Yahadut HaTorah has established a tent outside Ramle’s Massiyahu Prison in solidarity with the Emanuel inmates. Yahadut HaTorah MKs are present on Sunday, including Knesset Finance Committee Chairman MK Moshe Gafne, and Deputy Minister Meir Porush.

The tent is set up about 50 meters (yards) from the prison entrance, and it is fully equipped, with air conditioning and other electric/electronic necessities to permit officials to maintain their offices from the location.

MK Gafne visited the prisoners upon his arrival on Sunday, telling reporters that conditions are not pleasant, and despite the difficult hot weather, the men are only permitted one fan, and there is no air conditioning. They do however have access to an open yard so there is contact between the fathers.

Gafne told reporters that “I believe this occurred as a result of the policies of the government, and if Daniel Friedman was the justice minister, the court would not have been brazen enough to send the parents to jail as it did”.

If one calls the cell phones of the fathers, many have changed their outgoing message to read something like “Shalom, I am unavailable. I decided to be MeKadesh Shem Shomayim and remain in prison for the next two weeks”.

Meretz MK Nitzan Horowitz did not waste time to comment to the media, explaining that if Porush and his colleagues are so disenchanted with the secular state and its judicial system, they should kindly resign from their Knesset and cabinet posts. Horowitz also condemns the use of public funds to pay for such rebellious and unwanted activities, but Deputy Minister Porush explains no money whatsoever is coming from the Ministry of Education budget.

Deputy Meir Porush stated that the tent already serves his needs, MK Gafne’s and the party. Porush added that while there remain differences of opinion between the Ashkenazim and Sephardim, Porush welcomes Sephardim to the tent to join the solidarity effort outside the prison.

It should be added that in his motzei shabbos drasha, Maran Rav Ovadia Yosef Shlita stated it was a mistake to bring the matter to the nation’s High Court of Justice.

It should be pointed out that Minister of Education Gideon Saar, Porush’s employer so to speak, turned to Porush asking him not to move his office to the prison. The deputy minister explained his position and party responsibilities to the minister, who he feels may still not be in agreement, but at least he is now capable of understanding what compels his actions. Porush adds that he does not plan to ask for funds from the Ministry of Education, so those who are opposed to his actions should be aware he is not spending taxpayer funds to maintain his presence outside the prison.

When asked if he believes that this entire matter places his party in a weakened political light with voters since he as deputy minister of education failed to avoid the snowballing of the Emanuel case, Porush explained “Even if one was a supreme court judge it would not help. One would have to be Justice Edmond Levy himself since it appears that he and he alone makes the decisions in this case”.

Attorney Mordechai Green explained at 1:00pm that he is waiting for a decision from the High Court that addresses the mothers. The petition calls on the court to change its decision and not compel the mothers to serve a two-week prison sentence for the good of the children, explaining there are some 250 children involved and sending the mothers is contrary to their interests.

Green points out there is no formal request to release the fathers, but as a result of his request to release the mothers of the two-week sentence, it is understood the court may also release the fathers. He stresses that despite media reports to the contrary, there is no formal request to release the fathers.

Green stresses that above all, “eyes are turned towards our Heavenly Father for assistance” but he is doing his utmost within the system. The fathers he points out are well-equipped to serve their sentence, with the realization of the justification of their battle.

As YWN-ISRAEL closes this report, the chareidi community awaits the High Court ruling regarding the Emanuel women.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)