High-level secret meetings were held this week in Bnei Brak between an American envoy representing U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and senior Gedolei Eretz Yisroel.
The back-to-back meetings took place quietly at the homes of Harav Dov Landau, shlit”a and Harav Moshe Hillel Hirsch shlit”a. At the center of the discussions was a single, urgent issue: American intervention to halt the arrests of yeshiva bochurim who refuse to report to the IDF.
According to sources close to the gedolim, the meetings were initiated in light of the growing distress in the Olam Hatorah over the government’s increasing aggression toward yeshivaleit. Chareidi leadership pointed to a precedent in Ukraine, where the U.S. previously intervened to oppose the lowering of the draft age — a move that threatened religious students in that country.
The urgency was underscored earlier Thursday, Rav Dov Landau personally traveled to Beit Lid Military Prison to visit Refael and Baruch Itzhakov, two yeshiva bochurim from Tel Aviv’s Yeshivas Me’oros HaTorah who were arrested after refusing to report to the IDF draft office.
Despite his advanced age and delicate health, the Rosh Yeshiva insisted on visiting the imprisoned bochurim, a sign of the grave concern and kavod haTorah the Torah leadership feels for the bnei yeshiva who are being treated as criminals for their commitment to Torah.
Close confidants of the Rosh Yeshiva revealed that he has been unable to sleep at night, deeply tormented by the idea of young bnei Torah sitting in prison cells — not for theft or violence, but for staying true to Limud Torah.
“He is carrying the burden of all of Klal Yisrael on his shoulders,” a person in Rav Landau’s orbit said. “Every bochur behind bars is a dagger in his heart.”
The meetings with the U.S. envoy mark a significant shift in strategy among chareidi leadership — turning to international diplomatic pressure as the Israeli government doubles down on its attempts to criminalize Torah learning.
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13 Responses
President Trump is giving serious consideration to offer Chareidi Orthodox Jews in Israel political asylum/refugee status; in the same manner, format and legal process that President Trump offered it recently to white South African Africanners of Dutch ancestry.
The essence of Zionism is to take bnei torah out of the beis medrash
The biggest threat to Zionism is a bochur sitting in the beis medrash
Zionism is intended to replace that shtetl caveman Jew with a warrior Jew
To replace Yaakov with eisav
Arurim kol hareshoim
Fun fact- The best learning is taking place in the IDF right now.
It has been noted already back in the era of Secular Zionism, and is still valid today in certain issues, including this one, that one of the biggest things preventing the Israeli government from doing even more רשעות is that they are somewhat embarrassed in front of believing Goyim יאמרו רבם דקרו…
Zionist amiti:
Fun fact – the greatest shmad is taking place in the IDF right now.
Really sad and devastating that it’s nonjews and secular American diplomats that care about our heritage and feel for gedolei yisrael than half of our own traitors. Sickening. Something to mourn in klal Yisrael
All this as we head into ט”ו ב”אב when we are supposed to increase nighttime תורה study failing which our Holy Sephorim state:- יאסף Yei’oseph:- May s/he be consumed:- I wish exactly this upon Baharav Miara ימח שמה וזכרונה
UJM, I hope all the Hareidim come to the US, where they will re3ceive zero support for learning; they will have to work.
lbj,
I do not think you know the meaning of essence
The biggest threat to Zionism is a bochur refusing to serve in the IDF.
Zionism is intended to replace that shtetl caveman Jew with a productive Jew,
Arurim kol shelko nossim be’ol chaveiroh
World wide protests might do the trick.
sheigitz amiti: that may sound “fun” to you, but it is false.
Ujm, is there such an issur in the Torah as “oynas dvorim”? If someone disagrees with you, it is not a heter to call someone a “sheigetz.
It is not a duplicate comment – I was not logged in before.
@Zionist Amiti May actually be correct during bein hazmanim.