Unusual disagreements have emerged among the senior spiritual leadership of Israel's Lithuanian-haredi community over the nature of the campaign against the proposed conscription law and the arrest of young haredi draft evaders.
Rabbi Dov Lando, a leading figure in the Lithuanian-haredi community, issued a public call Thursday evening opposing street protests and demonstrations.
Rabbi Lando's remarks have generated political drama and heightened tensions within the haredi sector, as they come at a particularly sensitive time, just days after Rabbi Moshe Hillel Hirsch, the co-leader of the Lithuanian-haredi community, gave his blessing to the large protest vehicle convoy held on roads across Israel.
Rabbi Lando's comments, which reportedly caused considerable embarrassment in the sector's mainstream media, were delivered during a gathering at his home in Bnei Brak attended by dozens of yeshiva heads from across the country.
The meeting had originally been intended to summarize the historic fundraising trip by leading rabbis to the United States, organized to offset government cuts to yeshiva funding. However, it quickly became a platform for a pointed message against the growing haredi street activism.
"All kinds of other protests that we did not hear about from our rabbis in previous generations are not our way," Rabbi Lando told the heads of the institutions, in what was widely seen as a clear reference to the organizers of the recent demonstrations.
He explained, "Very often these protests cause serious damage to the haredi public's image. We must remember that the most important thing is dedication, toil, and immersion in Torah study. That is the greatest sanctification of God's Name, and there is no doubt that strengthening Torah study within the study halls is what will help counter these decrees and difficulties."
During his address, Rabbi Lando also referred to his recent visit to the United States and the budget dispute with the government, saying that the global center of Torah learning is now in Israel and influences the entire world.
According to him, philanthropists abroad understand that if Torah study in Israel declines, it will affect the entire Jewish people. For that reason, they have opened their wallets to support yeshiva students, whom he described as "the finest students."