One of the deans of Od Yosef Chai Yeshiva in Yitzhar, Samaria, Rabbi Yosef Elitzur, was summoned to the regional police station on Monday, where he was sent to a meeting with Shin Bet agents who threatened the rabbi and demanded that he collaborate with the clandestine police against his students who are engaged in protests.
The Shin Bet agents threatened Rabbi Elitzur, saying that if he did not act as they requested, they would act against the Yeshiva. “Stop your students from participating in protests in Samaria, otherwise we’ll take action against the yeshiva,” the agents threatened.
In 2014, a Border Guard company seized the compound of Od Yosef Chai Yeshiva in Yitzhar for about a year, showing little respect for the sacred books and installing gym equipment on the premises. The affair resulted in thousands of shekels’ compensation to the yeshiva, which was represented by Honenu attorney Nati Rom and Adi Keider.
Yeshiva students and staff are saying, “The people of Israel deserve a Shin Bet that could stop the next massacre, but today the Shin Bet is engaged in blood libels. The next massacre is just around the corner and there is no one to protect the citizens of Israel.”
Honenu attorneys Adi Keider and Nati Rom who represent Rabbi Elitzur, said: “The fact that the dean of a yeshiva in Israel finds himself humiliated in interrogation rooms when it is clear that there is not even a shred of criminal allegation against him, just to absorb shouts of threats from Shin Bet agents should keep all of us awake at night.”
