Gerer Rebbe to Lead Mass Tefillah Rally Outside Military Prison Following Arrest of Yeshiva Bochur

Gerer Rebbe to Lead Mass Tefillah Rally Outside Military Prison Following Arrest of Yeshiva Bochur

The Gerer chassidus will hold a large tefillah and protest rally Monday night outside Israel’s Military Prison No. 10 following the arrest of a Gerer yeshiva bochur over military draft-related issues. The gathering will be led by the Gerer Rebbe after receiving approval from Israeli police. The rally is scheduled to begin at 9:30 p.m. and will include Maariv, the recitation of Tehillim, and inspirational addresses on behalf of Yisrael Yehuda Fein, a talmid of Yeshivas Sefas Emes in Yerushalayim, who is currently serving a military prison sentence. The demonstration comes in response to Fein’s arrest after he appeared at a military induction office on his scheduled reporting date in an effort to regularize his draft status and obtain a medical exemption. According to sources within the Gerer community, Fein initially reported to the military draft office in Yerushalayim but was informed that his file was registered in Haifa and that he needed to report there immediately. Family members and associates say Fein asked officials whether traveling to Haifa that same day could result in his arrest. He was allegedly told that because it was his official induction date, he had nothing to worry about. However, after arriving at the Haifa draft office, Fein was informed that he had arrived too late and was transferred to the military induction base at Tel Hashomer. He was subsequently brought before a military officer, convicted in a disciplinary proceeding, and sentenced to 20 days in Military Prison No. 10. Gerer officials contend that the decision failed to take into account Fein’s medical condition or the fact that he had voluntarily appeared in an effort to complete the process of obtaining a medical exemption. Members of the chassidus also pointed to the student’s difficult family circumstances, noting that his father is currently under house arrest in the United States following extradition, leaving the family to cope with an especially painful situation. In recent days, Gerer community leaders, together with veteran prison advocate Rabbi Shimon Shisha, have been working with the relevant authorities in an effort to secure Fein’s early release. {Matzav.com}