The Draft - Latest Developments

The situation in Eretz Yisroel regarding the forced conscription continues to develop at a dizzying pace.

The Zionist forces, after the brief hiatus over Sukkos, returned to their attempts to force anti-religious coercion upon religious boys, and over the last few nights the military police arrived at homes seeking their prey. In traditionally religious neighborhoods they are usually repelled by protesters, specifically through the "Tzeva Shachor" phone system to which a staggering 60,000 traditionally religious Jews around Eretz Yisroel have signed up to and receive real-time alerts of attempted arrests in their locality, but religious boys who reside in non-traditionally religious areas are more vulnerable.

In the middle Tuesday night (Wednesday morning) military police arrived at the homes of at least five yeshiva religious boys living in non-traditionally religious areas. It is assumed that this raid was scheduled to be able to locate them before they went to yeshiva on Thursday, as the police so far avoid entering yeshivos. Of the targets, two were not found, but three of them were located and arrested in their homes. Two of them, Yair Tirosh (Yeshivas Itri) and Ariel Rozensweig (Yeshivas Neve Eretz), turned to Agudas Bnei Hayeshivos, an aid organization which hired for them the famous lawyer Stauber, who has been involved in fighting for yeshiva religious boys for many years. Boruch HaShem they were released the next day.

Of special note is that Rosensweig’s arrest had an added element of brutality as he was actually in the week of shiva for his father, a fact which did not deter the Zionist police thugs from dragging him from his bed in the middle of the night.

The third bochur, on the other hand, Ariel Shammai, originally from a non-traditionally religious family but currently learning in a very mainstream and well-connected yeshiva, Ateres Shlomo (Sorotzkin), was judged and sentenced to 20 days in military jail. The atrocity of sentencing a yeshiva bochur to a jail sentence for the sole "crime" of remaining true to the Torah and refusing to submit to anti-religious coercion puts the State of Israel squarely in the place it belongs as an anti-Jewish persecutor, alongside all those who persecuted The Jewish people over our long galus.

As is well-known, the IDF hunters focus exclusively on "weaker" targets – meaning those who come from non-traditionally religious backgrounds and not from well-connected established traditionally religious families. For that reason Shammai was also considered a better potential victim, despite that he now learns in such a well-connected yeshiva. As many have noted, the victims of the midnight raids over the last year are overwhelmingly Sefardi, because the IDF – a deeply racist entity which is controlled by leftist Ashkenazim – hope that there will be less backlash over the persecution of Sefardim as opposed to Ashkenazim. Of course, Torah-true Jews reject in the strongest of terms any differentiation, and are appalled by any suggestion that one Yid could be worth less than another over ethnic roots – a notion rooted in the heresy of classic Zionism which reduces "The Jewish people" into an ethnic group like any other.

Yeshivas Ateres Shlomo held a protest outside the prison Wednesday night attended by their religious boys and roshei yeshiva, as well as Rabbi Moshe Hillel Hirsch, rosh yeshiva of Slabodka. In a deliberately provocative move to stress the injustice of the arrest, the event featured banners and signs which protested the "hostage-taking" of Shammai, complete with the yellow "hostages" symbol. Rav Chaim Feinstein, one of the roshei yeshiva (grandson of the Brisker Rov) gave an uncharastically emotional address in which he spoke at length about the unique qualities of his talmid Ariel Shammai, and encouraged him to stay strong in captivity.

Maran Posek Hador Rav Moshe Sternbuch spoke over the telephone at the protest and stressed the severity of the situation, where the Zionist State has declared an all-out open war upon the Torah.

Early Thursday morning reports spread of yet another police raid. In Be'er Sheva, the "Tzeva Shachor" alarm system alerted protesters in the middle of the night - many who sped in cars from Ofakim - and ultimately the police retreated without their prey. In Ramle, however, two brothers of family Jacobov were arrested, and joined the lengthening list of traditionally religious boys and men in Zionist captivity.

The general atmosphere in the traditionally religious community is of unrest over the events. According to a recording circulating, the roshei yeshiva of Slabodka, Rabbi Landau and Rabbi Hirsch, have decided on a mass gathering to take place on Sunday, although this has not been confirmed.

// GIBBOREI CHAYIL - HEROES OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE

As will be remembered, before Tisha B'av three Gibborei Chayil were arrested while preventing the destruction of kevorim in the town Yahud. Gibborei Chayil are those from the kehillos of the Eida Traditionally religiouss who ceased all cooperation with the IDF authorities even when it was possible to easily receive an exemption (the equivalent of the Bnei Aliyah movement begun by Rav Shmuel Aurbach). Today it is widely acknowledged that has this step been more widely taken the situation would never have reached the state it is today.

Of the three, Reb Dovid Menachem Mintzberg was released at the beginning of Elul.

The second, Reb Aryeh Mordechai Rabinowitz, was suddenly released without warning this Monday, after 91 days in captivity. According to reports, the prison authorities found it too difficult to hold such a strong-willed and determined prisoner, who despite being in solitary confinement (to avoid having to dress with a military uniform) succeeded in constantly spreading messages of encouragement and Jewish faith to other prisoners. His release was greeting with tremendous celebration.

Only two days later (Wednesday), the third Gibor Chayil, Reb Elazar Tzadok Kaufman, was sentenced to 200 days in prison - a long time by all accounts but still less than what was feared. As almost half the sentence has already passed since his arrest, there remains still over three months, unless some of it gets deducted "for good behavior" as often happens. Reb Kaufman was also formally declared "unsuitable" for military service over his anti-Zionist views, making him unable to serve in the IDF even if he would want to... Reb Kaufman is a grandson of Reb Yisroel Meir Kaufman, one of the elder members of the Neturei Karta Ohel Sarah kehilla, and well-known to countless religious boys from abroad (especially those who learned in the Mir) for his longstanding Shabbos "open house" on Shmuel Hanovi street.

HISTORIC RALLY IN MANHATTAN

The impact of the immense rally against the IDF anti-religious coercion that was held in Manhattan on Sunday outside the Israeli consulate continues to reverberate. The tens of thousands of attendees sent a strong message of protest against the draconian actions of the Zionist forces.

As could be expected, the rally was opposed by Zionist-aligned American Jewish politicians, including Orthodox ones, some of whom attempted to prevent the event being approved by the police. In much of the semi-frum press the rally is referred to exclusively as a "Satmar" event, despite the fact that it featured an address from Rav Yaakov Horowitz (Member of Moetzes Gedolei Hatorah of Agudas Yisroel of America), and Kabbolas Ol Malchus Shomayim from the Bobov-45 Rebbe, as well as the fact that it comes after a very similar rally in Lakewood before Yom Kippur.

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