Members of Shas's Moetzet Chachmei HaTorah convened an emergency gathering in Jerusalem with some 200 roshei yeshiva, rabbanim, heads of institutions and shul gabbaim ahead of Israel's upcoming elections, calling on every ben Torah to mobilize for the party's success in what they termed a fateful campaign.
The Chief Sephardic Rabbi of Israel, HaRav Yitzchak Yosef shlita, led the Moetzet members at the event. Joining him were HaRav Avraham Salim shlita, rosh yeshiva of Maor HaTorah; HaRav Shmuel Betzalel shlita, rosh yeshiva of Porat Yosef; HaRav Reuven Elbaz shlita, rosh yeshiva of Ohr HaChaim; HaRav Yehuda Cohen shlita, rosh yeshiva of Yekirei Yerushalayim; and HaRav Shlomo Machpud shlita, gaavad of Yoreh Deah.
Dozens of additional roshei yeshiva and community rabbanim attended, including HaGaavad HaRav Shmuel Zaafrani shlita; HaRav Zion Cohen shlita, rosh yeshiva of Avnei Nezer; HaRav Chaim Cohen shlita, rosh yeshiva of Be'er HaTalmud; HaRav Yosef Siton shlita, rosh yeshiva of Mishkan Chaim; HaRav Baruch Tzvi Aton shlita, rosh yeshiva of Reishit Chochmah; HaRav David Avraham shlita, head of Mif'alot HaChinuch institutions and rosh yeshiva of Binyan Av; HaRav Shlomo Beitan shlita, rosh yeshiva of Daat Chaim; HaRav Moshe Tzur shlita, president of Yeshivat Eish HaTalmud; HaRav Yosef Lasri shlita, rosh yeshiva of Eish HaTalmud; HaRav Ovadia Yosef shlita, rosh yeshiva of Ohel Yosef; HaRav Yosef Yonah shlita, rav of the Givat Shaul neighborhood; HaRav Yosef Ben Amram shlita of Givat Shaul; HaRav Moshe Sasson shlita, rosh yeshiva of Mevakshei Torah; HaRav Yitzchak Chaim Suissa shlita, rosh yeshiva of Torah VaDaat and of Levaker BeHeichalo; HaRav Yosef Shiloni shlita, rosh yeshiva of Darchei David; and HaRav Moshe Toledano shlita, among many other community rabbanim, institutional heads and shul gabbaim.
Shas chairman Aryeh Deri attended, along with MK Michael Malchieli, Shas secretary-general MK Chaim Biton, Jerusalem deputy mayors Tzvi Cohen and Chaim Cohen, and city council members Ariel Golan and Yosef Chaim Moalem.
In their remarks, the rabbanim emphasized the gravity of the moment and the responsibility resting on every individual to mobilize for Shas's electoral success. "This is a fateful campaign for the future of the Torah world and of Yiddishkeit," they said. "There is an all-out war by the left against everything holy to Israel. They want to uproot it all. No one has the right to stand on the sidelines. Every single person must go out and vote, and work to influence those around him to vote for Shas, in order to strengthen the power of Torah, to protect those who learn Torah, and to preserve the Jewish identity of the state."
