Following Arrest of Religious Student, Sephardic Rabbis Issue Rare Letter: "Shake the World to its Foundations"

Leading Sephardic Torah scholars, headed by Rabbi M. Tzadka and Torah Sages Council member Rabbi Y. Cohen, have issued a rare and historic letter following the arrest of a newly religious yeshiva student who was detained on Purim by military police and sentenced to 14 days. They call for the first time for the Torah world to "shake the world to its foundations," a phrase previously used primarily among more zealous groups.

As previously reported, the newly religious yeshiva student was arrested last weekend by traffic police and sentenced to 14 days. The "Association of Yeshiva Students" hired top attorney Menachem Stauber for him. The arrested student attends the Meorot HaTorah Yeshiva in Telz-Stone – an institution that has existed for decades under the leadership of Rabbi Regoznitsky and Rabbi Greinman, designed for newly religious young men.

In their historic letter addressed to the student in question, as well as to others currently detained, the leading Sephardic Torah scholars Rabbi M. Tzadka, Council member Rabbi Y. Cohen, Rabbi B.Z. Toledano, Rabbi Y. Tofik Aviezri, and Rabbi Y.H. Sofer write:

"We come in these lines to strengthen your steadfast stance and self-sacrifice in following the instructions of the holy Torah not to go to a place of trials and sinful paths – as instructed by all the great rabbis of Israel who prohibited military enlistment for all observant Jews.

"Your good name will forever be inscribed among the great leaders of the nation – our rabbis and forefathers who sacrificed themselves for the sanctification of God, and did not exchange God's word for any wealth or threats, and did not submit to any sanctions or imprisonment, like Joseph the Righteous, and like Rabbi Akiva and his colleagues. Through your mighty deeds and your holy spiritual courage, you are meriting the greatest commandment in the Torah to sanctify God's name in public!

"Fortunate are you who have merited this! Fortunate are you who were seized for words of Torah! In our name, in the name of all Torah scholars, and in the name of all Israel, we express the Torah's protest against the arrest of a God-fearing man like you, whose only sin and transgression is keeping our holy and eternal Torah, which alone has protected and defends all of Israel throughout the generations.

"The world of Torah and the entire Haredi public will shake the world to its foundations."

"From here, our blessings and abundant appreciation to our emissaries and the emissaries of all Israel, the rabbis of the 'Association of Yeshiva Students' who stand by your side and work tirelessly in support and legal assistance in your matter. May God make their path successful until we see your swift release soon. And now, do not fear or be dismayed. God is with you, mighty warrior. Be strong and courageous! With blessings of the Torah and great appreciation!"

Council member Rabbi Yehuda Cohen added in his own handwriting: "Fortunate are you who were seized for words of Torah. Continue to study with joy for being seized for learning the holy Torah, and surely you will soon come to light, and the merit of the holy Torah will protect you to become great and glorious, amen."

Sephardic Torah Leaders Initiated Protest Rally and Joined Forces with the Jerusalem Faction

Meanwhile, significant internal drama unfolded in the last day when Rabbi M. Tzadka, in conjunction with leading Sephardic Torah scholars, determined that there is an obligation for Torah students and the entire Haredi public to protest and cry out against the arrest of the newly religious yeshiva student. The Rabbi decided to hold a protest rally in front of the military prison where the detainee is being held, and even initiated a phone call to the leader of the Jerusalem Faction, Rabbi E. Auerbach, who decided to join the protest initiative at the military prison.

As mentioned, the 21-year-old young man was arrested last weekend during Purim celebrations when traffic police stopped him for a routine check, and his name appeared in the system as having been AWOL for a long period. On the spot, he was summoned for an immediate hearing.

When the young man arrived for the hearing with a traffic police officer, military police were waiting for him there, and he was immediately sent to a military court, where he was sentenced to 14 days in military prison. Attorney Menachem Stauber, who has extensive experience handling AWOL cases, was hired by the 'Association of Yeshiva Students' to represent him.