there, the office had already closed for the day. He was instructed to return the following morning.

Fine returned to the Haifa draft office on Tuesday as directed. According to those close to him, however, his paperwork was not processed, and he was once again sent home with instructions to return on Wednesday.

When he appeared for the third consecutive day, military officials informed him that because two days had elapsed since his original draft date, he had been classified as a draft evader and was immediately arrested.

The rally marked the second major demonstration organized by the Gerer kehilla outside Military Prison 10 in approximately one month to protest the arrests of bnei yeshivah. The previous gathering was also led by the Gerer Rebbe and drew thousands of participants, who davened Minchah, recited Tehillim, and cried out over the continued imprisonment of yeshivah bochurim.

{Matzav.com}