Following the Hasidic vehicle protest, the Sephardic Torah world is preparing for a protest demonstration led by former Chief Rabbi and Rishon LeZion Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, with the participation of a series of prominent yeshiva heads and rabbis.
The rally, which comes amid growing public tensions, the recent arrests of yeshiva students who failed to report for the draft, and violent incidents that occurred on major roads, marks an escalation in the response of the Sephardic haredi public to the draft law and sanctions.
In an interview with Kol Barama Radio, Rabbi Shabtai Levi, rabbi of the Ramat Aharon neighborhood in Bnei Brak and head of the Halichot Moshe institutions, described the severity with which Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef views the current situation.
“The rally will take place in the city streets in order to raise an outcry over the harm being done to Torah learners," Rabbi Levi said, emphasizing the unusual step: “Rabbi Yosef has committed himself to this mission with all his strength and was prepared to cancel his regular and traditional weekly lesson at the Yazdim Synagogue in Jerusalem for this purpose - a historic institution dating back to the days of his father, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, of blessed memory, which has almost never been canceled."
“The rabbi will send a replacement there and will come physically to Bnei Brak out of the understanding that we can no longer remain silent in the face of the scenes we have witnessed in recent days."
During the interview, Rabbi Levi explained the difficult feelings within the haredi community in light of the arrests of draft evaders and protesters, comparing the physical harm caused to Torah learners to physical harm inflicted on precious Torah scrolls.
“The budget cuts and the closure of daycare centers - we could still have managed with that," Rabbi Levi said. “But we have reached the stage of harming yeshiva students and avrechim, who are the ones carrying the burden of Torah study. Taking young men and dragging them on the ground? How did we reach such a situation?"
The main rally is expected to take place near the Halichot Moshe institutions in the Ramat Aharon neighborhood of Bnei Brak. Rabbi Levi sought to clarify and reassure that despite the tensions, the event will not include violence or aggressive road blockages, but rather will be a quiet demonstration of a religious and spiritual nature.
“This will be an event completely without violence and without any provocations," he promised. “This rally is entirely about mourning, pain, and lamentation. It is going to be an occasion that will truly feel like Tisha B’Av, and everyone who feels the pain of the situation is obligated to attend."