Channel 13 published footage of a meeting between Gerrer spiritual leader Rabbi Yaakov Aryeh Alter and Satmar donor Joel Landau, where attendees discussed responding to Israel's plan to draft ultra‑Orthodox yeshiva students. Participants reportedly proposed filing complaints in foreign courts — including the International Court of Justice — and documented alleged police brutality for U.S. contacts. Israel Gafner compared Israel to North Korea, and Landau pledged $1,000,000 to a fund to shield draft‑evading students. Knesset members Naama Lazimi and Vladimir Beliak condemned the meeting publicly.
Gerrer Rebbe Meets Satmar Donor to Discuss Legal Action Over Haredi Draft, Channel 13 Footage Shows
Gur Grand Rabbi Yaakov Aryeh Alter seen after a meeting of the Council of Torah Sages regarding the Haredi draft exemption bill in Jerusalem, January 7, 2026. (photo credit: CHAIM GOLDBERG/FLASH90)
Channel 13 released footage of a closed meeting between Gerrer spiritual leader Rabbi Yaakov Aryeh Alter and Joel Landau, a wealthy member of the anti‑Zionist Satmar Hasidic movement, in which participants discussed responses to plans to draft ultra‑Orthodox yeshiva students into the Israel Defense Forces.
According to the report, attendees considered a range of options, including filing legal complaints against the Israeli government in foreign courts — explicitly naming the International Court of Justice — as a means of pressuring Tel Aviv over its conscription policies.
In the released recording, Israel Gafner, chairman of the organization Emet LeYaakov, is heard comparing Israel to North Korea and accusing the state of preventing haredim from leaving the country. "Human dignity and freedom are not relevant when it comes to those who study Torah," he says in the footage.
"Human dignity and freedom are not relevant when it comes to those who study Torah," Israel Gafner says in the recording released by Channel 13.
Gafner also said the group was cooperating with contacts in the United States to document alleged incidents of police brutality and to share those reports with U.S. organizations and lawmakers.
Joel Landau, Satmar millionaire. (credit: Wikimedia Commons)
During the meeting, Landau reportedly offered to contribute $1,000,000 to a fund intended to defend yeshiva students from prosecution related to draft evasion. Landau has previously criticized some haredi rabbis for making compromises on the conscription issue and praised the Gerrer Rebbe in a 2025 letter for leaving the government over the matter.
Lawmakers responded swiftly after the footage aired. Democratic Knesset Member Naama Lazimi posted on X that the video revealed "where the extremism lies," calling the situation "madness" and criticizing state funding that she said enables the conduct shown. MK Vladimir Beliak argued the footage reinforced his view that haredi parties should not be coalition partners and called for dismantling haredi autonomy.
Context
The footage comes amid a long‑running and often heated debate in Israel over whether large numbers of ultra‑Orthodox men who study in yeshivas should be required to serve in the military. Supporters of conscription say it is a matter of equal civic duty; opponents argue for religious exemptions and protections for Torah study.
Source: Channel 13 (reported footage and interviews). Statements and actions are reported as described in the broadcast.
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