R' Aharon Leib opened, Vizhnitzer Rebbe called for struggle and Hgr"s Cohen cried • Historic Conference Transcript

Gedolei Yisroel call tonight (Monday) at a historic gathering for a prayer rally which will include the entire Haredi public in protest against the conscription law. Gedolei Yisroel also warn that if the proposed law will be enacted, they will consider banning the report at recruitment centers for yeshiva students.

This evening a joint gathering of Gedolei Yisroel from Litvishe, Hasidic and Sephardic circles, in protest against the conscription law which was approved by Shaked Committee and to join forces towards it.

Among the conference decisions: to hold a prayer and protest rally on Sunday the seventh of Adar II. The councilss instruct yeshiva students not to join the army, and indicate that if the persecution continues, they will consider banning the report at recruitment offices.

Before convening, a meeting of the Agudath Israel Council was held at the home of the Rebbe of Vizhnitz attended by the Rebbes of Gur, Belz , Tzanz, Boyan, Slonim, Bialla, and Sadigura, as well as Agudath Israel MKs Litzmann, Porush, Moses and Eichler. The meeting was held in the room where council meetings were held in the past, with the Rebbe the Yeshuos Moshe of Vizhnitz.

Council members of Agudath Israel arrived at the convention immediately after the meeting with the Rebbe of Vizhnitz.



They were followed by convening members of Council of Torah Sages of Degel HaTorah, Hagaon R' Aharon Leib Steinman, Hgri"g Edelstein, Hgrm"tz Bergman, Hgrb"m Ezrahi, Hgrm"h Hirsch, Hgrb"d Povarsky, Hgr"d Cohen, Hagr"d Ades, Hgr"d Yaffe and Hagr"y Silberstein.

There was a big surprise with the arrival of Hgr"s Auerbach. Hgr"s did not recently attend the Council of Torah Sages of Degel HaTorah, but now decided to arrive after talking with three Hasidic Rebbes of the Council about the matter.

In addition, members of the Shas Council of Sages, Hgr"s Cohen, Hgr"s Ba'adani, Hagaon R' Moshe Maya and Hgr"d Yosef – took part as well.

In his words to the conference comer, R' Aharon Leib Steinman said: "There is no greater Chilul Hashem than the prevention, G-d forbid, of Torah learning. Klal Yisrael and the Torah are one, Torah Hakadosh Baruch Hu and Israel are one. If one prevents it, the world is lost. The end goal is Torah, it is our life, it is the life of Klal Israel since the giving of the Torah to the present. There is nothing else, only Torah, because it is our life.

"The Almighty will help that all those who want to disturb it will not succeed, and we will survive it, and will see Torah in its glory, to build Torah."

Hgr"s Cohen, president of the Council of Torah Sages of Shas and Rosh Yeshiva of Porat Yosef, said: "The Sephardim are "the soul which they made in Haran", I know from inside the yeshiva how students whose parents want them to go to the army, they do not understand anything, if the boys would not cleave to their rabbis, they would go to the army , if something is not done to declare that there is no army at all, G-d forbid, it will not work.

"The media incites against bnei yeshivot, and by the Sephardim it permeates, our community may be affected by this decree the hardest, and we should learn from the souls that they made in Haran, to put as much as possible into Torah.

Hgr"s burst into tears and said: "I ask that a decision will come out of here that there is no army and nothing, and we don't care about their money, our only interest is Torah."

The Vizhnitz Rebbe: "A decision should be made that no Torah students will enlist in the army at all, not even the civil service, we have no reference to this thing. And let us hope it will cause everyone to take notice of it. "

Rabbi Shalom Baadani, member of the Council of Torah Sages of Shas, added: "Unfortunately, the NRP also lent a hand to these decrees, one can not understand such a thing, people who study Torah and give a hand to this? We need to pray for them, they should do tshuva, and recognize the value of Torah and all other things are vanity, and one who harms Torah it is as if he harms Hashem's beloved, and will not be forgiven."

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!