In a rare cross-faction appeal, Lithuanian-haredi leader Rabbi Dov Lando calls for withdrawal of investment funds to protest IDF draft arrests, a move some warn could shake Israel’s banking system.
In an unprecedented financial protest, Rabbi Dov Lando, the 96-year-old spiritual leader of the Lithuanian-haredi community, has approached the ultra-hardline Eidah Haharedit with a proposal to withdraw investment funds from Israeli banks—a move intended to protest the arrest of yeshiva students who refuse IDF enlistment, Channel 12 News revealed.
The overture is remarkable not only for its economic implications, but also for bridging one of the sharpest divides in the haredi world. Rabbi Lando represents the organized, mainstream Lithuanian leadership, while the Eidah Haharedit staunchly rejects all cooperation with state institutions.
According to the report, the Eidah was surprised by the proposal. While they stopped short of immediately agreeing, they admitted that Rabbi Lando’s senior status commands serious consideration.
One Eidah source told Channel 12 that such a move could have “dramatic consequences, even leading to the collapse of banks.” Despite their rigid anti-state ideology, he stressed, the Eidah leadership takes a practical, cautious approach in financial matters.
When Eidah members suggested Rabbi Lando join their street protests against the arrests, he declined, reportedly saying, “I do not believe in this.”
The news comes just a day after Rabbi Lando made another unusual gesture—visiting the military prison at Beit Lid to meet two young haredi men incarcerated for draft refusal. The visit, approved by the military police, underscored the depth of his concern over the arrests.
If implemented, the coordinated withdrawal could mark the first large-scale economic protest by multiple haredi factions in Israel’s history—one with potential to rattle both the financial and political establishment.
