Rabbi Elbaz Decries Persecution of Torah Scholars Amid Arrests
Thousands attended a Selichot (penitential prayers) service at the Ohr Hachaim yeshiva in Jerusalem on Tuesday night, where its Rosh Yeshiva, Rabbi Reuven Elbaz, a member of the Council of Torah Sages, delivered an emotional address.
Rabbi Elbaz expressed deep pain over the arrests of yeshiva students and Kollel (post-graduate Torah study) members, which he attributed to the absence of a conscription law. He pleaded for an end to these actions, questioning the authorities' focus on Torah scholars.
"Stop, all sorts of daycare centers, mortgages, stop! What do you have against the children of the Torah? Without the Torah, you would never have existed," Rabbi Elbaz declared. He emphasized that Torah study is what sustains the Jewish people and the State of Israel, warning that without it, there would be no nation or Jews, citing historical examples of Jewish communities that disappeared.
He urged attendees to demonstrate love, brotherhood, and friendship, stating, "The people of Israel, we are all brothers, to live in love."
The event took place amid ongoing discussions and legal challenges surrounding the exemption of Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) men from military service.
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