Rabbi Shabtai Levi Explains Why Political Signs Were Banned at Massive Bnei Brak Torah Protest
A massive rally took place in Bnei Brak last night, drawing tens of thousands of Torah scholars and led by Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, the Chief Rabbi of Israel. Rabbi Shabtai Levi, the chief organizer and head of the "Halikhot Moshe" institutions, spoke in a special interview on Kol Barama radio about the motivations behind the protest and the controversies surrounding it. The rally was held to protest the arrests of yeshiva students and the perceived attempts to forcibly integrate ultra-Orthodox men into the Israeli army, which Rabbi Levi described as a threat to Torah study and religious life.
Rabbi Levi emphasized that the army does not truly need ultra-Orthodox recruits and that the goal is to secularize them. He stated, "The army framework is not suitable for us, and even the army itself says it does not want us. They want to assimilate us so that the Haredi boy becomes secular eventually." He asserted that Torah scholars are the true foundation of the state and criticized the government's approach to conscription.
Regarding attempts by some participants to display political signs against Shas party leader Aryeh Deri during the rally, Rabbi Levi said he immediately ordered their removal to keep the event apolitical and focused on Torah and the arrests. He praised the unity among Haredi public representatives who attended and condemned the secular media for focusing on minor disruptions.
Rabbi Levi also addressed the controversy over harsh remarks made by Rabbi Yazdi against the IDF Chief of Staff during the event. While disavowing the offensive language, he contextualized it as protest against the military institution rather than a personal attack, comparing it to past sharp criticisms by leading rabbis against political figures.
He further described troubling conditions faced by Haredi soldiers and detainees, including forced exposure to women in military units and degrading treatment in military prisons. Rabbi Levi called for a rabbinically supervised framework for those who enlist, which the army refuses, as he believes the real aim is to secularize the Haredi community rather than integrate it respectfully.
