A new fund has been established in Eretz Yisroel to provide NIS 1,000 for every day a ben Torah spends in military prison, offering financial assistance to families affected by the growing wave of arrests of yeshiva bochurim and avreichim by military authorities.
The new initiative, called “Kele 1000” — “Prison 1000” — is being established under the guidance and supervision of leading dayanim and poskim. Its organizers say the program is intended to provide both a financial safety net and broader support for families whose sons or husbands are unexpectedly taken into military custody.
The initiative comes amid an intensification of enforcement measures and arrests involving bnei Torah over their military-service status. Organizers say the fund is designed to ensure that when a yeshiva bochur or avreich is taken into military custody, his family will not be left to shoulder alone the financial burden created by his imprisonment.
The program is structured around a broad system of communal responsibility, with participants contributing only a small amount when an eligible arrest occurs. Those funds will then be used to provide the affected family with NIS 1,000 for each full day that the detainee remains behind bars.
According to the organizers, the money is intended to help cover expenses that can quickly accumulate during an incarceration, including legal advice, transportation and prison visits, as well as income lost when relatives are forced to miss work because of the situation.
The fund is being overseen by a committee of prominent dayanim, who will have exclusive authority over the program’s policies, eligibility requirements, distribution of funds and any halachic questions or disputes that arise.
The committee includes Rav Naftali Nussbaum, raavad of the Hayashar Vehatov and Ahavas Shalom batei din; Rav Yaakov Tufik Abiezeri, av bais din of the Beitar monetary bais din; Rav Yaakov Meir Stern, av bais din of Badatz Kehillos Yaakov in Bnei Brak; Rav Eliyahu Posen, av bais din in the Bnei Brak and Elad bais din; and Rav Tzvi Braverman, raavad of Beitar Illit and av bais din of Nesivos Chaim.
Organizers said that any uncertainty over whether an individual qualifies for assistance, as well as any claims involving the fund, will be decided exclusively by the dayanim overseeing the initiative.
In a special letter issued in connection with the launch, the rabbanim called upon members of the tzibbur to join the program, describing widespread participation as a means of creating a strong system of mutual responsibility and support.
Under the “Kele 1000” financial model, members of the program will be charged no more than NIS 1 per day when an eligible ben Torah is imprisoned. Participants will also pay NIS 3 per month to cover administrative and operating expenses.
The larger the program’s membership becomes, organizers say, the smaller the amount that will have to be collected from each individual participant when an arrest takes place.
The fund’s regulations also draw a significant distinction between unexpected arrests and situations in which an individual knowingly places himself in circumstances likely to result in detention.
According to the rules, which were prepared with legal guidance from the Gedalyahu & Horowitz law firm, the NIS 1,000-per-day benefit will be available only in cases involving what the program defines as “surprise arrests” imposed upon a ben Torah because of his conscientious position.
By contrast, the fund will not provide assistance for what it considers initiated or avoidable arrests. Those include cases in which an individual knowingly reports to a military draft office or police station, or attempts to travel through an airport or border crossing under circumstances that result in his detention.
The distinction was established by the committee of dayanim, meaning that individuals who deliberately enter circumstances expected to lead to military incarceration will not be eligible to receive payments from the fund.
Registration for “Kele 1000” is now expanding throughout yeshivos, kollelim and communities across Eretz Yisroel. Numerous institutions are reportedly joining collectively in an effort to ensure that their talmidim and avreichim will be covered by the program should they face an unexpected military arrest.
{Matzav.com}
