Israel at a Crossroads

Eisenkot, Trump, and Netanyahu

There has been a lot of understandable hand-wringing over the last few days about events that will affect Israel’s future, which at this moment seems quite uncertain. One of those events hasn’t even reached fruition yet. The midterm election in the US is taking place at this very moment, and the results are far from clear. We have no way of knowing whether the new Congress will be more anti-Israel than the one we have had until now. Even though polls suggest that Democrats who have strongly criticized Israel are likely to win their elections, that is far from certain.

But that isn’t the only thing to worry about. There are several issues, one of which is the disappointing showing for the new Charedi party, Hatzibur HaChareidi. There were a lot of high hopes among many pundits who believed that they would receive enough votes to make a difference. Even if they didn’t get enough votes to secure seats in the Knesset; they would at least get enough to change their trajectory towards a more conciliatory approach to army service and educational reform. It was thought that the expected huge numbers of Charedi voters voting for Hatzibur HaChareidi would effect serious change in that direction. So that the large numbers of Charedim who felt this way could be accommodated.

That was more wishful thinking than reality. The poor showing of about 10,000 votes seemed to show that the Charedi populace doesn’t want change at all. That they are happy with the status quo of learning full-time, not getting any kind of secular education, and avoiding the army. That the hardships and sacrifices the rest of the country has endured—and is still enduring - don’t seem to faze them that much.

So change will not happen. Israeli Charedim have been indoctrinated into thinking along these lines. That they are not willing to serve is bad enough. But that they have become so callous to the suffering of others while exempting themselves from any possibility of such suffering seems to be how they wish to live. I see no hope for change or any kind of reconciliation between Charedim and the rest of the Jewish people in Israel. I see only greater distance being created between them.

Not at all happy about that. To say the least!

Then there is the election itself, which nobody won. And, it seems, nobody will be able to form a government. The enmity between the two camps is so great that a unity government is about as likely as El-Sayed converting to Judaism and becoming a supporter of Ben-Gvir. This will perpetuate the hatred between the right and the left.

I see no alternative to yet another election three months from now, which will likely return the same results. That may mean another election three months after that. On the other hand, the tens of thousands of expatriate Israelis who flew back to Israel to vote against Netanyahu are unlikely to do that again. And the huge Arab turnout that gave them 19 seats in the Knesset this time is unlikely to be repeated. So it is quite possible that a coalition could be formed by voters who will gravitate to one side or the other.

In the meantime, Netanyahu remains prime minister. Which, if you are a supporter, is a good thing…

To continue reading - and/or to comment on this post - click on this link: substack. You must subscribe to receive new posts. It's easy and it's free 

The Final Solution

Vice-President J.D. Vance and Tucker Carlson

One of the most troubling members of the Trump White House is an individual the president cannot fire.

Vice President Vance is, in my view, the greatest disappointment of the Trump presidency. A man whom I would otherwise admire because of his back story has proven to be a very slippery politician, one who can put other politicians to shame in that regard. He has managed to appear supportive of the President’s foreign policy agenda while simultaneously trying to undermine it.

Case in point.

As far as I am concerned, the President’s military attack against Iran has been a spectacular failure. Not because he was wrong to attack. It was exactly the right thing to do to a nation sworn to destroy both the US and Israel. Iran had openly been pursuing that goal - racing to enrich uranium to weapons-grade levels, developing a ballistic missile system already capable of delivering nuclear destruction to Europe, and supporting proxies throughout the Middle East, all of whom were devoted to the complete annihilation of Israel, an important US ally.

There was no alternative to hitting that rogue Islamic nation as hard as the US and Israel, had done.

That did, in fact, set Iran’s nuclear ambition back, as well as weaken its proxies’ ability to destroy Israel. But it was a spectacular failure because the job is not finished. Iran needs to be wiped out. Anything less is a victory for Iran. As long as it exists at any level, it will rebuild and rearm with greater determination than ever.

Negotiating with Iran is a fool’s errand, not only because Iran will never agree to the president’s terms, but, more importantly, because it will surely lie about any agreement it may eventually reach.

This is where Vance’s subtle undermining of the President’s goals comes in. Whenever there is talk about military action, he ends up convincing the President to give diplomacy another try, as though it will work better this time than it did the last.

Vance is also very clever about expressing his views regarding Israel. Knowing that the President is a huge supporter of both Israel and Prime Minister Netanyahu, he is not about to criticize the country or its leader directly. But there have been many cases in which his disagreements have surfaced in ways that make it obvious (at least to me) that he has no love lost for Israel or its leader.

To the best of my knowledge, Vance has never spoken with any kind of passion about Israel. To the extent that he has said anything positive at all, it has usually been almost in passing, and with qualifying exceptions. (Yes, I support Israel, but… or Yes, Israel is an ally, but…). Never the kind of full-throated support one would expect from someone who genuinely regards Israel as an important and valued ally.

My guess is that, in his heart of hearts, Vance does not support Trump’s foreign policy, nor does he think much of the State of Israel. But he is able to camouflage that with an occasional positive, if qualified, reference to her.

I wish I were wrong about him. But his friendship with one of the most disgusting Jew-haters in America proves to me that his views are not that far removed from those of his friend, denials to the contrary notwithstanding.

I don’t know how anyone who is a friend of the Jewish people can remain friends with an antisemitic bigot like Tucker Carlson. His attacks against Israel and the Jewish people have been many and vile. For Vance to simply say that he disagrees with him but still considers him a friend means that Carlson’s views do not really disturb him all that much.

Of course, friends do not have to agree on everything. But there are some things that cross a line and should end a friendship. Some opinions are so vile that, as soon as they are expressed, friendships should cease immediately! And yet Vance has yet to break off his friendship with Carlson and, to the best of my knowledge, still considers him a friend.

In today’s Algemeiner Jeffery Lax reports yet another despicable antisemitic act on Carlson’s part:

Tucker Carlson Books has announced a title that reads Peace Is the Only Final Solution for Jews, with a foreword by Tucker Carlson on the cover. It publishes Nov. 17, and Simon & Schuster is the distributor.

The use of the phrase “Final Solution” and “Jews” in the same sentence is about as despicable a comment as anyone can make. It doesn’t even matter what the intent of the book is. It should also be noted that Carlson has now replaced the word Israel with the word Jews, making his antisemitism even more direct…

To continue reading - and/or to comment on this post - click on this link: substack. You must subscribe to receive new posts. It's easy and it's free

Will the Economy Trump Antisemitism?

Michigan’s Abdul El-Sayed and Maine’s Troy Jackson (The Hill)

It’s interesting to see what political pundits are saying about the midterm elections. Depending on which way those quoting the polls lean politically, it will tell you what issues they believe will determine the results of the election.

If you lean Democrat, you will be focused on the economy and blame the Republican president and his party for not caring one whit about how many innocent Palestinians have been killed. You will point to the war with Iran as being responsible for the high prices of gas and groceries, claiming that the war has done nothing to make us safer. Israel is hardly on your radar. To the extent that it is, you place as much blame on Israel for joining Trump’s war with Iran and buy quite readily into the claim that Israel demolished Gaza and killed tens of thousands of innocent Palestinians (some calling it genocide) in its ‘failed’ war against Hamas in Gaza.

If you are a Republican, you tout the war with Iran as the only thing that prevented Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Iran was supposedly only a week away from enriching uranium to weapons-grade levels. You point to its advanced ballistic missile program and its support of terrorist proxies throughout the Middle East, especially those surrounding Israel. Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East and the most important ally the US has in that region, if not in the world. You also argue that after Iran is either defeated or capitulates to all US demands - the economy will revert to its prewar status, when prices were relatively low, stable, and, if anything, on a downward trajectory.

What impresses me about the Republican narrative is their concern over the direction of the Democratic Party. If, as many are predicting, progressive candidates win, the Democratic Party will have a hard time convincing mainstream Democrats that the extremist values of its progressive wing align with their own.

But still, people tend to vote their pocketbooks. They will vote for candidates from the party that they believe can best address their economic concerns,. That usually means voting for candidates from the opposing party (Democrats) against the party is currently in power (Republicans). The only thing that may frustrate that tendency this time is the low esteem voters have for Democrats. Which is not all that different than the low esteem they have for Republicans.

Will voters register a protest vote against any Republican running, despite their low approval ratings of Democrats?

The fact that Republican pundits are railing against the antisemitism that accompanies the rhetoric of many progressive candidates may register with some voters. But the economy, is probably what drives them the most. Besides, the progressive candidates will point to their denials that anti-Israel rhetoric is in any way antisemitic. Deliberately ignoring that such rhetoric drives the increase in antisemitism and its attendant violence in many cases. Thus voters pay little attention to progressives’ that anti Israel rhetoric. Believing their claims that they are not antisemitic. Just anti Israel. underscored by pledges that they will fight antisemitism when they get into office. Besides, antisemtism in just not on the radar of the typical voter. Or they believe the denials of these progressive candidates.

Republican pundits do, however, correctly frame the issue by pointing out that Americans, at their core, abhor attacks against the Jewish people. American’s were genuinely horrified when a synagogue in suburban Detroit was attacked by a Palestinian motivated by the death of one of his relatives – a Hamas operative in Gaza. He was killed during one of IDF’s raid against a Hamas stronghold.

El-Sayed originally characterized that attack as follows: ‘Hurt people - hurt people’. That he later apologized was at best political theater.

More recently El-Syed refused to condemn a disgusting third party antisemitic ad on his behalf directly blaming Israeli ‘genocide’ for the high grocery prices…

To continue reading - and/or to comment on this post - click on this link: substack. You must subscribe to receive new posts. It's easy and it's free

The Israeli Elections and Hatzibur Hacharedi

Gadi Eisenkot and Benjamin Netanyahu

Just as has been the case with similar polls here in the US that projected winners and losers but proved to be way off, so, too, were the polls in Israel this time. I think this may very well be because pollsters tend to inject their biases into the polls they conduct, skewing the results in their favor. Just a guess. But I can’t think of any other reason why polls in recent years have been so far off in their predictions.

I think it’s pretty clear what the last election was about. A referendum on Netanyahu. The country was pretty evenly divided about him, with passions on both side running high. You either reviled him or thought he was the greatest leader in Israel’s history. Listening to media pundits here in the US who tended to be in the former category, you would get the impression that most Israeli voters hate him. But that is clearly not the case.

Sadly, however, at 53 seats Netanyahu’s governing bloc did not get nearly enough votes to govern. That is due, in part, to the large number of seats (19) won by the Arab parties. Based on all the pre-election rhetoric and promises, there is no way a governing coalition can be formed unless there are defections from one bloc to another or the Arab parties are invited to join a governing coalition.

That just ain’t happening.

There have been suggestions of a unity government. Looking at the issues most people care about in this country, there really isn’t all that much daylight between the two parties. They have essentially the same attitude toward the war with Iran and the war with Iran’s proxies. Eisenkot will probably pursue the same military course Netanyahu did. That will not change.

This will surely disappoint those who think Netanyahu’s tactics in these wars were draconian, and that he was too casual about the n umber of civilians he killed in pursuit of Hamas terrorists. A policy based entirely on his political survival. But Eisenkot would not have done things any differently. In fact, he was chief of staff under Netanyahu until relatively recently. Had he had the kinds of objections Netanyahu’s critics have raised about his conduct of the war, he surely would have resigned well before now.

So what’s keeping them from forming a unity government? It’s the animus the voting public has toward Charedim for insisting on being exempt from military service. That resentment is compounded by their vile pronouncements directed at the government and judiciary for trying to undermine that status.

Netanyahu was seen as coddling the Charedim to retain power. Eisenkot tapped into that anger and swore he would end the exemption once and for all, imposing serious sanctions on draft dodgers.

Another difference is the extremist settlers who have been using violence against Palestinians in the West Bank in an effort to drive them out. Most Israelis do not tolerate these extremists. Netanyahu has looked the other way while paying lip service to condemning them. Eisenkot tapped into that anger, too. But it didn’t do him much good.

There has been a lot of mudslinging against Netanyahu, blaming him for October 7 and calling him corrupt, a traitor, and a liar. He has been accused of undermining Israel’s democracy, prolonging the war, delaying the release of hostages, coddling Charedim, and protecting his extremist right-wing allies who support violent extremist settlers. His wife and children have been attacked, and he has been blamed for ruining the bipartisan support Israel once enjoyed.

It would seem that Netanyahu has generated more anger and incitement against himself than any other prime minister in Israel’s history!

But it turns out that most Israelis did not fully buy into that narrative. In fact, a plurality of voters supported him enough to vote for his party or the other parties in his governing bloc.

None of this surprised me all that much.

The biggest disappointment for me was the poor showing of the Hatzibur Hacharedi party…

To continue reading - and/or to comment on this post - click on this link: substack. You must subscribe to receive new posts. It's easy and it's free. 

Is Assimilation Necessary for Good Citizenship?

Assimilation is not a four-letter word, although I have heard it mentioned in that context by far too many Orthodox Jewish educators who treat it as though it were. Assimilation is seen by many of them as a destroyer of Jewish values. Values that are not only incompatible with Jewish values but, worse, inimical to them. In fact, if I’m being honest, that is the rabbit hole that Western culture seems increasingly to be going down. Which should not be unexpected in the humanist culture of moral relativism that is increasingly becoming America.

So, even though I might be inclined to agree with the notion that assimilation into a culture like this is harmful to the Jewish soul, I do not subscribe to the absolutist position on assimilation that many Orthodox Jewish educators take. On the other hand, I definitely do not subscribe to the notion that full assimilation into the culture is all good. As with many things, its more complicated than that. Some assimilation is good and, in my view, necessary. Some of it is bad and should be avoided like the plague.

It is kind of like the response of the great Tannaic sage, R’ Meir, who, when asked why he remained so attached to Elisha ben Avuyah, a former sage who became a heretic, responded: Tocho ochel v’klipaso zarek. Loosely translated this means ‘I eat the good and discard the bad’.

Which brings me to an excellent article by Rabbi Avi Shafran about assimilation. He writes:

New York Times opinion writers Frank Bruni and Bret Stephens carried on a conversation in print in the paper’s October 22 edition, seeking some understanding of the unrest in France and elsewhere in Europe. They consider, inter alia, the relationship between the rioting and the rapid, widespread immigration to Europe from other lands (largely Muslim ones, though the word “Muslim” doesn’t appear amid the article’s 1,700 words dealing with immigration).

Mr. Stephens writes:

“I generally think that immigration is a blessing in any society, provided immigrants assimilate to their host societies’ values and cultures. Too often in Europe, that just didn’t happen.”

Considering assimilation into a new society to be crucial to peaceful and proper immigration is a reasonable thesis. But it ignores examples of decidedly unassimilated American communities like Chassidim and Amish, neither of which groups, despite its refusal to dissolve into the American melting pot, has ever fostered antisocial activity or exhibited high rates (or, for all practical purposes, any rates) of violent crime.

This is entirely true. One need not assimilate in order to be considered a member of society in good standing

As Rabbi Shafran notes, it is the culture from which one comes that is the problem, not the fact that one does not fully assimilate. I could not agree more. And indeed, the protests going on right now in Europe are surely, in part, a function of immigrants who have not assimilated. But that is more of a symptom rather than a cause. Immigrants from countries where violence in pursuit of ideological or religious goals is why they don’t assimilate. It may be impolitic to say so, but facts don’t care about political correctness…

To continue reading - and/or to comment on this post - click on this link: substack. You must subscribe to receive new posts. It's easy and it's free.

Will Replacing Netanyahu Change Anything?

Gadi Eisenkot - Israel’s next prime minister?

I hate to disappoint all of Netanyahu’s critics who can’t wait for him to be defeated - and blame him for all the animosity toward Israel - but this attitude is sadly mistaken. Netanyahu has been an easy target for those looking to blame someone for all the criticism Israel receives. But, as I have said many times, Israel’s foreign policy and its approach to Judea and Samaria differ little among the candidates opposing Netanyahu. That is not what is being debated among Israeli voters.

The primary issue animating voters is “Charedim” and what to do about their refusal to serve in the IDF. Netanyahu is being blamed by secular and Religious Zionist voters for protecting Charedi interests - for delaying a vote on legislation that would require every Israeli citizen to serve in the IDF, with few exceptions. Legislation that would include severe sanctions for noncompliance.

Charedim, meanwhile, blame Netanyahu for failing to fulfill his promise to pass a law that would permanently exempt them from military service. This means that both sides will be voting for political parties opposed to Netanyahu.

Sorry to inform those who believe things will change under new leadership, but very little, if anything, will change. Israel’s foreign policy will very likely continue under any new leadership much as it has under Netanyahu. The rest of the world could not care less about the Charedi issue. Most of the world doesn’t even have a clue what a Charedi is.

Congressional animosity toward Israel will likely continue as before, if not get worse. All that hatred directed at Netanyahu will have been in vain.

Those who actually do care about the Charedi issue will be just as disappointed. Although Netanyahu’s opposition has come down forcefully in favor of using draconian measures to force compliance with the draft, I cannot imagine a scenario in which tens of thousands of yeshiva students fill prisons all across Israel. That is simply not going to happen, despite assurances from Netanyahu’s chief opponent, Gadi Eisenkot, that he will do so.

So whether Netanyahu wins or loses, nothing will change, at least not for the better. The world will still view Israel’s legitimate defensive war against the murderous enemies surrounding it as a form of genocide. And there will be little change in the number of Charedi recruits in the IDF.

The Israeli election is tomorrow. I expect voter turnout to be huge, but the electorate will be divided. Polls indicate that Eisenkot has a lead over Netanyahu in terms of the number of seats his party will win in the Knesset. But that does not mean Eisenkot will be able to form a government. He has already pledged not to include the Charedi parties. Although he has left open the door to a possible coalition with the Arab parties.

Finding coalition partners in a Knesset that will probably have more seats held by right-wing parties than by left-wing ones - might mean that Netanyahu will be able to forge a right-wing government despite having fewer seats. Netanyahu actually did that once in a previous election.

And the new coalition will surely be further to the right than the current one. One poll I saw says that Ben-Gvir’s far right party will actually increase the number of seats it wins in the Knesset…

To continue reading - and/or to comment on this post - click on this link: substack. You must subscribe to receive new posts. It's easy and it's free.

Which is the Real Chilul HaShem?

Hagaon HaRav Dov Landau holding a Sefer Torah by Kol Nidrei (YWN)

I am not in his league. Not anywhere near it. Rav Dov Landau is a certifiable Gadol. I have never questioned that. Not because I know him or have heard or read his Torah, but because one does not achieve that title without merit. A merit bestowed upon him by the virtual acclamation of almost all Charedi rabbanim and Roshei Yeshiva who have heard or read his Torah.

There is no such thing as saying he is undeserving of that title in the face of near-universal acceptance. His stature is acknowledged by virtually all Bnei Torah studying in Charedi yeshivos throughout Israel. We are talking about hundreds of thousands of young men who are dedicated to serving God through full-time Torah study, at great financial and social sacrifice.

Respect of that nature means that his considered opinions on any subject affecting the Jewish people are regarded as Daas Torah - the best wisdom a human being can offer about the will of God. It would be a serious desecration of Torah to do or say anything less about such a man, who has spent the majority of his 96 years on this earth teaching Torah to thousands of students.

That being said, I cannot escape the feeling that his recent condemnation of HaTzibur HaChareidi is one of the most appalling things anyone can say and still be considered Daas Torah. As reported by YWN:

HaGaon HaRav Dov Landau, Rosh Yeshivas Slabodka, has issued a blistering letter against the newly established HaTzibur HaChareidi…

The letter was addressed to a Rav associated with the new party who… spoke with the Rosh Yeshiva’s son.

In the letter, Rav Landau called it “great foolishness, if not great wickedness.”

He then issued an unequivocal warning:

“I will fight against you with all the strength I have and even the strength I do not have, because you are causing great harm to Chareidi Judaism.”

“Your actions are like eating forbidden fats on Yom Kippur and eating chametz on Seder night. I wrote this comparison to emphasize the severity of these matters. Retract, retract your actions, and do not cause harm.”

These comments followed another disturbing incident in which UTJ, the party that represents the Charedi community in Israel, was about to publish a document that included the following language:

“…anyone who failed to vote for United Torah Judaism, whose ballot designation is Gimmel, [is] indirectly participating in a chillul Hashem and bearing responsibility for a particularly serious sin.”

It was withdrawn at the last minute because of an objection raised by the Gerrer Rebbe, who said that this language implied that voting for Shas instead of UTJ would constitute a Chillul Hashem.

The fact that the statement was never published and may be revised is almost irrelevant. What is relevant is that the rabbinic leaders who guide UTJ, including Rav Landau, authorized that language and probably feel exactly that way.

Again, I am not in a position to argue with Rav Landau. I am an Am Ha’aretz compared to him. But it is impossible for me to believe that voting for a common-sense party like HaTzibur HaCharedi constitutes a Chillul Hashem.

I believe the opposite is true: Voting for a party that insists on prolonging a status quo that has made the entire population of Israel - including virtually all religious Jews who are not Charedi - HATE Charedim is what actually constitutes a Chillul Hashem…

To continue reading - and/or to comment on this post - click on this link: substack. You must subscribe to receive new posts. It's easy and it's free.

Why Do They Hate Us?

In yet another insightful piece, Rabbi Moshe Taragin reminds us of what seems to be our eternal fate: that of being a nation hated by the rest of the world. Rashi tells us Halacha hi: Esav sonei l’Yaakov. (Bereshis 33:4) This has traditionally been interpreted to mean an ingrained hatred by gentiles of the Jewish people, stemming from their progenitor, Esav.

Rabbi Taragin, however, notes that, with the advent of the State of Israel in the immediate aftermath of the Holocaust, the majority of the world looked favorably upon the Jewish state:

With the birth of Israel… we could finally live together in our homeland, speaking a common language and sharing a national identity…

Israel gradually gained acceptance abroad. Over 75 years, our military strength, economy, and technological achievements earned international respect. Diplomatic relationships expanded. Countries sought our expertise, welcomed our innovations, and increasingly treated Israel as a valuable partner even when old prejudices lingered. We felt less alone both because we had one another and because the wider world seemed increasingly willing to accept us.

That seemed to contradict the conventional interpretation of Esav sonei l’Yaakov. But, as Rabbi Taragin then reminds us, all of that shattered the day after October 7:

The massacre in the south had barely ended, yet by October 8, protesters were already condemning Israel and portraying us as the aggressors. As we fought a just war against those who attacked us, we faced fierce condemnation and spurious accusations of terrible crimes. Israel has been sidelined, marginalized and boycotted. Even our right to exist has been questioned, a challenge rarely directed at other nations. After decades in which we believed that our legitimacy had become an accepted fact, we discovered how quickly old arguments could reappear.

Now we once again stand alone. A people truly apart. As the blessing God bestowed upon us through the mouth of Bilaam: Am levadad yishkon—(We are) a nation that dwells alone. (Bamidbar 23:9).

Is that our eternal fate? Perhaps. But I would suggest that there is a sociological explanation for it as well, one that helps explain why Israel seemed so beloved before October 7^th, only to be hated afterward.

Emes Ve-Emunah is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

First, let me dismiss the notion that we are hated because of how we conducted ourselves fighting Hamas in Gaza. The claim that Israel committed genocide there could not possibly explain the protests the very next day after the massacre, when demonstrators were already calling for Israel’s destruction and its replacement with a Palestinian state.

It is a function of human nature to view prosperous and powerful nations ruling over a poor and weak population as inherently evil. The weak and poor are seen as victims deserving of sympathy and support.

It doesn’t matter to the casual observer why this situation exists. Whenever a wealthy, prosperous nation exercises control over a poor and weak population, that nation is likely to be viewed as an oppressor. Sympathy is reserved for the subjugated. The more progressive one’s worldview, the more likely one is to interpret the world in these terms.

Although I believe antisemitism is clearly a factor in how some people view Israel now, that doesn’t explain why Israel was viewed so favorably before. For many years. I believe it was because we perpetuated our identity as the original weak and poor survivors of the Holocaust. As long as we retained that identity, we were viewed sympathetically. That included recognition of all the above-mentioned positive contributions the rest of the world received from us.

But after the Six-Day War, that perception changed…

To continue reading - and/or to comment on this post - click on this link: substack. You must subscribe to receive new posts. It's easy and it's free.

Abdul El-Sayed

It’s hard to dispute. Abdul El-Sayed’s message definitely resonates with the voting public. A message that, frankly, resonates with me as well. If I had to summarize it in one word, it would be affordability.

That is the message of Democrats who blame the current administration and the Republican-led House and Senate for the high cost of gas and groceries. It is a winning message. Abdul El-Sayed comes across as sincere and sympathetic - a doctor who cares about people and wants to improve their lives through progressive legislation. (Taxing the rich is always a winning slogan for a struggling middle class. Sticking it to the billionaire class surely resonates with people who can barely make ends meet these days.)

When his opponent, Mike Rogers, keeps trying to link Abdul El-Sayed to Islamist terror groups, El-Sayed responds with a full-throated denial, accusing Rogers of fearmongering. He delivers clever comebacks like, “My Muslim name is not what has caused inflation”.

He is younger and more energetic than Rogers. The bottom line is that things aren’t looking good for Rogers, who, as a Republican, is seen by voters as part of the problem rather than the solution.

But then there is the foreign policy issue, which is important to Jewish voters, at least those of us that traditionally support Israel. Abdul El-Sayed may be “Mr. Nice Guy” in every other respect, but when it comes to Israel, he thoroughly vilifies it. And while he claims to have no connections to Islamist terrorist groups one cannot discount the influence on him of the person who raised him.

According to a report published by The Washington Post, El-Sayed’s half-sister, Eman Abdelhadi, posted on social media in 2012 that their mother had been active in the Muslim Brotherhood while attending college in Egypt in the early 1970s.

The thing is, Israel is not very high on the list of issues that matter to voters right now…

To continue reading - and/or to comment on this post - click on this link: substack. You must subscribe to receive new posts. It's easy and it's free.  

Serving God and Country

IDF Chief of Staff, Eyal Zamir, meets new Charedi officers

It seems so simple. So logical. And yet sometimes so distant from reality. The ideal approach to the Jewish state should incorporate, first, an unwavering commitment to Halacha and, second, an unwavering commitment to the Jewish people. The State of Israel is where the Jewish people live. It is the largest population center of the Jewish people worldwide.

There is a fascinating, albeit very lengthy, article by Amit Segal that discusses how Religious Zionism reflects this principle and how it has fared in its various incarnations since its founding. The title of the article expresses what I believe is the right approach to the State of Israel: Serve the State and Keep It Holy. This is the ethos of the Religious Zionist movement, with which I largely agree.

I do, however, exclude the messianic component of Religious Zionism. I do not believe, as does the author and most Religious Zionists, that the return of Israel to Jewish hands after 2,000 years of exile necessarily marks the beginning of our final redemption. Even after the Six-Day War, when the entire Land of Israel came under Jewish control. That is especially true given the way things stand today.

But aside from that, the land of Israel is our ancestral homeland, promised to us by God several times in the Torah, a promise He never took away. It is our land. Full stop.

At the same time, I am a realist. I do not believe we should act in ways that antagonize the indigenous Palestinians living in certain parts of Israel. Doing so alienates much of the rest of the world, including much of the center-left here in the United States.

Then there is the very real, practical reason to support Israel. Which is the need to provide a home for millions of Jews who have nowhere else to go. This was particularly true in the immediate aftermath of the Holocaust, when millions of survivors lived in displaced persons camps because their homes in Europe had either been destroyed or occupied by locals while their rightful owners were being slaughtered in death camps. There is absolutely no alternative to our remaining in our homeland and defending our right to live there in peace. And if necessary, going to war to achieve those aims.

But there is also the religious dimension to the State of Israel. It is what gives us the right to be there in the first place. As such, Israel cannot simply mimic what its closest ally does by separating religion and state. The right way to be a Jew in Israel is to follow Halacha without compromise while serving the physical needs of the state. Not that the state mandate religious observance. But that it accommodates it in its entirety.

Fulfilling this mandate means that religious Jews must contribute to the common good as soldiers and in every other field of endeavor that defines the country. One must be a full participant. One cannot isolate oneself from society and simultaneously claim to be part of it. Nor can one ethically isolate themselves from society while taking advantage of all its blessings, earned through the sacrifices of others.

This is what separates Religious Zionists from the extremes on both the right and the left. The Charedi world, for the most part, seems to care little about the country in which they live and from which they benefit. They seem to focus only on the piece of the pie they believe they are entitled to. The secular left, meanwhile, has no moral claim to a Jewish state if it rejects the very basis of Israel’s existence Which is God’s deeding the land to the Jewish people as described several times in the Torah

If one is secular to that extent, there is no more justification for living there and ruling over an indigenous population than there is for living in any other country and doing that…

To continue reading - and/or to comment on this post - click on this link: substack. You must subscribe to receive new posts. It's easy and it's free.