Throughout the entire world, a stormy and horrified reaction is being voiced at the passing of the new Israeli government law which, in the main, is geared to impose sanctions of criminal punishment to the drastic point of imprisonment of Torah students and kollel avreichim who ask only to be permitted to pursue their study and will refuse to be mobilized either to the army or to civil service in any form. The heads of Jewish communities expressed their shock at the passing of the bill which also includes, among other things, acute economic sanctions against yeshivos and kollelim whose students refuse to be referred to above service.
Heads of Jewish communities throughout the world expressed sharp condemnation against this law, noting that no country in the world has forbidden Torah study, whereas, shockingly, the government in Eretz Yisroel has decided to close down the yeshivos and even to imprison Torah scholars. Many rabbinical figures, it should be noted, who are not necessarily affiliated with the chareidi camp, voiced their horrified objections to these measures.
In the words of Rabbi Meir Porush in Monday's Knesset session: "The Israeli government has stabbed the back of chareidi Judaism, and we declare that this government has no authority to make decisions contrary to our lifestyle. You will not succeed in forcing [this] upon us. Whoever is familiar with the history of chareidi Jewry will understand that in this battle, we shall surely win. Our determination to be connected to the Torah shall surely overcome and surmount the evil spirit ruling over this wicked government. Habayit Hayehudi Party has already consumed the Jewish home and occupies the primary role in the attempt to destroy the chareidi home."
MK Rabbi Gafni said in the Knesset: "If anyone thinks that this law will lead to even one person shutting his gemara and ceasing to study Torah — he is sorely mistaken."
MK Rabbi Maklev commented: "We believe, know and declare emphatically that the illustrious Torah world shall continue to exist and flourish even under the coercive necessity of self-sacrifice."
MK Rabbi Asher said: "We shall continue with Torah study and no one shall prevent us from fulfilling our obligation towards this value which is the merit that has protected us for thousands of years."
