This is no time to be silent, when figures in the government in the State of Israel, under the direction of the Prime Minister, have reared up to defy the Heavenly Kingdom with the intention of uprooting Torah G-d forbid by imposing a criminal sanction upon those who pursue Torah study exclusively to the point of casting them in prison.
We are deeply concerned about the terrible chillul Hashem and humiliation of Torah thereby. We fear the repercussions and are pained over the ongoing and meditated persecution of the Torah world and the incessant attempts to thwart our every step.
In the light of this situation, we have hereby decided:
1. The Moetzes Gedolei veChachmei HaTorah demands that the government rescind its decision regarding coerced military service of students of yeshivos and kollelim, and call upon all students of yeshivos and kollelim not to submit to induction in any form or manner, nor to submit to enticements or punishments of any kind, nor to cooperate with any program for selection of chareidim, but to persevere with their study of Torah.
2. If those religious persecutors succeed in passing legislation for compulsory army duty, the Moetzes will convene to plan its policy and tactics to defy them and will consider forbidding any appearance in the army induction centers [as has been customary until now].
3. The Moetzes Gedolei veChachmei HaTorah demands that the government desist from stifling and constricting the Torah world but rather assist in helping Torah and educational institutions flourish in Eretz Yisroel along the timeworn path established by our leaders.
4. The Moetzes Gedolei veChachmei HaTorah appeals to the myriads of Jews with a call: "We have no resort other than this Torah." Torah study and mitzvah observance through purity and sanctity are our people's protective bastion in every place and settlement against troubles and tribulation. They will help us through the difficult times facing Jewry everywhere, regarding both the community and the private individual, whether for the soul or the body. We must fortify ourselves tenfold in Torah study, in keeping the mitzvos and in all of the stringencies thereof.
5. The Moetzes Gedolei veChachmei HaTorah calls upon all our Jewish brethren everywhere, in Eretz Yisroel and abroad, to grasp onto the skill of our ancestors and to convene all Jews, adults and children, to plead and beseech our heavenly Father to show mercy upon us like a father for his children, and we hereby declare that all those deeply concerned and apprehensive for the future gather together in prayer and public protest on Sunday, the thirtieth of Adar Alef, 5774 (March 2), and create a tremendous Kiddush Hashem against the desecration of His Name being perpetrated by the uprooters of the faith.
May Hashem Yisborach hear our outcry and receive our prayers for mercy and favor, and speed up our redemption and extricate us from tribulation to respite and from darkness to a great light, speedily and in our days. Amen
Signed
