Tens of thousands of precious cheder boys gathered this past Friday to participate in prayer meetings in shuls and botei medrash throughout chareidi enclaves in Eretz Yisroel and the Diaspora for fervent pleading before the Creator that He have compassion on His people and abolish the decree threatening the very existence of the Torah world in the Holy Land through the drafting of bnei yeshiva, a law expressly intended to topple the yeshiva-kollel world, G-d forbid.
These prayer sessions took place throughout the Jewish world per the directive of HaRav Aharon Leib Shteinman and HaRav Shmuel Halevi Wosner, as they expressing in a special letter appearing in this newspaper calling upon all communities through the land and the Diaspora to plead for the abolishment of this disastrous decree.
Their letter was addressed: "To all the principles of chadorim and elementary schools of Jewish children here and abroad and to the gabboim of all shuls inclusive:
"We are aware that the Measure of Judgment is taut, and that the very existence of Torah is in the balance, for they seek to uproot Torah from our midst The Torah itself is appealing to us: Pray and plead exceedingly before our Revered and Holy Maker Who gave us the Torah. We know the power of Jewish children who haven't tasted of sinå
""We therefore request that all Jewish children everywhere stand on Erev Shabbos Parshas Pinchos for twenty minutes to implore and appeal in prayer, in each place at the proper time."
The gedolei Yisroel concluded their public request with a moving cry: "Our power lies only in our mouths. `Those [come] in chariots, but we come in the Name of Hashem.' We must storm the gates of Heaven because our lives are at stake. 'We shall rise up and be reassured.' Hashem will surely hearken to our cries and hasten our redemption."
