The Morally Repugnant Extremist Settlers

I consider myself second to no one when it comes to supporting Israel. So much so that I’ve even been heavily criticized for my unwavering support of the current prime minister. A man who has probably faced more protests from disaffected voters than any of his predecessors.

Despite his many shortcomings, his leadership during Israel’s war with Hamas has changed the face of the Middle East for the better. Whether one agrees with the way he achieved that or not, this crucial fact cannot be dismissed as irrelevant. It is arguably the most significant achievement by Israel since the Six-Day War of 1967.

That being said, there is one aspect of the prime minister’s policy that could undermine all of his great accomplishments: his tolerance of extremist settlers. This has led to some of the most disturbing news coming out of the Jewish state in recent memory.

The idea that all of Judea and Samaria belong to the Jewish people - as promised to us by God - is, from a religious standpoint, undeniable. But what can and what should be disputed is the way the current Israeli government is allowing that idea to be implemented: by expanding settlements near Palestinian villages. While there is a religious mandate to reclaim our land, there is also an absolute obligation to do so in a way that does not destroy us as a people.

Instead, the current policies encourage fanatical ideologues to set up illegal outposts near Palestinian villages with the goal of pushing Palestinians out and reclaiming that land for Jews. I have no doubt that the prime minister does not condone illegal settlements.  But he hasn’t done nearly enough to stop them. And that inaction has led to numerous violent clashes between extremist settlers and Palestinians. Some of which have ended with settlers killing Palestinian villagers.

As I’ve said in the past, it is entirely possible that some of these killings occurred during altercations in which the settler may have believed they were acting in self-defense. But that does not make it acceptable. The fact that these extremists purposely set up makeshift ‘settlements’ near Palestinian villages and strut around with Uzis slung over their shoulders to taunt the villagers is an exercise in pure evil. They do not value human life. They see all Palestinians as ‘dogs’ to be chased from the land as quickly as possible. And when Palestinians push back, someone ends up dead. Usually a Palestinian.

None of this is to excuse the hatred that many Palestinian villagers harbor toward Jews. They most certainly do hate us, and if given the chance, they would rid the region of all Jews. But that does not justify the brutal way these Jewish extremists try to reclaim the land. Resorting to intimidation, provocation, and even murder when necessary.

The most recent incident is particularly horrifying. While details about who initiated the latest clash are murky, one fact appears to be clear: a 20-year-old unarmed American citizen of Palestinian descent was beaten to death by extremist settlers. Settlers whose outpost near the village in question was illegal from the start.

They should never have been allowed to set up that outpost - let alone terrorize the Palestinian villagers in their efforts to forcibly remove them. These settlers were not fulfilling the mitzvah of reclaiming Eretz Yisroel; they were committing a travesty. One that affects not only their fellow Jews in Israel but Jews across the globe.

When the most pro-Israel, pro-settler U.S. ambassador in history calls this a murder committed by settlers - and the most pro-Israel president both call for a full investigation, you know this wasn’t simply a matter of self-defense.

I was glad to read that six settlers were arrested by Israeli security forces in connection with this incident. If they are found guilty, they should spend the rest of their miserable lives in prison.

Sadly, this is not the first time extremist settler violence against Palestinians has turned deadly. Some of these attacks were so-called ‘revenge’ attacks in response to Palestinian terror that killed a Jew. Extremist settlers randomly attacked innocent villagers. As if murdering innocent people is a justified response. That is not justice. That is sickness.

None of this should ever have happened. The idea of allowing - or simply turning a blind eye - when extremists decide to ‘reclaim’ land with deadly intimidation towards Palestinian residents - is morally repugnant. And this is where the prime minister bears responsibility.

I don’t believe he condones what happened to that 20-year-old. But he has allowed an environment in which such violence can - and does - happen. There should be a zero-tolerance policy for illegal settlements. These outposts should be closely monitored and dismantled as soon as they’re detected. Long before they can encroach upon Palestinian villages. The settlers who build them should be arrested and imprisoned for a very long time.

If members of his right-wing coalition protest, so be it. Israel’s morality and ethics must never be dictated by its extremist politicians. Even if it means losing coalition partners. Aside from the moral obscenity of these attacks, the damage these extremists do to Israel’s global standing is incalculable. They give fuel to those who accuse Israel of apartheid and provide moral ammunition to the BDS movement. It also makes accusations of genocide seem more plausible to the casual observer!

This is not the first time I’ve expressed my outrage over these disgraceful so-called ‘devout Jews’. I only hope it is the last. I pray that those who beat this young American receive the maximum punishment allowed by law and are held up as examples of what will happen to anyone who attempts to seize land through intimidation and violence.

The prime minister must make it unequivocally clear that such behavior will no longer be tolerated. To demonstrate this seriousness, he should halt the establishment of any new settlements in Judea and Samaria until a proper legal and moral framework is in place.

Israel already has more than enough challenges. We do not need these extremists creating indefensible incidents. Incidents that even the most ardent supporters of the Jewish state, like myself, cannot defend.

Is There an Authentic Jewish View?

2024 DC Demonstration by Jewish Voice for Peace (Jewish Insider)

There is no such thing as a unified ‘Jewish view’ on matters of vital interest to the Jewish people. As absurd as that may seem, it is nonetheless the sad reality we face today. Not that I haven’t noted this oxymoron in the past. I have. But I think it could use a bit more elaboration.

The truth is that there is a Jewish view. But there are far too many Jews who have no clue what being Jewish really is. Yet they often speak as if they do - and insist they speak on behalf of the Jewish people.

The truth, however, is that the Jewish people are now more divided than at any time in our history. A division that has nothing to do with Jewish values and everything to do with political ones. The sad reality is that most secular and heterodox Jews tend toward a progressive worldview, defining Judaism solely in terms of humanistic values. This lens leads them to sympathize far more with Palestinian suffering than with Israel’s. Even though Israel is suffering, to them that pales in comparison to the suffering in Gaza. Making it hardly worth a mention.

Yes, over 1,200 Jews were brutally massacred, and around 250 were taken hostage on October 7^th.  But in the eyes of many progressive the more than 50,000 Palestinians killed by Israel's military response - and the massive devastation that has left surviving Gazans homeless, starving, and living in tents is so bad that Jewish suffering is ignored as though it doesn’t exist! They blame Israel as the sole cause of Palestinian devastation and therefore feel sympathy not for Israel, but for its enemies.

This is why so many Jewish celebrities have condemned Israel rather than shown solidarity with it. Some of them, like actor Mandy Patinkin, are openly proud of their Jewish heritage. And mention it quite often. But their criticisms of Israel matches that of criticism  made by Palestinians and their supporters. And are typically directed towards Israel’s prime minister, who they jointly see as a warmonger. A view mirrored by  progressive politicians, and Palestinian sympathizers in the media - particularly in progressive outlets like the BBC, PBS, NPR, and CNN. It's rare to see a report from these sources that doesn't subtly - or even overtly - place blame on Israel for all the suffering in the region.

This explains why you have progressive ‘Jewish’ organizations like J-Street, Not in My Name, Jews for Justice in Palestine, and  Jewish Voice for Peace making the same demands as Hamas; blaming a conservative Congress for America’s complicity in Palestinian suffering. Not just since October 7^th, but ever since the founding of the State of Israel.

But make no mistake: none of this anti-Israel advocacy is Jewish. It is a function of progressivism - a political perspective that many Jews now use to define their Judaism. They dress it up in Jewish terms, calling it Tikkun Olam, but it's not Judaism. No matter how many Jews define themselves as progressive. Even when in some cases they might be sincerely proud of their Jewish heritage, that does not make their views any more Jewish than Christians. In fact, I would argue that theological differences aside, fundamentalist Christians often hold values far closer to authentic Jewish values than do progressive Jews.

This is what happens when the vast majority of American Jews - some 90% - receive little or no meaningful Jewish education.  And yet they can legitimately claim that their progressive views represent the majority opinion among American Jews. The sad irony is that this majority is largely ignorant of Jewish values. And even more so of Jewish law.

To a progressive Jew - the idea that Israel has any religious significance is irrelevant. Progressive Jews do not recognize Jewish exceptionalism The concept that we are an Am Segulah, a chosen people; or an Am L’vadad Yishkon, a people destined to dwell apart - is instead viewed by them as an outdated or even racist notion. They buy into the historical revisionism that portrays Zionist pioneers as colonialists who ‘stole’ the land from indigenous Palestinians, who were then relegated to refugee camps.

As a result, Jewish suffering - even when horrific - rarely gets honorable mention in their circles. They’re all in with BDS, believing erroneously that boycotting Israel will bring justice to the Palestinians. These are the Jews supporting candidates like Zohran Mamdani for mayor of New York, fully endorsing his progressive stance on everything, including Israel. These are the Jews who refer to Israel’s actions in Gaza as ‘genocide’.

Now, I’m sure there are many secular and heterodox Jews who are not like this and who do support Israel. But even they often express undue criticism of Israel’s war with Hamas, reserving their harshest criticism for Israel’s prime minister. Joining the chorus of those who blame him for everything.

It wasn’t always this way. In fact, the opposite was once true. In the pre-Begin era, support for Israel was practically synonymous with Jewish identity. Most Jews at the time belonged to Reform or Conservative synagogues that emphasized supporting the State of Israel above all else. Jewish Federations across the country raised huge sums of money for Israel. That was their primary mission. Israel was seen as a progressive, socialist democracy that aligned perfectly with their worldview.

But Menachem Begin began to change that perception, and Benjamin Netanyahu put the finishing touches on it. Progressive Jews have never forgiven him for it. And now, many have gone rogue. By either severely diminishing their support or expressing outright antipathy for her. Some are celebrities. Some are academics. Some media personalities. But all are united by their view of Israel not as a light unto the nations, but as an aggressor state.

As things stand now, it appears that there are only two significant groups that still support Israel unconditionally: Orthodox Jews and fundamentalist evangelical Christians. Most of whom support conservative politicians and share strong pro-Israel views.

Sad to say, but the truly Jewish point of view is now held by only a fraction of the Jewish people. The rest of American Jewry simply lacks the Jewish education necessary to have a valid Jewish opinion. And their voice is increasingly becoming louder.

Is the End of an Era Near?

Charedi Knesset members (JNS)

Well, it finally happened. JNS reports the following:

The United Torah Judaism Party on Monday night abandoned the coalition led by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in protest over the government’s failure to pass a draft law exempting ultra-Orthodox men from military service.

The announcement came after Degel HaTorah—a faction of the United Torah Judaism Party—received a letter from members of the Council of Torah Sages, a rabbinical policymaking body, instructing it to resign immediately from the coalition if a draft law wasn’t presented by Monday, according to Kan News.

Degel HaTorah’s sole representative in the Netanyahu government, Deputy Transportation Minister Uri Maklev, submitted his official resignation on Tuesday morning, along with Knesset Member Moshe Gafni, who stepped down as head of the Knesset Finance Committee. Meanwhile, Yaakov Asher resigned as chairman of the Knesset Interior and Environment Protection Committee, the party announced.

The Shas Party has signaled its intention to leave the coalition next week.

This means the 18 seats represented by the Charedi parties - part of Netanyahu’s 67-seat governing coalition - will be lost, leaving him far short of a majority. And that likely means new elections.

There is no joy in ‘Mudville’ today, as far as I’m concerned. Netanyahu’s critics (and there are many) are surely salivating at the prospect of his downfall. I’m not one of them. But as far as they’re concerned, the “Wicked Witch of the Middle East” is about to be deposed.

I’m not going to go into detail about why I feel differently, other than to say that under his long tenure as prime minister - by far the longest in Israel’s history - Israel has prospered. Most notably, he helped achieve what once seemed impossible: the defanging of a mortal enemy whose stated goal was to annihilate Israel by any means. Which of course includes the use of nuclear weapons should they be unable to do it any other way.

Netanyahu’s longevity in office is due to the electorate’s repeated support for his party, Likud, or for parties aligned with its conservative politics. Under his leadership, Israel transitioned from being a socialist democracy to a free-market democracy. Something the voters have consistently endorsed. Israel’s economy has thrived as a result.

But I’m not here to spoil the party that Netanyahu’s critics are no doubt celebrating with champagne. I’m here to discuss the real reason for the political crisis now unfolding.

Netanyahu’s political skill enabled him to juggle diametrically opposed parties within his coalition on one of the most critical and contentious domestic issues: the decades-old exemption of Charedim from IDF service.

In recent years, that policy has been seriously challenged, with calls for equality of service becoming a near-universal demand - except among the Charedi parties themselves who believe (with all the religious fervor they can muster) that studying Torah full time does more to protect Israel than serving in the military. Some even argue that military service would spiritually harm the nation by reducing the amount of Torah study!

To secure their participation in his coalition, Netanyahu promised to pass legislation that would permanently exempt all Charedim from military service. But he kept kicking that can down the road in order to placate coalition partners that oppose exemptions for Charedim. The Charedi parties eventually stopped believing him. That’s why they quit.

The problem is that such legislation is highly unpopular with the rest of the country. By endlessly delaying the issue, Netanyahu avoided alienating either side, both of which hoped their position would ultimately prevail. But with no legal deferment currently in place, the IDF has started drafting Charedim and threatening penalties for draft dodgers. Most of whom are Charedi.

The can has now been kicked as far as it can go. The Charedim are fed up with broken promises and have made good on their threat to collapse the government. As the Shas chairman declared, they will now fight the draft from the opposition.

Good luck with that.

The rest of the country is angry. While everyone else is required to serve - sacrificing life, limb, income, and peace of mind - Charedim expect a blanket exemption. Every non-Charedi family lives with the anxiety of sending children into harm’s way. A modest compromise allowing a 10% enlistment rate among Charedim could significantly ease the burden on IDF soldiers. A small increase like that could shorten tours of duty, lower the PTSD rate, and spread the risk to life more equitably.

I don’t see how the Charedim expect to get what they want in the next government—whether it's center-left or center-right. Their demands are simply too unpopular. If anything, the next draft law may be even less compromising, treating Charedim no differently than anyone else.

That would leave the Charedim with several unappealing options:

• Massive demonstrations, which may be met by resentment-fueled counter-protests, potentially leading to unprecedented street violence;
• Following a prominent Charedi rabbinic leader’s suggestion: mass emigration;
• Or a grassroots revolt within their own community—realizing that such a minority position, one that exempts them from all sacrifice while others risk everything, is morally and practically untenable.

Some may begin to follow the example of the small number of Charedim who already serve - some of whom,  tragically, have paid the ultimate price.

That the Charedi parties don’t see the handwriting on the wall - and believe they will somehow gain more by forcing elections - reflects their severe myopia. The belief that God will protect them because they are the ones truly defending Israel through Torah study may soon be tested.

They believe they alone have a direct line to God. But there are non Charerdi rabbinic authorities who say the opposite. That kind of religious arrogance may come back to haunt them in the days, months, or years ahead. Because it is only a matter of time before a new draft law is passed—one that will be the opposite of what they want.

All of this could have been avoided had their leadership been willing to compromise. Had they allowed the IDF to determine how many Charedim—particularly those not seriously engaged in Yeshiva or Kollel study—could be drafted, this entire issue could have faded quietly. Torah study as a way of life could have remained largely intact.

How all this will affect the war in Gaza remains to be seen. My hope is that the hostagwes will be freed and that the war will be over before a new election even takes place.

May it be God’s will.

When Progressive Values Enter the Religious Sphere

Women who want to take the rabbinical exam (TOI)

Some women just don’t know their place!

Boy… does that ever sound sexist! Except that it isn’t. At least not when applied to Judaism.

That’s because Judaism is not based on equality between the sexes. It is based on different roles for different people. God has given us a guide by which those roles are determined. A guide whose blueprint is the Torah and whose interpretation has been entrusted to the most devout and knowledgeable Torah scholars of every generation since the Revelation at Sinai.

This is why, no matter how much I would love to serve God in the heightened state that a Kohen does, I may not do so—on pain of death if I try. Only a Kohen occupies that role, as determined by God.

The same is true for women. A woman may not be counted toward a minyan, no matter how devout or knowledgeable she may be. In fact, if she enters a synagogue sanctuary where ten or more men are gathered for a minyan, she does not count toward it. And voids it unless she is separated by a mechitza.

The traditional role of a Jewish woman for centuries has been that of a wife and mother. Someone whose primary mission was to raise children and manage the home, while her husband earned a living or studied Torah outside the home. She was always seen as the power behind the throne. Enabling her husband to do what he was required to do by Torah law. But clearly, motherhood was the chief role of the Jewish woman for generations. And so it should be today—though often, sadly, it no longer is.

There are a variety of reasons for this shift. Among them is the role reversal in the Charedi world, where women have become the primary breadwinners while men often assume some of the responsibilities that mothers traditionally had.

But the biggest challenge to the traditional role of women in Judaism has come from the rise of feminism. Particularly the form of feminism that now dominates Western culture. It is a feminism that has moved well beyond advocating for equal pay for equal work and equal legal status with men. It now demands total equity in every conceivable sphere—even in areas where it doesn’t belong.

One of those areas is religion. And in Judaism, full gender equality is simply not a value.

That hasn’t stopped some women from seeking semicha (rabbinic ordination). And once that slippery slope was stepped onto, other socially progressive values began to be embraced as well. Such as the recent ordination by a far left women’s rabbinical seminary of an openly gay woman ‘married’ to another gay woman.

My views about ordaining women are well known: I am opposed to it for a variety of reasons which I will not go into here.

However, I am not opposed to the relatively recent phenomenon of women studying Torah in depth. For those with the desire and the aptitude - God bless them. Surely women are just as intellectually capable as men, as proven by the many who have earned PhDs in a variety of academic fields, including the sciences. The difference is that men are obligated by Jewish law to study Torah, while for women it is optional.

Still, doing Mitzvos that women are not obligated to perform has long been accepted in Jewish tradition. A prominent example is the taking of the Daled Minim (lulav, esrog, etc.) on Sukkos, or sitting in the sukkah—both of which are required only of men, yet almost universally observed by women as well.

I therefore fully support women who choose to study Torah in depth. And again, I do not support ordaining them.

But what about some other form of recognition?

That subject has recently come up in Israel, as the Timesof Israel reports:

The Chief Rabbinate must open its rabbinical tests to women, the High Court of Justice stated in a groundbreaking ruling on Monday.

The ruling does not imply that women are entitled to be ordained as rabbis, nor was that requested by the petitioners. Still, its consequences are unprecedented in terms of advancing the status of female Torah scholars in Israel, as noted by Rabbi Seth Farber, head of the ITIM religious rights NGO.

ITIM presented the petition to the court in 2019 along with two other women’s organizations—the Rackman Center for the Advancement of Women’s Status, and the Kolech Religious Women Forum—as well as five women with advanced halachic education, including Farber’s wife, Michelle Cohen Farber, a renowned Talmud scholar.

I actually agree that women who have achieved great success in their Torah studies deserve to be recognized. In fact, I’ve suggested a formal degree in advanced Torah study that could be awarded to both men and women who pass rigorous exams proving their scholarship.

But I oppose using the same exams designed for rabbinical ordination to serve that purpose. If I understand correctly, that’s exactly what the High Court of Justice has mandated.

Even though passing the exams will not result in semicha, it borders on the absurd to deny it to them. Besides it amounts to the same thing. For all practical purposes, a certificate confirming that they passed those exams would be tantamount to ordination. Even without the title or formal degree, some of these women may very well function in rabbinic roles. After all, they passed the same tests as their male counterparts.

It would be like completing a doctoral dissertation and fulfilling all requirements for a PhD—only to be denied the title because you’re female.

Using these exams as the basis for recognition is a very slippery slope toward granting actual semicha. And that is a feminist objective that cannot be reconciled with traditional Judaism. It undermines the very foundation of the Torah's assignment of roles. Roles interpreted and upheld by the sages throughout Jewish history - and seeks to replace them with the progressive values of our time.

I’m sure the Israeli Rabbinate will fight this ruling. I think they must. But at the same time I also think it would be fair for them to design a test that would grant both men and women some sort of official recognition for their achievement in Torah study.

Why It’s Understandable

I’m surprised it’s only one in four. That - according to an ADL survey - is the percentage of Americans who say that attacks against Jews are understandable. That might be surprising to those who know how I feel about the generally positive attitude Americans have toward the Jewish people. But that feeling is not at all diminished by the revelations of this survey.

First, because it shows that 75% do not see such attacks as understandable. More importantly, it would be sheer folly not to consider the impact of the daily images broadcast by the media: scenes of Palestinian carnage and the unbearable living conditions in Gaza since Israel began its war against Hamas. These images are invariably accompanied by not-so-subtle blame placed on Israel’s airstrikes, always paired with the same mantra: ‘dozens of civilians killed - many of them women and children.’

Even though those reports are attributed to the Hamas-run Health Ministry, that disclaimer has virtually no effect on how the average viewer interprets what they’re seeing on the nightly news. The increase in Palestinian protests against that carnage certainly adds to that sense of ‘understandability’. Not to mention the United Nations’ constant finger-pointing at Israel. As if Israel were deliberately targeting Palestinians in a genocidal campaign, either by bombing them systematically or starving them to death.

If I were not so keenly aware of the reality of what is happening there - being exposed to that kind of coverage daily for two years - with no context, and no serious engagement with the truth of Israel’s side of the story (which, if reported at all, is often treated with skepticism, either overtly or subtly through tone) - I might also come to believe that an increase in antisemitic attacks is understandable.

Let’s be clear: understanding something does not mean condoning it. That’s the critical takeaway from this survey, which also found:

"The vast majority of respondents condemned the attacks, with 85% or more saying the attacks were not justified, that the attacks were morally wrong, and that they would not want to work with someone who celebrated the attacks."

Given the relentless media focus on Israel allegedly killing or starving innocent Palestinians, it says a lot about the decency of the American people that they would reject working with anyone who celebrates those attacks.

According to the survey, 85% or more Americans still hold a favorable view of us. All they’re saying is that they understand why antisemitic attacks have increased. I get that too.

The survey also revealed that 38% of respondents believe that such attacks would stop if Israel declared a ceasefire with Hamas. I’m not so sure about that. The genie is out of the bottle. But I do think the attacks would decrease from their current high. Once the war ends and the media stops focusing on the carnage, media coverage will inevitably shift to something else.

Hopefully, good things will happen when the war is over. Perhaps Israel will once again be viewed in the positive light it enjoyed before October 7^th. Especially if the Abraham Accords fulfill their potential by establishing peaceful relations with all of Israel’s Arab neighbors. That’s not as far-fetched as it may have seemed just a few weeks ago - before Iran was effectively disarmed by the joint, successive military operations carried out by Israel and the United States. Which was preceded by Israel’s dismantling of Iran’s "ring of fire" proxy forces.

Imagine the possibilities.

True, there are still major challenges ahead. Such as the future of the Palestinians and the state of Israel’s internal politics. But if the war ends successfully and Israel makes peace with her neighbors, that will be a giant step forward.

And with that, one can hope, will come a major decrease in antisemitic attacks and antisemitism in general.

The Extremists of Judea and Sumeria

One of the things that has become abundantly clear to me over the course of Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza is that the media cannot be trusted to report fairly on events involving Israel. I always had suspicions about this but generally gave them the benefit of the doubt. That ship has now sailed. When it comes to Israel, one can almost assume with certainty that the reporting will be negative.

It is with this in mind that I question an NBC story about an American citizen allegedly beaten to death by settlers in the West Bank while visiting relatives. According to the report, when the ambulance that had been called arrived, it was blocked by settlers for three hours before being allowed to proceed and attend to the victim.

I have no idea what precipitated this violent incident. Or why the ambulance was blocked. The settlers may have been acting in self-defense. Which is what they always claim in cases like this. It could very well be that they are completely innocent of any wrongdoing, and that the Palestinians interviewed skewed the account to make it appear as random, unprovoked violence when in fact it may have been nothing of the kind.

But I also wouldn’t be surprised if this self-defense claim is completely false or at least not the full story. The truth is, we just don’t know. And we can’t trust the media to report on this event without their typical anti-Israel bias.

First, the media uses the word ‘settlers’ as referring to anyone living in Judea and Samaria. Always in a pejorative sense. That would mean Yeshivat Har Etzion is part of the settler movement. I’m sorry. I do not think of Rav Aharon Lichtenstein, Rav Yehuda Amital. the entire Gush student body and faculty as a settlers. Nor do I see anyone living Efrat or the Old City of Jerusalem that way.

What we should be talking about are the gun toting extremists who set up makeshift outposts near Arab villages in deep into Yehuda and  Shomron. Whose philosophy is to restore Jewish sovereignty over every inch of Eretz Yisrael by any means necessary, legal or not. They intentionally set up outposts near Arab villages to encourage the local population to leave. And in some cases, they have been known to commit violent acts for that purpose. Often using revenge as a pretext to torch homes or rampage through Palestinian towns. This has happened more often than many of us would like to admit, and often with the support or tacit approval of some extremist right-wing members of the Israeli government.

I don’t know how many settlers fall into that category. But one is too many.

These extremists are ideologues who are meticulous in their observance of mitzvot. Much the same as the extremists known as Neturei Karta. It doesn’t matter how long their peyos are or how big their kipot are. They are evil. These extremists are a living, breathing Chilul HaShem of the highest order. Same as Neturei Karta. They make it easy for the media to vilify Israel.

We’ve seen how influential media coverage can be. Walter Cronkite was one of the most respected  broadcast journalists of his time, which coincided with the Vietnam War He initially supported the war effort. But after visiting the region, he came out against it. That shift helped turn public opinion - and we all know how that war eventually ended.

We cannot afford to ignore the media - especially when it is biased against us. By allowing these extremists to operate freely and establish unauthorized settlements near Arab villages, they will inevitably be seen as inciters of violence, no matter how peaceful their stated intentions may be.

They should not be allowed to create these outposts at all. Violations should be met with swift and decisive action, and offenders prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. It is long past time to put an end to this Chilul Hashem — and to end the kind of education that foments it.

An Outrageous 'Religious' Ruling

What enrages me about this is not so much their opposition to the draft. Although that, in and of itself, is upsetting. I understand where that opposition comes from. What enrages me is how they framed their opposition. As reported last month in Arutz Sheva:

A halakhic ruling was published Monday by leading decisors of Jewish law from major and influential Hasidic courts, reinforcing a firm prohibition against enlistment in the IDF.
The rabbis state unequivocally: “According to Torah law, it is strictly forbidden to enlist in the army, which serves as a melting pot for the gravest transgressions and for casting off the yoke [of Torah and mitzvot].

”The ruling comes in response to questions posed by members of the Haredi public whose primary occupation is not Torah study, and addresses also military frameworks designated for the Haredi sector.

If it weren’t for the serious repercussions of such a ‘Psak Halacha’ (religious ruling), it would be laughable. The idea of forbidding someone from protecting their country - and all the people living in it - would be laughable if it weren’t so egregiously immoral.

Even if we were to grant their assertion that the IDF serves as a ‘melting pot for the gravest transgressions and for casting off the yoke of Torah and mitzvot’, that argument pales in comparison to the nation’s need for survival.

Furthermore, that assertion is clearly no longer true - if it ever was. And yet this ‘Psak Halacha’ (see below) forbids even service in the Haredi enlistment tracks, which they claim have been proven to be deceitful.

But that is simply not true. While there may have been isolated incidents of misrepresentation, it is certainly not a widespread or defining feature of these frameworks.

And even where it did happen, it was often due to error or misunderstanding - not malicious intent. In cases where there may have been individual attempts to purposely undermine the nature and purpose of these units, I seriously doubt it was sanctioned by the military brass.

I have to question the motivation of these Rebbes - and how much that motivation colors their perception of what the IDF is really about today. Especially in its religious tracks. What I believe is behind all this is their fear of losing control over their Chasidim - perhaps even fear of losing their Chasidic dynasties altogether.

The worldview of Chasidus starts and ends with the Rebbe. His leadership trumps all else. The historic charisma associated with a Chasidic Rebbe gives him unparalleled control over virtually every aspect of a Chasid’s life. Control which each Chasid willingly submits to, trusting fully in their Rebbe, whose level of Kedusha (holiness) is assumed to be inherited from father to son (or son-in-law, in some cases), generation after generation.

They are believed to possess a level of Kedusha exceeded only by God Himself. No one else - no matter how pious or learned - is granted such reverence. And when the authority of a Rebbe is challenged, they will pull out all the stops to squash that challenge completely. One need only look at what’s happening in Ger between the Gerrer Rebbe and his cousin, R’ Shaul Alter, to see this dynamic in action.

Even if I were to grant them the right to preserve their particular Chasidic stringencies - which they fear would be compromised by IDF service - such stringencies do not qualify as Halacha. Violating these customs should not be labeled as a sinful transgression. And there is no evidence that a Chasid would even be denied his particular customs in one of the IDF’s religious tracks. If that has happened in the past, it is very likely that these issues can be - and often have been - worked out to everyone’s satisfaction.

What makes this ‘Psak Halacha’ even more laughable is that Religious Zionist Poskim say the exact opposite. That serving in the IDF, especially at a time of war, is mandatory for all.

Of course, each side is allowed to have its differences of opinion. But when one devoutly religious faction declares IDF service to be an egregious violation of the Torah, while another devoutly religious faction considers avoiding it to be an egregious violation of the Torah - it cannot be that both are right. Each side essentially believes the other is advocating serious violations of Halacha.

And this doesn’t even touch on the complete obliviousness these Rebbes seem to have for the sacrifices being made by the rest of Israel over these past nearly two years of war. It’s as if they don’t care. If they do, they certainly didn’t express it in this ‘Psak Halacha’.

I am so fed up with this attitude. I find it to be extremely self-centered. Callous, even - toward the rest of the people of Israel who are enduring this long national trauma. A trauma that is apparently not being felt by these Rebbes or the devout Chasidim who abide by this ruling.

Normally, I might say Elu v’Elu – Divrei Elokim Chaim: that when devout religious Poskim disagree, it is due to their piety and sincere understanding of what Halacha demands. But in this instance - when other Jews, many of whom are themselves devoutly religious, are putting their lives on the line for their people, while these Rebbes insist that their followers may not do so as a matter of Torah law I just cannot see it that way.

I would like to be Dan L’Kaf Zechus, to judge their motives favorably. But in this case, I find it impossible to do so.

The Identity Crisis of Young American Jews

 *At the height of the campus protests against Israel’s war with Hamas, I recall one particular young Jewish female protester being interviewed by a broadcast news reporter. She was asked why, as a Jew, she was protesting the Jewish state. Her answer was quite revealing and went something like this:

I was raised in a typical pro-Israel home, where the Jewish state was seen as a heroic nation that defeated its enemies, a country that served as the antidote to global antisemitism. I was taught that Zionism was rooted in justice, that Israel's founders dreamed of living in peace with their Arab neighbors, and that Israel was meant to be a place where Jews and Arabs could coexist in harmony - where antisemitism was no longer a threat.

She then added that her bubble was burst when she learned what she was ‘lied to’. She now believes is the ‘truth’ about Israel’s founding was completely at odds with what she had been taught. According to this new perspective, the Jews had forcibly displaced the indigenous Arab population to colonize the land.

And that following the Six-Day War, they began to treat Palestinians in ways not unlike how Black South Africans were treated under apartheid. The upshot of her revelation was the belief that Israel’s founders were no different than the white supremacists who colonized South Africa, segregating Black people into ghetto-like conditions and exploiting them.

My initial reaction to her response was that it wasn’t all that unusual. Many young Jewish students who were raised in pro-Israel homes are exposed to progressive academics in college who ‘educate’ them on what they claim is the real history. But there is more to the story.According to eJewish Philanthropy, which reported on two studies related to this issue:

 “Young American Jews and the field of Israel Studies are facing dual ‘identity crises.’

”One of the studies, authored by Jewish People Policy Institute think tank researcher Sara Hirschhorn, focused on the field of Israel Studies and found that it, too, is going through an “identity crisis.” Hirschhorn noted that Israel Studies has increasingly shifted toward self-criticism and even self-excoriation—unlike other ethnic studies programs, which are explicitly designed to instill pride in the groups they study.

She explained:

“[The field of Israel Studies] was not originally neutral on Israel’s right to exist, and of course it isn’t neutral any longer. It has simply reversed course. As all of us likely know, the field itself, along with Jewish Studies, is now not merely politically split, but deeply polarized. In some settings, it is thoroughly anti-Zionist.”

It turns out, as is often the case, we are our own worst enemies. When Jewish Studies courses themselves are promoting anti-Zionist views, is it any wonder that students like the one I mentioned are now participating in anti-Israel protests - right alongside their Palestinian classmates?

When well-educated Jewish professors - regarded as experts on the subject - promote these ideas, how can their students not be influenced? Especially if these students come to believe that their pro-Israel parents and synagogue rabbis ‘lied’ to them? This makes the phenomenon even more insidious.

What has happened is that for many intellectual Jews with no real Jewish education, their identity has become rooted in progressivism. That explains much of what is happening today. The identity crisis now facing young Jews is whether progressive ideology should be seen as superior to Jewish values. Or worse, whether any Jewish ideology based on the Torah is immoral. Judaism is being redefined in the image of progressive values, as espoused by their Jewish Studies professors.

This mindset helps explain why the (now former) Jewish president of Penn could say that calls for genocide against Jews ‘depend on the context.’ It explains why so many younger Jews in New York could support an anti-Israel candidate for mayor. It even helps explain why the National Education Association (NEA), dominated by progressives, voted to sever ties with the ADL. Which included support from some Jewish educators. 

Those who love to “blame it all on Netanyahu’ are overstating their case. While it may be true that he has turned some Democrats against Israel, I would argue that in most such cases, their support was at best quite shallow. True Democratic supporters of Israel still stand by her and reject anti-Israel rhetoric. Progressives, however, will only support an Israel that aligns with their values. And, unfortunately, there are some members of the Israeli Knesset who share that progressive outlook and vilify any version of Israel that leans to the right of it.

What makes the trend toward progressive values - and its ideological offspring, anti-Zionism (increasingly morphing into antisemitism) - so troubling is that these values are already dominant in many other spheres. They are promoted on college campuses and reinforced by an entertainment industry and media ecosystem heavily populated by progressives. These influences are not to be underestimated. They are extremely powerful and can easily overwhelm values learned in the home.

This deeply concerns me. And I don’t believe there’s much we can do about it when it comes to the general public.

But what we can do is teach our children well. Ensure they receive a strong Jewish education that ‘immunizes’ them against the ideological winds of our time. And we must do our best to reach out and try to disabuse young Jews of their uncritical embrace of progressive ideology. Only then can we begin to restore their pride in being Jewish.

*Update - My apologies for the strange look of this post. There is apparently something wrong with the blogger that is blocking my ability to control the look of the posts. Hopefully this will soon be corrected.

The New Home of Antisemitism in America

There is no doubt that antisemitism is on the rise in this country. The question is: Why? Has the world gone mad? Here are some thoughts.

It’s important to first note that antisemitism has always existed in America. But prior to October 7th, 2023, it was mostly expressed by fringe groups on the political right. Ever since Israel’s victory in the Six-Day War of 1967, however, there has been increasing criticism from the political left over Israel’s recapturing of all of biblical Israel (including the Kotel), to which Jews had been denied access since the founding of the state.

This criticism was led primarily by Palestinian academics or their sympathizers, whose rhetoric has increasingly influenced students on college campuses across the country. Students began urging university administrators to honor the BDS movement and boycott Israel. Campus protests against Israel’s so-called ‘apartheid’ -a canard perpetuated by those same academics - became more frequent.

It was against this backdrop that the October 7th massacre happened. After a brief period of near universal sympathy for Israel, it was back to business as usual. Anti-Israel protests increased exponentially on campuses nationwide.

Some argue that this is not antisemitism at all. Especially since many young Jewish students joined these protests, often referring to what was happening in Gaza as ‘genocide’ based on the tens of thousands of civilian deaths reported by the Hamas-run Health Ministry and the constant images of death and destruction in Gaza dominating the media.

But it wasn’t only on college campuses that Israel was being treated this way.

One of the most poignant Holocaust films ever made is Zone of Interest, a foreign film depicting the banality of ordinary German citizens living just outside the walls of Auschwitz while it was in full genocidal operation. The producer of that Oscar-winning film, Jonathan Glazer - a Jew - said the following when he accepted the Oscar just a few months into Israel’s war against Hamas:

“We stand here as men who refute their Jewishness and the Holocaust being hijacked by an occupation which has led to conflict for so many innocent people.”
He went on to ask, “Whether the victims of October the 7th in Israel or the ongoing attack on Gaza—all the victims of this dehumanization—how do we resist?”

The audience dutifully applauded. An audience composed primarily of liberal Hollywood elites. Many of whom are themselves Jewish. Just a day or two ago, another prominent Jew, Senator Bernie Sanders, said it was a ‘shameful day’ for the U.S., declaring:

“Today, a war criminal under indictment from the ICC will be welcomed to the White House,”

He accused Israel of intentionally starving Gazans and “systematically” killing civilians in the enclave, adding:

“Trump, like Biden before him, has aided and abetted the extremist Netanyahu government as it has systematically killed and starved civilians in Gaza. It is a shameful day in America.”

When so many Jews - some quite prominent - are themselves so aggressively anti-Israel, is it any wonder that many non-Jews follow suit? The assumption is that if you’re Jewish, you support Israel - a state now portrayed as genocidal led by a man declared a war criminal by the ICC.

It should then come as no surprise that New York voters have chosen the most anti-Israel candidate in their city’s history to be their next mayor. The mayor of a city with the largest Jewish population of any other city in the world. Nor should it be surprising that some New York Jews voted for him. Not because he is anti Israel. But because they either don’t care about how he feels about Israel, or worse, don’t themselves care.

One thing all of these anti-Israel voices have in common is that they are almost all on the left side of the political aisle. Many are young and progressive. Those that happen to be Jewish among them have little to no understanding of what being Jewish really means. Dismissing our biblical right to the land as irrelevant in today’s world. To the extent that they care about anything the Torah says - it's about Tikkun Olam. And even then, their interpretation of Tikkun Olam is often reduced to providing humanitarian aid to Palestinians suffering under what they see as Netanyahu’s genocidal war.

There is far more sympathy expressed for suffering Palestinians than for the hostages still in Hamas captivity or for the families of IDF soldiers who have died in battle.

When progressive views have so thoroughly permeated our culture, it’s no wonder that Jewish particularism is frowned upon. Progressives believe in the universality of man. To a progressive, Jewish ‘chosenness’ is seen as inherently racist.

This belief has become a guiding principle in today’s culture. The younger someone is, the more likely they will be progressive and see universalism as the most moral outlook. And by contrast anyone who identifies as a Jew is viewed as a Zionist. And thus a racist by default.

Thankfully, most conservatives still support Israel. And that’s still about half the country. But the idea that we can return to a time when Israel was looked upon favorably by all - including the left is quickly vanishing. The more ‘Jewish’ Israel becomes the more the left will favor abandoning it.

Crossing Another Line

Woman married to another woman ordained as a Maharat (screenshot)

I hate to keep bringing this up. I don’t want to be considered homophobic or obsessed with gay issues. But since I find myself compelled to address this issue so often, I fear that some of my friends on the left - especially those who are also observant Jews -  already see me that way. That’s painful. But I cannot let it silence me.

This issue speaks directly to how we are meant to live as God’s chosen people. The Torah - our divine instruction manual - lays out the blueprint for our lives. And when those who identify as observant Jews clearly distort its message, I feel obligated to speak out.

Let me be clear: I have no personal obsession with gay or transgender individuals. Nor is it my intent to cause them harm. On the contrary, I have consistently expressed sympathy for the struggles they face.

But here is where I part ways with them. Many do not view their same-sex attractions as a struggle at all. They see them as a normal part of their sexual identity. No different than heterosexual desire. And believe those attractions should be expressed freely and without guilt.

When it comes to gender dysphoria, the prevailing societal attitude is that it’s easily ‘correctable’. That if a man believes he is a woman or vice versa, then that identity should be affirmed and accommodated, with or without medical intervention. What matters, they say, is that such individuals can live happy, productive, and fulfilling lives - and that society should fully embrace and support their choices.

But this is not my personal obsession. It’s the cultural obsession of our time. If there is a defining divide between religious and secular worldviews today, it is over the source of moral authority. Religious people recognize a Power greater than ourselves (God) as the source of morality. We acknowledge our own limitations in determining right and wrong.

Secular individuals, by contrast, believe that morality is entirely subjective - defined by human reason, culture, or emotion. They reject ‘ancient instruction books’ as irrelevant, or deny that such texts were Divinely authored. Even those who claim to believe in God and His Torah may reinterpret or distort its teachings to fit contemporary values.

It’s this last category that I find most troubling: left-leaning Jews who identify as Orthodox, observe the ‘big three’ Mitzvos — Shabbos, Kashrus, and Taharas Hamishpacha. And claim to fully adhere to Halacha, while at the same time embracing the LGBTQ agenda as fully compatible with Torah Judaism.

A recent example (see video below) underscores this trend. At Yeshivat Maharat’s ordination ceremony - a school created to train women as rabbis - one of the graduates was a gay woman ‘married’ to another woman. In her address to the audience, she praised the institution for its inclusivity and cited the Mishnah in Avos: “It is not upon you to complete the work, but neither are you free to desist from it.” The ‘work’ in this context was clearly framed as the advancement and full legitimization of LGBTQ identity and relationships. A cause that stands in clear contradiction to Torah values.

It’s troubling enough that Yeshivat Maharat exists in defiance of longstanding halachic consensus against women entering the rabbinate - a discussion for another time. But at least those advocating for that change attempt to offer a halachic argument. I disagree with them, as do the vast majority of rabbis across the Orthodox spectrum - aside from those on the far left.

But to ordain a woman whose personal lifestyle represents an open rejection of Torah prohibitions - and then give her the authority to rule on matters of Halacha - defies credulity. Yet this is precisely what has happened. This graduate studied the Shulchan Aruch, passed her exams, and is now regarded as an Orthodox authority on Jewish law.

She would likely argue that her lifestyle does not violate Halacha. That the Torah’s prohibition of homosexual relations doesn’t apply to those who were ‘born this way’. It is true that female homosexual acts are not classified as severely as male ones. Still, the behavior remains prohibited. To rationalize such behavior as permitted is, at best, self-deception.

What’s most disturbing is not that secular society has embraced values so far removed from biblical tradition. That’s regrettable, but not surprising. What’s disturbing is that someone now claiming to represent Orthodox Halacha - with a formal credential to prove it - is using that position to promote an agenda that is fundamentally at odds with the Torah’s values.

This must be unequivocally rejected by all who consider themselves part of the community of observant Jewry. Yeshivat Maharat’s actions in this regard are a betrayal of both Halacha and Jewish tradition.