Billionaire Yoely (Joel) Landau of the Satmar Hasidic movement met this week with the Ger rebbe to plot strategy against the IDF draft law. During the meeting, Landau offered large sums to Haredi communities in Israel to fight the IDF draft law. Among other things, the possibility was raised of filing complaints against the State of Israel at the International Court in The Hague.
The Ger rebbe, Rabbi Yaakov Aryeh Alter, heads the largest Hasidic movement in Israel and is the dominant leader on Agudath Israel’s Council of Torah Sages. During the meeting, he did not respond to the proposal, but also did not oppose it.
In footage of the meeting, revealed by Channel 13 reporter Yoeli Brim, Landau is heard proposing not only assistance for Haredim arrested because they did not report to draft offices, but also moving the struggle into the international legal arena. Among other things, he proposed establishing a system for filing complaints with the International Court in The Hague over arrests, what they claim is unequal enforcement on the issue of the draft, discrimination between Haredim and Arabs, and forceful arrests at demonstrations.
Gur Rebbe arrives in the US on Yoely Landau's private plane
As part of the initiative proposed by the Satmar billionaire, every yeshiva student would receive legal assistance from a special fund as needed. Landau committed, together with his associates, to provide $1 million for the struggle.
This is not the first expression of the connection between the billionaire and the large Hasidic movement. In the past, Landau lent his private plane to the Ger rebbe. The rebbe flew to the United States to raise funds for yeshivas whose budgets were hurt by the sanctions imposed on them. At the time, Landau sent the rebbe a letter proposing that they disconnect from the State of Israel and its budgets and instead be adopted by charitable foundations funded by donations. The proposal was not adopted by the Ger rebbe.