On July 27, The United Talmudical Academy [UTA] elementary school of Monsey, NY, joined the world Jewish community in opposition to the state of Israel and its actions.

Hundreds of students gathered in a rally where speeches where delivers. followed by a march to protest the recent Israeli forced draft and recent Israeli police brutality

following is the text of the speech

We have gathered here today, as Yashiva students of Monsey, New York, to protest the recent forced conscription by Israeli government into their army. The Israeli government has passed a law that all boys from our community must serve in their army.

Many Orthodox boys and girls are currently sitting in Israeli prisons because of their refusal to enlist in the army. And when our community tries to protest against it, they are attacked by the Israeli police. Innocent people who stand up for their beliefs are being brutalized.

Why are they doing this? They want to us to abandon our religion and to become like them. Not only do they want us to approve of their complete denial and violation of the entire Torah,– they want us to act on it too: join their army and fight in their wars. They want to force us to violate the Torah.

But our youth in the Holy Land are resisting at the risk of their lives. We will not change our beliefs. We will not abandon our Torah values!

For 2000 years since the destruction of the Temple, we have accepted G-d’s decree of exile. We followed the Torah’s guidance, to live spread out among the nations of the world, to live humbly, peacefully, as loyal citizens of our countries, not to create a State of our own and not to fight wars against any nation.

Our communities in the Holy Land lived there in peace for many decades, way before the Zionist movement. We have lived in peace with all our neighbors. The Zionist ideology came and created conflict. They started unjust wars with all their neighbors and brought tremendous tragedies.

When the State of Israel was first started, it was vehemently denounced by all the Rabbis. It has never been recognized by authentic Jewry. They do not represent us, nor will they ever represent us. They are not supported by world Jewry nor are their actions condoned by the Jewish religion.

We will never serve in the military of a state that we do not recognize,and they cannot force us to join them.

And we, yeshiva students here in New York, send our blessings and encouragement to our brothers who sit in jail because they stood up for the Torah.

May G-d help all Jews to be safe, may He bring peace to the world and may we see the day when the prophecy will come true, “No nation shall lift up the sword against any other nation, they will not learn war anymore,” בביאת משיח צדקינו בב"א.