MK Yaakov Asher delivered a forceful and unusually candid address at the Bnei Yeshivah Conference organized by HaIchud, declaring that the struggle facing the Torah world is nothing less than a religious battle while emphasizing that the chareidi community will remain firmly guided by Torah principles and the direction of Gedolei Yisroel.

Speaking at the gathering held at Yerushalayim’s Dan Hotel, Asher addressed growing concerns within the chareidi public over the challenges confronting yeshivah students, Torah institutions, and religious education. He stressed that despite the mounting pressure, the community’s response would remain rooted in Torah values and absolute adherence to rabbinic leadership.

During his remarks, Asher sought to reassure attendees who are worried about the future and the direction of current events.

“We are living through a time when people are asking what will be and are genuinely concerned,” he said. “As Degel HaTorah chairman MK Moshe Gafni has said, I do not believe that, in the history of the chareidi perspective, we have ever experienced a period like this. But one thing we do know: what you are doing here, and what is being built through your efforts—the preservation of the Torah world, support for bnei Torah, and strengthening the observance of mitzvos—is the force that sustains us. The war we are facing today is a religious war, and we are not sitting quietly. Not us, not those who bear public responsibility, and not the Gedolei Yisroel, who are concerned about every detail and guide us in the path we must follow.”

Asher went on to outline what he described as the proper framework for the public struggle ahead, insisting that any response must remain within the boundaries established by Torah leadership and rejecting calls for independent or extreme action.

He emphasized that the battle over the future of the chareidi community and its educational system would be fought through spiritual and educational means, without compromising the values that define the Torah world.

“We will wage this struggle in our way—in the way of Torah, in the way of bnei Torah. We will protect our children, we will protect our education, and we will not endanger the education of our children for any goal. We will know how to fight, we will know how to stand up for what is ours, and with Hashem’s help we will also see salvation. But we will do so while preserving the Torah and the image of the ben Torah. We will not become militias, and we will not lose our way. We will proceed exactly as Gedolei Yisroel instruct us, and that is what guides us. This power of Torah, of yiras Shamayim, and of the character of bnei Torah—is the strength from which the Jewish people draw their power. And with Hashem’s help, we will soon merit the fulfillment of the posuk: ‘יָקוּמוּ וְיָפוּצוּ אויְבֶיךָ וְיָנֻסוּ מְשַׂנְאֶיךָ מִפָּנֶיךָ.’”

{Matzav.com}