A massive atzeres tefillah led by Sephardi Gedolei HaTorah, Chachamim and Rabbanim will be held on Thursday against the draft decree looming over the Olam HaTorah in Eretz Yisrael. The atzeres, which will take place at 3 p.m. at the intersection of Rechov Yechezkel and Rechov Shmuel HaNavi in Jerusalem, will be headed by Zakein Roshei HaYeshivos HaGaon HaRav Moshe Tzadka, who will deliver the main address. The atzeres is being held to daven against the decrees of Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara and the Supreme Court against the Olam HaTorah,  especially the recruitment decree. Sephardi Rabbanim are particularly worried about the Supreme Court’s ruling mandating the recruitment of bnei yeshivos as they are concerned the draft law will disproportionately affect Sephardi youth. One of the advertisements for the atzeres, titled “לא תקום פעמיים צרה” reminded the Sephardi sector about the hundreds of thousands of Sephardi Jews who were cut off from Torah and mitvos after moving to Israel in the 1950s. “But then, with the great mesirus nefesh of Sephardi Gedolim and Chachamim, who established mosdos chinuch, shuls, yeshivos, and kollelim, the Sephardi Olam HaTorah slowly grew and flourished once again.” “But now…the authorities want to cut the Eitz HaChayim down and throw the young generation into the melting pot of the army, which will not only stop the wonderful growth but will chalilah lead to the secularization of the next generation.” “לא יקום ולא יהיה! It’s enough what happened in the past. It’s enough that tens of thousands of Sephardim are still far from the Derech HaTorah and you want to chalilah destroy the embers saved from the fire? No and no! Under no circumstance will we allow the same tzarah to occur again!” Another advertisement for the atzeres features a letter from HaGaon HaRav Ovadia Yosef, z’tl, and HaGaon HaRav Yitzchak Kaduri, z’tl, stating that it is an issur chamur for any frum bochur, even if they are currently not enrolled in a yeshivah, to join the army.”   (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)