Special gatherings were held all over the country for general chizuk with particular attention to the destructive effects of modern technology. One of these was held in Ramot at the Mishkan Shraga beis medrash at the yeshiva bein hazmanim held there.
Opening the event were the poignant words of chizuk by HaRav Asher Arieli shlita, one of the roshei yeshiva of Yeshivas Mir. "With the sanction of maranan verabbonon, the Mara de'Asra HaRav Shlomo Neiman, I come in the name of HaRav Chaim Kanievsky, who designated me as his proxy to address this matter. I asked him if his words wouldn't result in the bitul Torah of yeshiva students now, during bein hazmanim, and he replied, `Even so!'"
"We are lately experiencing an intensification and renewal of the golus phenomenon, no less than that of the period of Haskalah and Reform. I say this with precision and clarity. The `despicable devices' are to be found everywhere, in every possible shape and form, and the temptation is great and terrible. Here, the evil decree has penetrated within; no one is exerting pressure from the outside. We are not only talking about the temptation of individuals or of marginal elements of our society but within our very ranks, among our precious avreichim, and it is a bloody battle. The Sitra Achara is using its most powerful weapons, all the decadence and degeneracy in the world via one device, and this infiltrates our chareidi camp and the Torah world everywhere.
"One cannot remain indifferent in such a situation. The messengers of the Sitra Achra have declared an all-out open war and we must meet the enemy head on. The very existence of our holy Torah is at stake, and the battle is critical and tough. The first resource is prayer, to arouse heavenly compassion. But we also need action to justify heavenly intervention. If, for example, a yeshiva student is rooming with another who has access to these devices, he must flee from the room and duly inform his roshei yeshiva.
"I cannot fathom how such a bochur can be allowed to be called up to the Torah or how he can recite `asher bochar bonu mikol ho'amim' at the selfsame time that he embraces the very weaponry of the enemy. For this is the very will of the Sitra Achra, that we possess those devilish devices. Protesting and reporting their use can sometimes border on self-sacrifice and considerable unpleasantness, but this is what Hashem is demanding of us. Those who argue that they use these devices for purposes of livelihood must take stock and reevaluate if this is really a legitimate effort of economic hishtadlus. It is treif! How can one presume to thus satisfy the duty of hishtadlus for one's livelihood is such fashion!
"In these times, a person can choose sides and determine his entire future. Does he ally himself with Hashem or, G-d forbid, otherwise. Our leaders have come out explicitly with the ruling of `Let him be killed rather than succumb.' And they mean it explicitly and unequivocally."
