MK Gafni: Government Persecution of Yeshiva Students Echo Roman Oppression

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United Torah Judaism MK Rabbi Moshe Gafni sharply criticized the government on Thursday, comparing its recent policies toward yeshiva students to the actions of the Romans, who sought to prevent the Jewish people from learning Torah. Speaking at a Vaad Hayeshivos conference in Kibbutz Chafetz Chaim, Gafni declared, “We will not allow this to happen, and we will fight with all our strength.”

The Degel HaTorah chairman expressed confidence in the future of the Torah community, stating, “The Torah world will not only continue and remain strong — it will grow even more, and it will be the one leading the Jewish people.”

Gafni stressed that “the Jewish people cannot exist without Torah students,” arguing that many who push for Charedi enlistment are not genuinely concerned about IDF manpower needs, but rather want to see his party leave the coalition, something United Torah Judaism has already done.

“It’s not that we love this partnership — it’s a partnership in which we don’t see our partners fighting for us,” he said, adding that the “traditional public… is with us.”

Degel HaTorah and Agudas Yisrael together form United Torah Judaism. Along with the Shas party, UTJ has been advocating for legislation that would allow most Charedi men to continue their Torah study without interruption from military or national service requirements.

UTJ withdrew from the government after receiving a draft of a proposed enlistment bill prepared by then-Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Yuli Edelstein, which it said broke a compromise reached in June. Shas also left the government shortly after, though both parties have remained part of the coalition.

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