Rabbis visit Yitzhar family’s tent in show of support

Tuesday, July 5, 2016, 11:52 After spending Shabbat in the Ramat Amidar neighborhood of Ramat Gan in a tent, the Yitzhar minor’s family set up a tent in Jerusalem on Monday, July 4 in the Kiryat Moshe neighborhood near Yeshivat Mercaz HaRav Kook. Noted rabbis and many residents of the neighborhood came to the tent to express support for the family and protest the order banning a 15-year old youth from his own home.
Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, the Chief Rabbi of Tzfat, visited the tent on Monday, July 4, and said that the initiative of families of murdered terror attack victims to have the families of terrorists distanced by administrative orders did not succeed, whereas such orders are being served to Jews.
“The families of the victims of terror attacks murdered over the past year turned to the Prime Minister and demanded that the terrorists’ families be distanced by administrative order,” said Rabbi Eliyahu to the minor’s family. “[The authorities] told them that it was illegal and disproportionate and not fair and unethical, but with Jews they act as if they are big heroes. This is backwards. Our Sages said that a man must be resolute against his enemies and merciful with his own people, not the opposite. We call on the Israeli government to be resolute against enemies and not against brothers and not to serve them with accusatory administrative orders, without any trial and without any proof,” said Rabbi Eliyahu and added that, “We very strongly support you.”
Rabbi Yosef Bedihi, who for many years was Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda Kook’s personal aide, accompanied Rabbi Eliyahu to the tent. Rabbi Bedihi expressed warm support for the family and said that, “Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda was the ‘first hilltop youth’, when at the age of 84 he participated in the first attempts to build Jewish communities in the Shomron [after the Six Day War] in Hawara.”
On the morning of Tuesday, July 5, Rabbi Yitzhak Shapira, the head of Yeshivat Od Yosef Chai visited the tent and said that. “It is written about the Prophet Elisha that he turned the bitter water to sweet. Also here we see how Elisha [the minor] and his family are taking a situation and turning it from bitter to sweet.” Rabbi Shapira added words of praise for the family and their steadfastness.
On the afternoon of Tuesday, July 5, the Petah Tikva Magistrate Court is expected to announce its decision on the conditions of the minor’s administrative order. Honenu Attorney Chai Haber, who is representing the minor, stated that the order is scandalous and illegal and therefore the police demands should be rejected out of hand.
See more about police harassment here and unreasonable demands on the minor here.