Thousands of Sephardic Charedim are expected to gather Monday night in Bnei Brak for a mass protest against the arrest and imprisonment of yeshiva bochrim who have been jailed for refusing to enlist in the IDF.

The rally will be led by former Sephardic Chief Rabbi, Hagaon HaRav Yitzhak Yosef, together with several senior Sephardic rabbanim.

Ahead of the demonstration, leading Sephardic rabbanim—including Hagaon HaRav Moshe Maya and Hagaon HaRav Shlomo Machpud, as well as Hagaon HaRav Nissim Ben Shimon—issued a public letter urging widespread participation.

In the letter, the rabbanim described Israel’s draft laws and enforcement efforts as “decrees of spiritual persecution” that threaten Torah learning and strongly condemned the imprisonment of yeshiva bochrim recently arrested by the Military Police.

“They are being imprisoned simply because they study Torah in Eretz Yisroel. Every individual has an obligation to protest,” the letter states, adding that harm to a person’s spiritual life is more severe than physical harm.

The protest is scheduled to begin at 9:30 p.m. along Eshel Avraham and Rabinov streets in the Ramat Elchanan and Ramat Aharon neighborhoods of Bnei Brak. Police expect major traffic disruptions and changes to public transportation in the area.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)