Thousands Gather in Bnei Brak to Protest Arrests of Sephardic Yeshiva Students

Thousands of Sephardic Torah scholars and community members from Mizrahi backgrounds are set to convene in Bnei Brak on Monday evening for a large prayer rally protesting the arrest and imprisonment of yeshiva students. The event, scheduled for 9:30 PM along Eshkol Avraham and Rabbi Rabinov streets, will be led by Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef, the Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel, alongside prominent rabbis, yeshiva heads, and community leaders.

Senior members of the Council of Torah Sages, including Rabbi Moshe Maya, Rabbi Shlomo Mahpud, and Rabbi Nissim Ben Shimon, issued a call to participate under the banner "Gather all the Jews." They condemned the spiritual persecution and harsh treatment of Torah scholars imprisoned in military jails, emphasizing the sacred duty of every Jew to protest these actions. They described the arrests as a disgrace and a threat to the sanctity of Torah study in the Holy Land.

Last week, Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef released a recorded message to the detained yeshiva students, sharply criticizing the arrests as discriminatory and targeting mainly Sephardic learners. He accused the right-wing government of imposing unjust decrees against Torah scholars and called for a complete protest against the humiliation of Torah. Rabbi Yosef urged the authorities to release the students and allow them to continue their studies in peace, asserting that those engaged in Torah study should be exempt from military service.

The rally reflects growing tensions between religious communities and the Israeli government over the conscription of yeshiva students, particularly from Sephardic backgrounds, who feel disproportionately targeted. Organizers stress the event as a sacred obligation and call on all Torah observant Jews to attend without exception.