In a letter dated 23 Av 5667 (Tuesday, August 07, 2007) Rabbi David Michael Shmidel wrote to activists in New York: "The cry of our brethren who are in cruel confinement here in the Holy Land, for their protest against violations of Jewish law, rises up to the heavens. I know the prisoners personally; they are the best G-d-fearing Jews, and regarding one of them I heard today how they torture him in prison and solitary confinement.

"All this, and the rest of the recent persecution, was for the purpose of silencing the remainder of Jews who put their lives on the line to protest for the honor of Heaven, as the gedolim of Eretz Yisroel have already testified. It is obligatory on all of us to take action to free the prisoners, and to participate in protesting for the honor of Heaven, on which the evil ones want to trample.

"Our gedolim from previous generations have already taught us the importance of protesting in other countries, and so writes Rabbi Yaakov Yisroel Kanievsky (whose yartzeit is today) in his letters, that this is the only thing from which the Zionists have some fear. These days, their level of boldness has risen, and therefore it is necessary to carry out more demonstrations in other countries, until G-d has mercy and the outcry is successful. I know that this is expensive, but I am certain of the straightheartedness of the remaining G-d-fearing Jews who can support these endeavors, that they will lend themselves to shoulder this expense. This is both a mitzvah of redeeming captives and the mitzvah of protesting for the honor of Heaven. Privileged is he who supports these things! May Hashem Yisborach be kind to those who help and participate."