With G-d’s help, may my words
find favor in His eyes and increase the Glory of Heaven.
A popular song of some decades past, asked the question, “How
many deaths will it take till we know that too many people have
died?’
Judging by recent events in the Holy Land , indeed, judging by
the ongoing events of the last century, the answer is “More
than anyone could ever imagine.”
There is an image that is sadly fading from human consciousness.
It is the picture of the Torah Jew, steadfast in his loyalty to
the Creator and His Torah, moral and humble in his dealings with
all men. His integrity is impeccable and his sense of empathy encompasses
all mankind.
We believe that it is this Jew, following the dictates of Sinai,
whose life is a sanctification of the Divine Name and who will ultimately
figure prominently in the ushering of the Messianic utopia, of peace
and brotherhood among all men, solely through his Divine worship.
Zionism and the Zionist State , is a massive rejection of this
holy image.
By seeking to end Jewish exile by this - worldly means, it denies
the Divine source of our exile and final redemption and is expressly
and totally forbidden by the Torah.
At root it is denial of the spiritual essence of Jewish history.
The vast majority of Zionism’s early ideologues and supporters,
were almost uniformly recruited from the Torah ignorant elements
of eastern European society.
Would time and format permit, we could spend much time analyzing
the philosophy and history of the Zionist movement. Suffice it to
say, that it has always evoked passionate opposition, from throughout
the ranks of Orthodox Jewry.
Now, please keep in mind, that one should not confuse the deep
love and reverence for the Holy Land itself, with the Zionist movement,.
The movement sought to seize political sovereignty from the land’s
inhabitants, by driving out many of them and subjecting those that
stayed to persecution and second class citizenship. This again,
is a terrible sin and crime, expressly and totally forbidden by
the Torah.
Conversely Torah Jews have always loved the Land but never sought
to rule it politically.
Over the centuries, many pious souls settled there. And, this is
a most important point, those pious Jewish souls were never persecuted
by their Islamic, Palestinian neighbors. They lived side by side,
baby sat each other’s children and were both persecuted by
assorted foreign powers.
This peaceful existence was shattered when the Zionist immigration
began and sought to deprive the indigenous people of their basic
dignity as human beings.
Following the Second World War, the suffering of the Jewish people
led many nations to erroneously conclude, that Zionist sovereignty
over the Holy Land would help alleviate anti-Semitism, by creating
a “safe haven” for the wandering Jew.
The decision to create the Israeli state, has over the past half
century led to a seemingly endless river of bloodshed. Palestinians
and Jews have died and continue to die. Instead of alleviating anti-Semitism
and the Jewish suffering, they have only exacerbated it both in
Palestine and throughout the world.
Let us be clear about the source of the suffering of both Palestinian
and Jewish people. It is the Zionist insistence on the dispossession
of the Palestinian people.
The only Torah sanctioned and moral solution to this problem; the
only solution sure to yield peace, is to return sovereignty over
the entire Holy Land to the Palestinian people. This would of course
obviously include returning Al-Aksa, Jerusalem , the right of return
and adequate compensation thereof, to the Palestinian individuals
who so desire.
This, would finally end the suffering of the Palestinian people.
And, as far as Jewry is concerned, it would allow us to return
to our Divine calling, of Torah observance, prayer, kindness and
study. We would once again be able to pursue our Torah centered
lives, to serve as a source of inspiration and consolation to all
men.
The Jewish people are required to be loyal citizens is every country
wherein they reside, whether it is us in the United States , or
our brethren in Iran , or our brethren in Palestine . In Palestine
, the Jewish people must be loyal to the indigenous Palestinian
populace.
The Jewish people were not made to act as persecutors of the Other.
They are to be a “kingdom of priests” ministering to
the physical and spiritual needs of suffering mankind.
Zionism’s end, will be the first step towards Jewish rebirth.
A rebirth, which will hopefully be the first phase in the Messianic
redemption of all mankind, in brotherhood, where we all will recognize
the One G-d and serve Him in peace, speedily in our days. –
Amen
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