Maran Hagaon Rav Chaim Kanievsky advised that yeshivos and chadorim in Eretz Yisroel be reopened on Sunday.
Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu publicly disagreed with the gadol hador, telling the chareidi community not to do so and to stay locked down.
Some restrictions, including the reopening of preschools and daycare for children up to age 6, were planned for Sunday, but more than that, said Netanyahu, should not be done. Netanyahu even went the route of invoking the Torah in making his pronouncement. “I am requesting of the chareidi community not to do this. I am requesting of the chareidi leaders not to do this. The Torah sanctifies life and doing this endangers life.”
Netanyahu piled on, claiming that the Israeli authorities – including Israeli police who have already violently and publically beat up and abused chareidi children during the draconian Covid lockdown measures – would enforce all restrictions, without mercy. “We are going to use all legal means according to our abilities,” he said.
Rav Chaim is boruch Hashem recovered from Covid-19.
It should be noted that all yeshivos and chadorim that planned to reopen have been adhering and will adhere to the strictest social distancing measures and limiting the number of talmidim per room, as per the gedolim’s directives, but Netanyahu didn’t seem to care.
All schools in Eretz Yisroel have been closed for almost a month since Israel entered a second lockdown on September 18 to try to slow an alleged increase in Covid-19 infections.
Rav Chaim’s directive came after no decision was reached by the Health Ministry and the positivity rate is down to just 4% across the country. Rav Chaim and Rav Gershon Edelstein, rosh yeshivas Ponovezh, felt that the limud haTorah of yeshivos must resume.
Sephardic schools and yeshivos operating under the Shas network will not open yet, until the nosi of the Moetzet Chachmei Hatorah, Rav Shalom Cohen, feels comfortable with an arrangement settled with governmental authorities.
Netanyahu threatened that he will enforce the lockdown and give out summonses and fines and, if necessary, even arrests.
{Matzav.com Israel News Bureau}
It’s time we take our Torah back. Enough with the bare headed pork eating chelonim pushing us around. This is an eis laasos. Me lashem ailuy?
BS”D
Listen to Rav Chaim N.Y. principals.
P.S. And throw away the masks.
The government placed bochurim that had the virus in Chevron yehsiva over sukohs so that they did not go home and infect their families. They had a simchas bais hashoevah there every night and in the videos of the “sick” bochurim dancing at those simchohs bais hashoevah they look as strong and healthy as bochurim can be. They are “sick” only in the technical sense that they have a virus inside them. So while Netanyahu says that “doing this endangers life”, the reality shows us that this is not the case and that the virus does not pose any danger to bochurim. And what is true for bochurim is even more so for kids.
If a bocher was feeling sick enough that he would be at risk, do you really think he would be at the bais hashoeva dancing?
Beyond heartbreaking
In what way?