The family and students of Rabbi Asher Deutsch, leader of the Bnei Torah movement (Peleg Yerushalmi) and a prominent rabbi of the Ponevezh Yeshiva who passed away this morning, are requesting to bury him in the Ponevezh cemetery, where the rabbis of the yeshiva are interred. Rabbi Deutsch served as a rabbi at the Ponevezh Yeshiva in the ‘terrorist’ faction, while the cemetery is managed by the ‘haters’ faction. A battle is taking place behind-the-scenes between the rival parties regarding where the rabbi will be buried, as his students arrived this evening at the rabbi's section in the Ponevezh cemetery and began to dig a grave. Related articles: Jerusalem Faction blocks Bnei Brak area roads Haredim block main road after arrest of non-haredi draft dodger IDF general attacked in Bnei Brak restaurant, police intervene Anti-conscription demonstrators block highway in central Israel In recent weeks, Rabbi Deutsch had been hospitalized in very serious condition at the Ma'ayanai Hayeshua Hospital in Bnei Brak, but despite the dedicated care of the medical staff, his condition continued to deteriorate. Rabbi Deutsch assumed his role as the leader of the Peleg Yerushalmi faction in 2018, following the passing of its founder, Rabbi Shmuel Auerbach, of blessed memory. Under his leadership, the faction continued its principled struggle against the drafting of yeshiva students into the IDF, opposing even reporting to recruitment offices for an exemption. This struggle was manifested in forceful protests and road blockades, particularly in the arrest of yeshiva students who refused to report to the recruitment offices. The faction, under his leadership, adopted a resolute stance against cooperation with state authorities on the issue of conscription, while sharply criticizing the Haredi representatives in the Knesset. During the last months of his life, Rabbi Deutsch expressed strong opposition to attempts to promote compromises regarding the conscription of yeshiva students, and voiced his disapproval of calls for the conscription of young men who are not studying in yeshiva.
