Agudas Yisrael MK Meir Porush warned against the continued persecution of lomdei Torah in the Knesset plenum on Tuesday.

“A Jew is obligated to protest when he sees that the Torah Hakedosha is being harmed,” he began.

“This week I visited several bochurim and avreichim in military prison who are being held there for the ‘crime’ of limmud Torah. I told them that in my view, since they’re not enlisting because they want to learn Torah, the Torah itself is in prison.”

“This week, they discussed here a proposal to prevent Chareidim from voting, but as of right now, my colleagues and I are still permitted to speak here,” he said sardonically. “Therefore, I have an obligation to use my right of expression to protest.”

“I’m standing here in the Knesset, the parliament of the Jewish government, and I’m protesting against the harm to lomdei Torah and crying out to the decision-makers—pull yourselves together. You’re playing with fire. Stop—simply stop—persecuting lomdei Torah.”

Porush made a similar speech in the Knesset last week.

Porush visited Prison 10 earlier this week, offering detained lomdei Torah words of chizzuk

At the end of the visit, he said, “I’m leaving the prison now. I met with several detainees… I told them something I’ve heard many times from my late father-in-law, Rav Nachum Halpern. When HaRav Amram Blau was imprisoned in 1953 for protesting Chillul Shabbos, the Chazon Ish came to visit him. When he entered the cell, Rav was deeply moved, and the Chazon Ish said to him, ‘You’re here because you protested Chillul Shabbos. In truth, Shabbos itself is now in prison.’”

“I told the bochurim: you’re here because they don’t want you sitting with a Gemara—they want you in uniform. So the Torah itself is now in prison. You must stay strong, and the entire public stands behind you. Surely they’ve heard about the massive rally attended by hundreds of thousands. Anyone who thinks they can confront such numbers is gravely mistaken.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)