Thousands of Sephardic haredim are expected to gather Monday evening in Bnei Brak for a mass protest against the arrest and imprisonment of yeshiva students in military prisons for refusing to enlist in the IDF.
The demonstration will be led by former Sephardic Chief Rabbi and current president of Shas' Council of Torah Sages, Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, together with a number of senior Sephardic rabbis.
Ahead of the protest, leading Sephardic-haredi rabbis - including Council of Torah Sages members Rabbi Moshe Maya and Rabbi Shlomo Machpud, as well as Rabbi Nissim Ben Shimon - issued a public letter calling on the community to take part in the demonstration.
In their statement, the rabbis described Israel's conscription laws and the government's and military's efforts to enforce them as "decrees of spiritual persecution that threaten our youth." They also strongly condemned the imprisonment of yeshiva students recently arrested by the Military Police.
"They are being imprisoned simply because they study Torah here in the Land of Israel. Every individual has an obligation to protest," the letter states, using strong language to argue that harm to religious lifestyle is more severe than physical harm.
The rabbis concluded by urging full public participation, writing, "We hereby call upon all Torah students and everyone who cares deeply about this issue to come and participate in the mass rally in the city's streets."
The demonstration is scheduled to begin at 9:30 p.m. and will take place along Eshel Avraham and Rabinov streets in the Ramat Elchanan and Ramat Aharon neighborhoods of Bnei Brak. Heavy traffic congestion and changes to public transportation routes are expected in the area.