Bochur Handcuffed, Denied Water in Prison—Released to Dancing and Song

After days in harsh conditions, the bochur’s release turned a protest into a celebration of Torah’s strength.

On Motzei Shabbos, hundreds of Chassidim from across the spectrum—Vizhnitz, Boyan, Ger, and others—gathered outside the Beit Lid military prison to protest the ongoing detention of bnei Torah, including three avreichim and four bochurim.

At the height of the demonstration, the crowd was stunned by an unexpected development: the release of Meir Yonah, the yeshiva bochur arrested by traffic police on Erev Shabbos and transferred into military custody.

The moment he emerged, the protest transformed into a scene of jubilant celebration. Chassidim lifted him onto their shoulders, dressed him in a shtreimel, and broke out in spirited dancing. In the center of the circle, the Zidichover Rebbe himself danced hand-in-hand with Yonah, as the crowd sang around them.

Later, Yonah described the ordeal of his arrest and time behind bars:

“After I showed the officer my identification, he told me, ‘You’re a draft dodger—you’re going to prison.’ I answered, ‘Why prison? I’m a yeshiva bochur.’ The military police came, handcuffed me, and locked me in a prison cell without air conditioning, without water. You couldn’t breathe—it was very difficult. I suffered, but I’ll stay strong.”

The release electrified the protesters, strengthening their resolve to continue standing up for the honor of Torah and the freedom of every ben yeshiva.