UTJ MK Meir Porush sent a letter on Wednesday to the US Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, calling on the Trump administration to intervene to stop the persecution of Bnei Torah in Israel.

The letter was sent on the background of President Trump’s declaration of May as “Jewish American Heritage Month” and his call to American Jews to observe Shabbos, and in light of the continued arrests of Bnei Torah in Israel.

In his letter, entitled “Regarding: Urgent Request for the Protection of Yeshiva Students In Israel in Honor of “Jewish American Heritage Month,” Porush began with words of appreciation.

“Dear Mr. Ambassador, In these days, as the United States reverently marks ‘Jewish American Heritage Month,’ we witness the profound respect that the world’s greatest power holds for the Jewish tradition and the eternal contribution of the Jewish people to culture and society.”

“Throughout the generations, the United States has proven itself to be a nation that can be defined as ‘Righteous Among the Nations.’ Today, under the leadership of a true personal friend of the Jewish people, President Donald J Trump – who heads a ‘Kingdom of Kindness’ (‘Malchut Shel Chesed’) – we see an administration that also honors the Torah of the Jewish people, cherishes its values, and works tirelessly for the security and prosperity of the Jewish people.

“Out of this deep appreciation, I find it necessary to reach out to you with a heavy heart regarding a difficult reality occurring specifically here, in the Holy Land. While in the U.S., the government goes out of its way to celebrate and honor the Jewish religion and heritage, in Israel, the military and judicial authorities act in ways of persecution and arrests against Yeshiva students whose sole occupation is Torah study.

“The necessary message is simple and clear: If the American government, through all its branches, finds it appropriate to honor the Jewish religion and respect its values, it is only fitting that the authorities in the State of Israel act with similar respect toward Yeshiva students, who have been the guardians of our people’s eternal flame for thousands of years.

“I appeal to you with the request that the American government exercise its moral influence and call upon the judicial authorities in Israel to immediately and completely cease the arrests of Torah scholars Yeshiva students. There is no more fitting time than ‘Jewish Heritage Month’ to clarify that the protection of Yeshiva students is a supreme Jewish and democratic value.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)