Gedolim call emergency Bnei Brak rally Sunday for Torah

United Torah Judaism will hold its main pre-election rally in Bnei Brak on Sunday, led by the chareidi community’s most senior rabbis, in what the party is presenting as a decisive show of strength before Tuesday’s vote.

The rally, titled “To Assemble and Stand for Our Lives,” will begin at 7:15 p.m. on Derech Em HaMoshavot at the Rav Landau Bridge, near the Sofrim complex and next to Kiryat Herzog. Public transportation will be expanded from Haredi communities across the country, and additional trains will run to the nearby Bnei Brak station to handle the expected crowds.

Ahead of the event, the leading rabbis issued a letter calling on every chareidi Jew to treat attending as a sacred obligation. The letter cites what it describes as the persecution of the Torah world and yeshiva students, and urges the public to strengthen United Torah Judaism, which appears on the ballot under the letter Gimel.

“It is a time of trouble for Jacob, but from it he will be saved,” the letter begins, quoting the Book of Yirmiyahu. “We call on all chareidim devoted to the word of God to see it as a sacred duty to take part in the emergency gathering in Bnei Brak this coming Sunday, for the rescue of the Torah and the strengthening of United Torah Judaism’s list, Gimel, ahead of the elections.”

“At this time of trouble, when the Torah world is insulted and Torah scholars are persecuted, no one can stand aside,” the rabbis wrote. “It is an obligation to show up and act with all our strength for the Torah and those who study it.”

The letter closes with a blessing for those who attend, promising them divine help and success, and children and grandchildren who will grow up righteous, God-fearing and devoted to Torah study.

Organizers said the rally has been approved by Israel Police and asked attendees to follow the instructions of marshals and security personnel. Derech Em HaMoshavot will be closed to traffic during the event, and a section will be set aside for media and representatives of various organizations.

In recent weeks, leading heads of yeshivas have toured the country to rally supporters. This week, Rabbi Dov Landau and Rabbi Moshe Hillel Hirsch traveled through northern Israel, addressing three large gatherings in Harish, Haifa and Afula attended by thousands of yeshiva students.