Haredi fund offers NIS 1,000 daily to draft evaders in prison

According to a report by Kan Reshet Bet, senior Lithuanian Haredi leaders Rabbi Dov Lando and Rabbi Moshe Hillel Hirsch have endorsed the 'Prison 1,000' initiative. The scheme is designed to provide financial support to young Haredi men who evade military service and are subsequently imprisoned. Participants contribute small, regular amounts to a shared fund, which then pays out NIS 1,000 for every day spent in military detention. Organizers state the initiative is intended to mitigate the fear of arrest and provide a financial safety net for those detained. The launch follows an increase in the arrest of Haredi draft evaders. Beyond the Lithuanian leadership, meetings regarding the initiative have reportedly been held with former Sephardic Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, the spiritual leader of the Shas party. The initiative is part of an ongoing struggle within the Haredi community against state efforts to draft its members into the IDF.