Christian Support for Israel

Is Christian support for Israel dwindling?

Are we in a hopeless downward spiral when it comes to Christian support for Israel? Are younger Christians drifting away from the strong pro-Israel stance their conservative evangelical parents took for granted?

If yes, this should concern us. We need all the support we can get in an increasingly hostile climate toward the Jewish state, driven in part by a growing progressive cohort. While that group is still small, it is clearly expanding. As reflected in the recent New York mayoral election, where heavy turnout among young voters proved decisive.

One might be tempted to add to this anxiety the recent revelations of ugly antisemitic comments by young Republican conservatives who had worked in government.

Troubling as these incidents are, I do not believe they tell the whole story. The fact that young Christians are abandoning doctrinaire theologies does not necessarily mean they are abandoning Israel. Strong Christian support can still exist without traditional evangelical frameworks. Which was demonstrated in a new survey. As Rabbi Ari Lamm noted in eJewishPhilanthropy:

(A) Makor Analytics survey of 1,200 young American Christians ages 18–39 found that fewer than 8% now identify as evangelical — a precipitous drop from the roughly half of Protestants they represented in 2008. Instead, over 62% identified as “Just Christian” or non-denominational.

Rabbi Lamm’s article asks how this shift in identity affects Christian support  for Israel. And whether anything can be done to engage young Christians the way evangelicals once did. The answer appears to be yes if it is presented the right way for that generation.

The survey suggests that when you meet young Christians on their own ‘playing field’ - the platforms of shareability like YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok - you can indeed influence Gen Z Christians to support Israel. And the most effective messages are not political or geopolitical. They are biblical and covenantal.

Consider the strongest-performing theme tested: “God keeps His promises.” After respondents selected this theme as meaningful, they were shown the expanded message:

I believe in a God who keeps His promises. The greatest promise God ever made was to restore the people of Israel to the Land of Israel. So when I see that promise being fulfilled before my very eyes today, it gives me greater confidence that God will keep His promises to me in my own life.

Seventy percent of respondents found this message personally meaningful, and across every demographic — gender, race, and political affiliation — they said they were likely to share it on social media.

Here’s where it gets particularly revealing: After Israel struck Iran, only 49% of young Christians said the strike improved global security, and even those who agreed expressed modest confidence. But among those shown the “God keeps His promises” theme, 57% said the strike improved global security, and they expressed high confidence. The only difference between these two groups was exposure to that theme.

To me, this suggests that the widespread concern about evaporating support for Israel among young Christians is overstated. Support can be strengthened - even robustly - if approached correctly. The key is to speak in the language young Christians actually respond to: the media they consume and the faith-rooted narratives that resonate with them.

Not by lecturing about Israel’s accomplishments.
Not by arguing the justice of the Gaza war.
Not by debating genocide accusations.

But (as Rabbi Lamm put it) through biblical, covenantal stories rooted in faith, which spark curiosity, resonance, and shareability.

In other words: the support is still there to be tapped. We just need to speak to it in the right way and use the media they use as the means of communicating it to them.

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Do Clothes Make the Man?

The uniform look of the Yeshiva world

Once again I am in awe. True to form, Mishpacha’s Executive Editor, Shoshana Friedman, has written another masterpiece of commentary in her bi-weekly column, Screenshots.

Mishpacha is an unabashedly Charedi magazine whose values are reflected in its publishing policy and editorial content. One obvious example (one of my pet peeves) is its refusal to publish any pictures of women, regardless of how modestly they are dressed. But this has not stopped Shoshana from expressing views that seem counterintuitive to the Charedi Hashkafa.

On a variety of subjects her views align with my own Centrist perspective. That happened again in last week’s column. It was a well-reasoned approach to another one of my pet peeves: uniforms. Not the kind worn in the military, but the kind worn by Charedi Jews of various Hashkafos. From the black-hat Yeshiva world to the bekeshe and shtreimel wearing Chassidim.

The uniforms worn by some of our people are a double-edged sword. On one hand they symbolize belonging. They identify your worldview and that of your peers. Dressing that way announces that you want people to recognize that about you.

On the other hand, uniforms can also be divisive. They say to those who do not dress as you do that their views are likely different from yours. Which often leads to being judgmental - not in a positive way.

Even though I never heard of it, there is apparently a popular Jewish song that captures this problem through a repeated line in its chorus:

“I don’t need your bekeshe, I don’t need your bekeshe / The only thing I need is you.”

The idea, says Mrs. Friedman, is that uniforms are not and should not be the basis for judging a person’s character. She puts it this way:

It’s a message that rings true with all of us: Don’t confuse outer trappings with inner connection. Don’t confuse your “you” with what you wear. Don’t overemphasize the uniform — be it a bekeshe, a Borsalino, a Bais Yaakov dress code, a specific color (or lack of color) shirt — and forget that what Hashem really wants is a heart pulsing with emotion and commitment.

I can’t begin to tell you how many times I have said virtually the same thing. And yet dress codes have become de rigueur in just about all the various Charedi communities. So much so that if you vary your dress even slightly, you risk being expelled from that community. Socially if not formally.

To take just one example - walk into any Lithuanian-style Charedi Yeshiva and you will see a virtual sea of students all wearing the same white dress shirts and black pants. They all wear the same style black hats outside the Beis HaMedrash. While white shirts, black pants, and a black hat are not uniquely Jewish articles of clothing, they have been adopted by the Yeshiva world to such an extent that if one deviates even slightly—say, by wearing a light blue dress shirt - they may be suspected of heading in that direction of no longer being observant. You will never see a blue shirt on a student in a black-hat Yeshiva.

The sad corollary to this is that those of us who do not dress in this fashion will be suspected of not being fully aligned with a Torah Hashkafa. No matter how sincere our Emunah or how dedicated we are to Torah observance.

The irony is that there are more than a few in their community that wear ‘the uniform’ and do not themselves live up to the ideals that their uniforms are supposed to represent. Mrs. Friedman puts it this way:

For those of us attuned to shallowness and hypocrisy, the song sounds a very authentic note. These days, so much money and effort go into achieving “the right look” — and so much status rides on the nuances of every demographic’s unpublished but very real Style Guide — that it’s easy fodder to mock when unaccompanied by a parallel focus on interior perfection. Come on, how does spending all that money on a shtreimel automatically make you a holy Jew? Why assume that a black hat is loftier than a baseball cap, when you don’t know how much chesed their respective wearers perform? If I daven a beautiful Shemoneh Esreh, does it really matter how long my skirt is? And who needs that bekeshe anyway?

I could not agree more. The requirement to look Charedi has been raised to a level where it has lost all meaning. If someone wears ‘the uniform’, he is often given a pass regardless of his inner character. I cannot count the times, for example, where I have seen black-hat Yeshiva types get drunk at a wedding and create a massive Chilul Hashem. After which I occasionally hear apologetics from  a favored teacher trying to explain it away with one nonsensical justification or another. Which in my view only adds to the Chilul Hashem.

Please do not misunderstand. I have seen this kind of bad behavior by young people from all demographics. From Charedi to Modern Orthodox, to secular Jews, to non-Jews. But when a community sets itself up as the most devoted to Torah observance and identifies itself that way through its manner of dress, their bad behavior becomes a much bigger Chilul Hashem than the same behavior from someone whose dress does not proclaim such religious devotion.

That being said, I also agree that ‘dressing the part’ is not inherently bad. Provided one dresses that way out of conviction rather than out of habit or social pressure. As Mrs. Friedman puts it:

Choosing to dress a certain way means choosing to self-identify a certain way. Not just to observers, but also to ourselves. That uniform shows our affiliation and alignment with principles and ideals. It demonstrates our desire to be part of something bigger, more historic, than our small and temporal selves.

That is true as well. If you believe in the ideals and principles of a group identified by its mode of dress, and you want people to know that those ideals and principles match your own, it is not unreasonable to ‘look the look’.

At the end of the day, though, one must know that identifying with certain ideals and principles by wearing the uniform of that group does not and should not lead one to view those outside their orbit as lesser Jews. Even slightly! 

One can - and should - adhere to the principles in which one believes, while at the same time having the humility to know that there are other sincere, devoted Jews whose views are not identical to one’s own, who are nonetheless just as legitimate in their devotion to serving God. And are to be respected no less than then their own peers.

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An Unsatisfying Response from the Vice-President

Vice-President JD Vance (JTA)

The vice-president is right. But he is also wrong. Yes, both things can be true. The subject is antisemitism in the Republican Party.

It is no secret that antisemitism is on the rise in the party. That was made plainly evident in what may be its most important demographic: young people. Recent news reports and leaked communications have confirmed that a segment of young GOP staffers and activists are listeners and fans of far-right, openly antisemitic influencer Nick Fuentes’ podcasts.

This is important because they are young and therefore are the future of the Republican Party. The only question is whether they represent the mainstream or not. But even if they don’t -  and I don’t think they do  - it is nonetheless disturbing that any of them, let alone those in responsible positions in government, paid the slightest bit of attention to ridiculous conspiracy theories about Jews that were once the exclusive domain of psychopathic genocidal maniacs like Adolf Hitler. And yet they did. And had a lot of good laughs about it.

This cannot be washed away by comments saying that they are not the mainstream, or that they are the exceptions that prove the rule. Even if that is also true, the fact that this has entered the Republican Party at this level needs to be forcefully condemned. People who are fans of Fuentes ought to be barred from the party no less than any other racist or antisemitic group. There is no excusing them with comments like ‘boys will be boys’ or ‘they didn’t really mean it’. Not when these kinds of attitudes were once responsible for the biggest mass murder of the Jewish people in human history. And especially not when it involves young people active in the party.  Ssome of whom may become leaders of the future.

It is also no secret that Tucker Carlson, a Republican who was once the darling of Trump’s MAGA conservatives, has recently revealed his antisemitic feelings to the public. The problem is that he still is the darling of some influential mainstream Republicans, who continue to support and defend him despite his having been exposed as an antisemite . His denials to the contrary notwithstanding. His actions and rhetoric clearly say otherwise, although he cleverly tries to disguise it, it shines through quite brightly.

Carlson is only the most prominent conservative antisemite. There are others with large followings as well – such as Candace Owens. But Carlson’s past popularity among most conservatives remains among significant numbers of them. Including some in positions of great power and influence. The vice-president among them. He counts Carlson as a friend and has hired his son as part of his staff.

This is why I think Vice-President Vance is both right and wrong. As noted in JTA:

Vice-President JD Vance said Thursday that he does not believe antisemitism is surging inside the Republican Party, pushing back on prominent conservatives who have raised alarms about hostility toward Jews among young right-wing activists.

“I do think it’s important to call this stuff out when I see it. I also, when I talk to young conservatives, I don’t see some simmering antisemitism that’s exploding,” Vance told NBC News in an interview marking his first year in office.

He’s right about that. But… even though I wouldn’t use the word ‘surging’ there has certainly been an increase -  small though it may be relative to the whole.

Here is where the vice-president is wrong. It isn’t enough to say that his political party is not rife with antisemitism. He needs to go beyond that and say a lot more than simply asserting that antisemitism is wrong. He has to call it out when it happens and denounce by name - those who say it or imply it. Not doing so allows their rhetoric to spread antisemitism more broadly within his party and beyond.

If the vice-president wants to retain his friendship with an influential individual who promotes antisemitic conspiracy theories - which he continues to spread to his many followers - then he too is part of the problem. If one of my friends promoted racist conspiracy theories about a minority demographic, I would sever my relationship with them immediately and call them out for the racists they are, making clear that there is no room for anyone like that in my circle of friends.

The vice-president has not done that. And that is a shame. If he really cares about the rise in antisemitism, now is the time for him to denounce Carlson and all individuals who follow or platform Holocaust deniers and open antisemites like Fuentes . No matter how young or how influential they are. This is what Ted Cruz, a very prominent conservative Republican has done.

The vice-president needs to sever his relationship Tucker Carlsons of the world.

I can’t tell the vice-president who his friends should be.  But I can tell what his character is by the company he keeps. Vice-President Vance ought to think about that.

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Fighting Antisemitism by Visiting Auschwitz

There is little doubt in my mind about where the increase in antisemitism comes from. Although it is a complicated phenomenon — the result of a confluence of factors and events that have arisen over the last couple of years — there is still hope that it can be turned around by a project I am very much in favor of. More about that later.

Antisemitism is one of the oldest hatreds on the face of the earth, dating back to biblical times.

For the last 2,000 years much of it stemmed from Christianity’s accusation that we – the Jewish people - killed their god, and from our refusal to recognize him as our savior. That prejudice is surely contributed to Nazi Germany’s success in exterminating six million of us. They had willing partners among much of the Christian population in the countries they invaded.

That began to change when Pope John XXIII admitted the Church’s culpability in the Holocaust and ordered a change in Church doctrine that viewed us in a positive sense for the first time in 2000 years. A change implemented by his successor, Pope Paul VI, in Vatican II.

But Jew hatred among some still lingered.  A few fringe Christians were overt about those feelings, but they had little impact on the masses. There were likely more than a few mainstream Christians who quietly harbored such prejudices as well, but they rarely expressed them publicly. And for the most part, we all got along reasonably well.

Meanwhile, in the Middle East, the Muslim world had their own reasons to hate us. They rejected the idea of a Jewish state in the middle of a region they believed belonged only to Muslims. When the UN decided to partition Palestine into two states, one Jewish and one Arab (the original two-state solution), Israel immediately accepted it. The surrounding Arab nations rejected it and went to war. Israel won. Arab nations tried it again in 1967. Israel not only won that war but regained all the land of biblical Israel (Judea and Samaria - the West Bank).

Arab  Jew hatred only intensified after that. Arab Refugees from  Israel’s war of independence that had been under Jordanian jurisdiction, now came under Israeli jurisdiction. The hatred was then further exacerbated. All kinds of lies and exagerations about how these refugees (now called Plaestinisn) were being treated becamse the narrative of Palestinins and their far left supporterd in academia. Their influence on students resulted in their calls to support BDS and referring to Israel as an Apartheid state.

And then came the October 7th Hamas massacre of 1,200 Jews and the capture of 250 hostages and Israel’s war against them. That resulted in accusations of genocide against Israel and war crimes against her leaders. (That these were false accusations and why they were false -  is beyond the scope of this post.)

After two years of this — combined with the overt antisemitism of Palestinians; their far-left supporters; and the preexisting right wing Christian based antisemitism - and we have a perfect storm.

Now - 80 years after the Holocaust - Holocaust deniers are popping up out of the woodwork and gaining legitimacy from popular antisemitic podcasters who have given them undeserved platforms and recognition.

Most Americans, whose primary concerns are economic, do not pay much attention to what goes on in the Middle East. So when a biased media presents a skewed picture that makes Israel look like it has been committing war crimes, many simply accept it. This is one of the reasons support for Israel has declined. When Israel’s own prime minister is constantly vilified by Democratic members of Congress and by media outlets that not so subtly show their disdain him, it is no surprise that this affects public opinion.

What does this mean for the future? Will the Holocaust cease to be remembered? Will Holocuast deniers be given legitimacy thereby minimizing or fully denying what happened to our people?! And thereby stoking the flames of Jew hatred in ways not seen since pre-Holocaust days?

Most young people are don’t know much of anything about the Holocaust and are easy prey for deniers. And have no basis for challenging them since their knowledge of the Holocaust is practically nonexistent. Add to that their favorite entertainers calling Israel’s leader a war criminal and hearing the word ‘genocide’ thrown around casually, and it becomes clear why antisemitism has surged.

Fortunately, a majority of our political leaders on both sides of the aisle are not antisemitic. Both sides are determined to fight it, even if their approaches differ.

Surprisingly, Hollywood has done a better job than most institutions on this front. Nearly every year there is at least one Oscar worthy film that reminds the world of the horrors that truly happened. Despite all my criticism of Hollywood, I give them tremendous credit for this.

However, what a charter school in Harlem did is, in my view, the real solution to Holocaust denial. As noted in a Jewish Insider article:

Standing inside a gas chamber, Natalie Francisco felt history — the darkest kind — come alive in a way no classroom lesson ever could.

Francisco, an 11th grader at Success Academy High School of the Liberal Arts–Harlem, told Jewish Insider that “witnessing Auschwitz-Birkenau, literally being inside a gas chamber, brought the horror of it all to me in a way that reading or studying history could not.”
“It was super emotional to think about the sheer inhumanity and the vast scale of it. I will carry the memories of the visit for the rest of my life,” she said.

Francisco was one of eight high-school students who took part in the school’s inaugural six-day trip to Poland last month, which included visits to Auschwitz-Birkenau, the Plaszów concentration camp, and the Warsaw Ghetto.

(Without getting sidetracked too much, I do want to make the following point: Success Academy is what public education should be. This high-performing school serves low-income students and gives them the education they deserve — unlike many public schools in the area that fail to educate at all. This is what school choice is about. Parents should have the right to send their children to a school like this instead of being forced into inferior ones just because of their ZIP code. But I digress.)

When young people actually visit the place where millions were murdered simply for being Jewish; when they physically see the gas chambers and the barracks where victims lived before they were marched to their deaths; THAT is the most powerful antidote to antisemitism. Every high school should have a program like this. It would be money well spent to educate young people about the truth of the Holocaust rather than leaving them vulnerable to Holocaust deniers being platformed by people like Tucker Carlson. Once they experience a trip like this, they will see through such lies — and Holocaust denial will eventually be placed in the trash bin of history, where it belongs.

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Zevi Eckhuas and Michele Weiss

Zevi Eckhaus (JTA)

Every once in a while, there is good news to report. In this case, there are two stories that qualify. Both of which I consider to be a Kiddush HaShem.

A Kiddush HaShem translates to “sanctifying the name of God.” While God does not need us to sanctify Him - since by definition God is the holiest being in existence, we are nevertheless commanded, as God’s chosen people, to act in ways that honor Him and bring glory to His name. 

Unfortunately, we more often hear about a Chilul HaShem, which is the opposite of a Kiddush HaShem. That’s because, by its very nature, the media generally reports negative events. Positive events rarely make the news, and when they do, it's usually after a heavy dose of negative news as a pleasant way to end a newscast.

When an Orthodox Jew commits a crime of any sort, the media jumps all over it. Although most crimes are white-collar, Orthodox Jews have had their share of sex-abuse cases in the media. Not that long ago, it seemed like every other day yet another Orthodox Jew was exposed by a survivor about his (or her) abuse. Thankfully, it seems that reports of sex abuse by Orthodox Jews have decreased substantially in recent years—although sadly, it still happens.

But this time, I am happy to report that there are two Jews who have a very different kind of story to tell.

Zevi Eckhaus — A Kiddush HaShem on the Football Field

One of them is Zevi Eckhaus. Zevi is the starting quarterback for the Washington State Cougars. And as JTA reports:

“On Saturday, Eckhaus led the Cougars’ offense to a 32–8 win, clinching a berth in a Division I college football bowl game. That game will be the final one at the collegiate level for Eckhaus, a redshirt senior.”

What kind of Kiddush HaShem could there possibly be about a Jew who plays college football every Shabbos? Isn’t that a serious violation of Shabbos? ...one of the most stringent Halachos of the Torah and the defining characteristic of an Orthodox Jew? Shouldn’t that, therefore, be seen as a Chilul HaShem - not a Kiddush HaShem?

Well, not exactly.

There is technically no biblical prohibition against throwing a football on Shabbos as long as it is done in an enclosed private domain. Which in Halachic terms, a football stadium certainly is. I don’t think there is anything about football that is otherwise technically a violation of Shabbos.

That said, it is still not something that should be encouraged on Shabbos, as it runs counter to the sanctity of a day reserved for spiritual pursuits. But Zevi goes out of his way to be observant. He attended a religious day school (Chabad) through middle school and puts on two sets of tefillin every day (Rashi and Rabbeinu Tam) without fail. He learns Mishnayos every week, and does all of this  proudly and publicly, all while earning the respect of his coaches and teammates. (Zevi may not be playing in the NFL after college, but the CFL is taking a serious look at him.)

That he proudly prays on the field during a game and is observant in other ways places observant Judaism in a positive light. Thus becoming something of a role model for other young Jews who aspire to be both committed Jews and successful in fields where they may have thought being observant was impossible. Like the world of sports.

That, to me, is a Kiddush HaShem.

Michele Weiss — A Historic Kiddush HaShem in Public Office

Mayor-elect, Michele Weiss (JNS) 

The other individual is an even greater Kiddush HaShem. Her name is Michele Weiss, a self-described moderate Republican who also happens to be an Orthodox Jew. Last month Ms. Weiss won the election to be mayor of University Heights, Ohio. According to JNS, she is reportedly the first Orthodox Jewish woman to be elected mayor of an American city. And by a substantial margin. As Jessica Russak-Hoffman reports:

“In November, she was elected with 56.6% of the vote, nearly 20 points ahead of the next highest vote-earner…”

The 50-year-old told JNS that her first conversations after deciding to run were with her family—and her rabbi.

“I really feel that everybody is placed on this earth to make a difference,” she said. “I’m doing it for the klal”—Hebrew for “community.”

“I want to make a kiddush Hashem,” she added.

Interestingly, Michele did not grow up Orthodox. As a teenager she joined NCSY, and that changed her life:

“By 16, she was keeping Shabbat strictly, and after high school she attended seminary in Israel…”

JNS goes on to list an impressive array of accomplishments, both secular and religious.

On the secular side:

• Weiss holds undergraduate and MBA degrees from John Carroll University.
• She is an adjunct instructor at Cleveland State University.
• She is a founding member of the nonprofit Amatz Initiative, which provides professional development for school principals.

On the religious side:

• Michele has a meeting planned with her rabbi to discuss how to navigate situations such as citywide emergencies on Shabbat or holidays.
• She has been a kallah teacher and a mikvah attendant.
• She is the CFO of the Hebrew Academy of Cleveland, the largest Jewish day school in Ohio.

It is also interesting to note that this self-described moderate Republican was named vice mayor twice by her Democratic colleagues - under the tenure of Michael Dylan Brennan, a mayor who displayed subtle undertones of Jew-hatred, as indicated in the article.

There is obviously a heavy Orthodox Jewish presence in University Heights. A city with three day schools. But the fact that a city where Jews are still the minority elected an openly Orthodox Jewish woman as mayor tells me that most Americans are not inherently antisemitic, even with the sharp rise in antisemitism over the last two years.

So this story is good news in two ways. First, it is a significant Kiddush HaShem. Second, it underscores my belief that the American people are worthy of the description Rav Moshe Feinstein gave them of being a Medina Shel Chesed - a nation of kindness. NOT a nation of antisemites. When it comes to their elected officials, the American people want good governance. They could not care less how their city officials worship God.

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Israel's Other Existential Crisis

Hundreds of thousands of Charedi men attended the 'million man' protest (eJP)

Half the children in Israel are receiving a third-world education. That was the headline of an article warning that, as Israel’s educational system currently stands, the country’s demographic and economic trajectory is unsustainable.

That is the conclusion of economist Dan Ben-David who has done an in-depth study on the subject.

Ben-David was interviewed by Judah Ari Gross for eJewish Philanthropy, where he laid out the case for his findings. He is in the middle of trying to convince the Israeli government to act before it is too late.

The bulk of the problem lies with the Charedi educational system, which refuses to offer a secular curriculum. Although there are a few exceptions, such schools are usually frowned upon by mainstream Charedi leadership. They believe that Torah study must become the exclusive area of study once boys reach high school. Until then, their primary education consists of basic elementary-school math and Hebrew. The vast majority of the day is devoted to Torah study. After that—nothing.

They insist on this because they believe the vast corpus of Torah in our day is so immense that one could spend a lifetime studying it and still never finish. Secular studies, they claim, detract from that mission.

I have no problem with the elite students among us focusing 100% of their time on Torah study. Although I believe that doing so detracts from the full richness of Torah knowledge - that one might gain from various secular disciplines - I will concede for argument’s sake that exclusive Torah study will maximize Torah knowledge. I am not the only one who sees value in secular knowledge; the most honored Torah scholar of the last few hundred years, the Vilna Gaon, felt the same way.

But as I have said many times in the past, not everyone has the talent or drive to study Torah exclusively. Every human being has their own personal strengths and inclinations that can better serve both their people and God - than forcing them to struggle with a page of Gemara half-heartedly. Those students should be encouraged to pursue their strengths—not made to conform to a single mold.

The problem is that the Charedi educational system does not recognize this reality. Their view is that whatever strengths one may have in other areas – they should be redirected into Torah study.

But as Ben-David notes, Israel needs its population educated in order to provide vital services. While Torah study is surely vital to the Jewish people, so too are doctors and other medical professionals who require a strong secular education in order to practice. Israel has done quite well in that regard until now; secular and non-Charedi religious Jews have obtained the necessary education and filled those roles. But what is happening now is an explosion of Charedi population growth, with the following result:

“(About) half of the children today in Israel are receiving a third-world education… which means that when these kids grow up, they won’t be able to support a first-world economy. That means that the economy will not be able to maintain first-world health care or welfare, but also not a first-world army, which we will need to defend ourselves like we have for the past 77 years...

When we talk about health care, it’s a huge sector, but the people responsible for keeping us at the highest levels in the developed world are the physicians. The number of physicians that we have relative to the adult 25-and-up population is just half a percent - 0.6% of the population. And the people who teach them in universities are just 0.2%.

The issue is this: …three groups - the high-tech people, the physicians, and the people who teach them—number less than 300,000 people altogether. We have a country of 10 million. You don’t need a million to get up and leave for it to be a catastrophe. We have less than 300,000 people basically keeping Israel a first-world economy, a first-world health-care system, and a first-rate university sector.”

Studies have shown several hundred physicians have left the country in recent years.

The issue of eliminating ignorance in the Charedi world is no longer the primary concern. Although it certainly deserves our attention. The far greater problem is sustaining a nation capable of providing the essential services that only higher education can produce. The Charedi refusal to recognize this reality will surely come back to haunt them a few generations from now. If secular Jews leave, and fewer Jews are educated enough to replace them - let alone increase those numbers as the population grows - Israel’s standard of living will deteriorate, as will the health and lifespan of its citizens. In short, they will become a 3^rd world country.

Israel needs the fastest-growing segment of its population to step up. Its leaders need to recognize that their current paradigm of Torah-only will ultimately result in disaster. Not enough people will be educated in the secular disciplines necessary to sustain a first-rate nation with a first-rate health-care system. That they do not recognize this is mind boggling!

To be sure, there are individual, very bright Charedim who - on their own initiative - seek to become part of these sustaining professions; they catch up with their secular counterparts and gain admission to professional schools where they can learn their craft. And women do in fact receive a decent enough education to become professionals of this kind. But are they? And if so, are there enough of them to sustain Israel as a first-world country?

I honestly don’t know the answer. But I do wonder whether Charedi leadership would be comfortable living in a society heavily dominated by women professionals. I find it difficult to imagine, for example, Charedi men comfortably going to a female doctor for a physical exam. And I am not even sure enough women will enter these professions to maintain Israel’s first-world status. Common sense suggests that you need men becoming doctors too.

From what I can tell, Israel’s existential crisis is not only about dealing with enemies who wish to annihilate it - though that is certainly true. There is another, more subtle existential crisis creeping up on the nation because of how the Charedi educational system operates. And it appears that Israel’s government has been unable or unwilling to change that paradigm.

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Compromise - the Art of Peaceful Coexistence

Coalition lawmakers debate Charedi draft exemption bill (TOI)

I have not been reticent to express my strong disagreement with the Charedi attitude toward the IDF. Their leadership’s total rejection of any participation in the IDF is abhorrent to me. As it should be to anyone with a sense of righteousness and justice. Their anti IDF view is based on two things. 

One is their belief that Torah study should automatically exempt one from serving, in the belie that it is far more protective of the Jewish people than any army is. And two, they fear that the army will cause massive defections from Torah observance. A fear they claim is supported by a statistic (quoted recently by Rabbi Aharon Feldman) that 50% of observant Jews who entered the IDF became non-observant.

So ideally the belief by all Charedi leaders is that there should be no IDF service at all for anyone who is Charedi. But there seems to be a split among these leaders between the ideologues and the pragmatists. The former refuse to budge an inch from their zero-Charedi-enlistment policy; the latter believe that a compromise is necessary if their community is going to survive financially. The pragmatists have been negotiating with legislators in the Knesset to get the best deal they can. One that, in their eyes, would minimize as much as possible any Charedi IDF service.

As I understand it, the deal offered by the current government would pretty much permanently codify into law a permanent exemption for any Charedi registered as a full time Torah student. Allowing only Charedi men not studying Torah to serve - but not in combat roles. Apparently the pragmatists are mulling this over, even as the ideologues remain adamant about their ‘no Charedi in the IDF’ policy.

I don’t know where this is headed. But if past is prologue, a previous compromise - one that exempted all Charedim from the draft as long as they registered, caused a major split within the Charedi leadership. The hardliners who rejected even registering for the draft were accused of being rebellious sages by the pragmatic leaders who supported that compromise. We may now be heading in the same direction with this new version.

As far as I am concerned, the word compromise should never be used in matters of war,  where one segment of the population ends up getting off the hook—spared from the risks and sacrifices others must bear. That is, in effect, what this compromise does. If accepted by the government and passed into law, Charedim will be spared from any harm in battle because they will be exempt from combat.

It should be noted that the current attitude of the Charedi leadership is not is not the same as the Charedi leadership of the past. One of their most revered sages held that if one is not studying Torah full time, they should serve in the IDF. A view shared by the Chazon Ish, the father of the modern era yeshiva system in Israel.

Today’s elderly leaders are old enough to remember the Chazon Ish (who died in 1953). But they seem to have forgotten what their uncontested leader held.

Without even getting into the halachic requirement for every Jew to do battle when the existence of the Jewish people is at stake - the sheer injustice of this kind of deal is breathtaking in its Chutzpah.

And perhaps more importantly it is heartbreaking to the families who have lost loved ones fighting an enemy whose stated goal was to exterminate all of the Jewish people in the holy land. They embarked on that goal with a massive murderous terror spree. Which took place on that fateful October 7^th day. That their plans were thwarted only after two years of war cost many Jewish lives and left many more with serious, permanent injuries.

One can only imagine how bereaved families feel about a compromise that continues to leave Charedim entirely exempt from dangerous combat.

Actually, one doesn’t have to imagine it. Their feelings are spelled out in a letter available at Rabbi Slifkin’s Substack. What struck me most about that letter was the long list of signatures on it. All of whom are from religious or traditional families that  have lost loved ones in war.

There are up to a hundred thousand able-bodied Charedim. They and their families would avoid these dire consequences if the bill is passed as it is written now. The letter asked the Knesset to reject this unfair compromise. Israel needs soldiers. There are not enough, even though almost the entire country (except for Charedim) is subjected to army service. Charedim are needed to fill the gap.

That gap is currently being filled by excruciatingly long tours of duty by exhausted soldiers. Tours that in many cases have cost them their businesses or livelihoods. Tours that have separated them from their families for long periods of time. Tours that have caused endless sorrow and pain to families all over the country. Except for Charedi families. And this new compromise would continue to give Charedi families peace of mind - knowing their children will not be harmed in battle. Even if a few of them will be required to serve in some capacity.

If I were a father whose son was serving in the IDF, I would be livid.

And yet…

Even though it isn’t fair, I prefer a compromise. Just not this compromise. Even though it grates against my sense of justice, a civil war between the Charedi world and the rest of Israel would surely destroy the country. A house divided against itself cannot stand.

Israel cannot - MUST NOT - become a land of privilege for some because of the unreasonable fears of Charedi leadership. They must do more to find a compromise that is more equitable. One that will fill the manpower shortages that exist now. Whatever that number is, the goal must be that there be no manpower shortage. The, number of Charedi recruits MUST fill that need.

If I understand correctly, the IDF needs another 20,000 additional recruits. About 20% of the total. And they must be subject to the same combat duty as everyone else. The rest can then remain exempt. It may not be fair to give Charedim more exemptions than the rest of the country. But if the needs of the IDF can be met without a civil war by such a compromise, it should be passed into law. Because at least then – a  significant number of Charedim will share the same burden borne by the rest of Israel. If that solves the army’s needs, would the avoidance of a possible civil war not be worth the price?

Alas, I am inclined to believe that the current Charedi leadership will never accept such a compromise. But one can dream…

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MAGA's White Christian Nationalists

The threat of white Christian antinationalism

There has been an unholy alliance between two factions within MAGA. An alliance that went largely unnoticed until recently, when one faction exposed themselves as the antisemites they always were but had kept quiet about. Most of these antisemites call themselves conservatives, which in many respects they are.

But they are more accurately described as Christian nationalists. These are people who share many classic conservative, biblically based values. Values most mainstream conservatives refer to as ‘Judeo-Christian’. But they reject the ‘Judeo’ portion of that identifier entirely.

Christian nationalists are the ideological descendants of the old-line conservatives who harbored antisemitic feelings. Only they have taken those feelings to a new level. They  see no value in supporting Israel and have expressed some of the same venomous accusations against her as have Palestinians and the left. They are antisemites who believe Jews threaten their vision of a Christian America and subscribe to conspiracy theories about secret Jewish cabals plotting world domination. In some cases, these theories are so far-fetched they are comical. Can anyone say ‘space lasers’?

One of the accusations made by Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene was that Jewish space lasers were responsible for California’s forest fires. Taylor Greene is a Christian nationalist and one of the most prominent MAGA figures in the Republican party. Unless you live under a rock, you know she is not alone. Fellow travelers who see American Jews in this light include populist influencers like Tucker Carlson, an obvious Christian nationalist.

MAGA is a movement created by candidate Donald Trump during his first presidential campaign. It is an acronym for ‘Make America Great Again’, which in brief describes a desire to return the country to a time when its values more closely reflected biblical principles, rather than the progressive values that have come to dominate in recent decades.

Americans are divided: roughly half welcomed those progressive changes, believing modern values are more just than the biblical values of old. The other half believed that abandoning biblical values was dragging the country into an immoral abyss. It is from this latter group that MAGA supporters emerged. Trump championed their values and promised to implement them. He has tried to do just that.

But the president is not a Christian nationalist. He is, in fact, a strong supporter of Israel and  the Jewish people. At least of those Jews who want to see biblical values guide the morals of the country. (Those Jews who reject some of these values as incompatible with their modern sense of justice have in fact been a target of his harshest criticism. It’s hard to argue with that, since many have substituted progressive values for biblical values thereby rejecting the very primes of MAGA.)

Mainstream conservatives are generally not Christian nationalists and accept the premise that this country was founded on Judeo-Christian values. But the MAGA ‘tent’ housed both types of conservatives. Until recently, the antisemitic voices within MAGA were muted. But as the president continued embracing policies favorable to Israel - even as much of the world, including the American left, condemned her - these Christian nationalists saw an opportunity.

They raised their voices and aligned themselves with the same anti-Israel canards being promoted by Palestinians and the hard left, both domestically and abroad. They are attempting to commandeer MAGA away from its founder and redefine it in their own image. One in which MAGA equals Christian nationalism, an ideology that vilifies Israel and Jews as a whole.

It should be noted that many fair-minded people have totally rejected MAGA because they believed that MAGA was comprised almost entirely of white Christian nationalists that were inherently antisemitic. Believing Orthodox Jews who identified with MAGA were unwittingly partnering with antisemitic  faction that, given the opportunity, would treat them as conspirators and subversives.

There is no doubt in my mind that a substantial portion of MAGA supporters do in fact feel this way. Far more than I would have ever imagined. But I strongly doubt that the mainstream of MAGA are antisemitic Christian nationalists or that they buy into the conspiracy theories promoted by this faction’s politicians and spokespeople.

If anyone is a conspiracy by anyone, it is this faction of MAGA that wants to wrest control of the movement from its founder. They are relatively small in number but have powerful voices, making them appear more threatening than they truly are.

It is probably a good thing that these people are now exposing themselves as the antisemites they have always been. The president would do well to expunge them from the movement entirely. They are rotten apples who, if left unchecked, can destroy MAGA and, as a result, push the country even further to the left than it already is. Which is pretty far. How far? All one has to do is look at who the next mayor of New York is going to be. What was once unimaginable is now reality. If MAGA does not purge its extremists, it will not like the backlash that will surely result. And that may ultimately destroy whatever progress has been made in restoring the values that made America great. Instead it will accelerate the country’s descent into an immoral abyss which will surely destroy it from within.

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The City That Used to Work

Mayor Richard J. Daley

I miss Mayor Daley. Richard J. Daley was a multi-term mayor who led Chicago into becoming one of the most successful big cities in the country. While other major cities were declining, Mayor Daley built Chicago’s Loop, the Magnificent Mile, and its many ethnic neighborhoods into some of the most admired urban areas in the world. A legacy that still exists. Time magazine noted this at the time and credited Daley in an article entitled “Chicago—The City That Works.” Daley also had the wisdom to hire Orlando Wilson as his police chief, keeping the city relatively safe.

After Mayor Daley died suddenly in 1976 while in office, the next consequential mayor of Chicago was Harold Washington, the city’s first black mayor.

I will never forget “No Crime Day.” In the mid-1980s, Mayor Washington attempted a novel approach to dealing with rising crime - especially in black neighborhoods. By declaring a day in which there would be no crime in Chicago. When I heard that, I had to laugh. As if the criminal gangs that ruled those neighborhoods cared what any politician said, even one who shared their ethnicity. Murder meant nothing to them. If they thought someone deserved to die, they would execute them. Usually in a drive-by shooting. And if an innocent young black child was caught in the crossfire… too bad.

Our current mayor, Brandon Johnson, may not be declaring silly things like “No Crime Day,” but his progressive policies are about as effective. Instead of enhancing law enforcement, he has done his best to hamper it. Almost every policy supported by the police department has been rejected. Every policy approved by a majority vote of the City Council was vetoed. On the grounds that these measures supposedly would not reduce crime.

This should surprise no one who paid attention to Johnson’s views before he ran for mayor. He openly supported defunding the police. Even though he supposedly changed his view when he deiced to run for mayor - his actions since taking office amount to the same thing.

Mayor Johnson wants to address what he calls the “core issues” - young people with too much idle time and no opportunities for decent wages turning to crime. His solution was to build basketball courts in high-crime neighborhoods and create jobs to keep young people out of trouble.

I have no objection to these kinds of initiatives. Many are worthwhile—if the city can afford them. But they are no substitute for the values missing in the lives of too many young hooligans. Values whose absence often turns them into violent criminals and unrepentant murderers. Nor can these initiatives replace effective police work, which requires the city to give officers the tools they need to enforce the law.

But even that isn’t enough. Progressive politicians like Mayor Johnson and Governor Pritzker have made things worse. The governor signed “no cash bail” into law. Serious criminals are still remanded into custody, but those accused of lesser crimes are released with what amounts to a “get out of jail free” card. Many never return for trial, choosing instead to commit more crimes. And in some cases escalate to violent crimes

It is true that the poor often lack the money to post bail while the wealthy do not. There is injustice in that. But that does not justify giving them all an unconditional release.

Progressives claim they are solving a problem rooted in racism. Maybe so. But at what price? Policies like these put the public at serious risk.

About a week ago, a man named Lawrence Reed poured gasoline on Bethany McGee and set her on fire in an unprovoked attack on a CTA train. This young woman suffered severe burns to her head and body and remains in critical condition. Reed is obviously a very sick individual, but this was not his first arrest. He had 72 prior arrests. The fact that he was not in prison is the direct result of a criminal justice system shaped by the kinds of policies our governor and mayor champion.

There have been countless other incidents in Chicago that could have been prevented with common-sense law enforcement and a judicial system that prioritizes public safety over the convenience of accused criminals.

I was glad to see the president express outrage over what happened to Ms. McGee and reiterate his intention to send the National Guard to Chicago to support law enforcement. That the governor and mayor vehemently rejected this idea - calling it some sort of military coup - does not surprise me. We wouldn’t need the National Guard if our local leaders were willing to do their jobs and give law enforcement the tools and the manpower they need

I, for one, will be happy to see more law enforcement personnel on the streets. If the mayor and governor do not care enough about innocent victims like Bethany McGee, at least someone with the authority to act does.

Until the next mayoral election - when, hopefully, a new mayor will enhance the police department enough for it to manage the situation alone - the National Guard will have to do. May 

God protect them. Chicago needs someone with the courage to treat law and order, the way Mayor Daley once did. 

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Showing Gratitude When and Where It is Due

Rabbi Meir Soloveichik discussing the Jewish/Christian relationship (Tikvah)

I think of no better day to celebrate the Judeo-Christian ethic upon which this great nation was founded than today - Thanksgiving 2025. The Pilgrims who fled religious persecution in their home country, found the freedom to practice their Christian faith on these shores. A faith that leaned heavily on the values of the Old Testament, which is our Torah.

Regardless of the theological differences in interpretation, many of their customs are taken straight from the biblical narrative, which is nearly identical to our own. Thanksgiving is an example of this tradition. It is based on the Yom Tov of Sukkos in its identity as Chag Ha’Asif. We are commanded to celebrate the gathering of the crops at the end of the agricultural season and give thanks to HaShem for His bounty.

Even though, as gentiles, the Puritans were not required to do so, they felt an obligation to thank God for their bounty at this time of year—when they too had finished harvesting their crops. There is no better example of the ‘Judeo’ part of the Judeo-Christian ethic than this. That they cared about the values taught in the Old Testament strongly supports those who say that the American values of the Founding Fathers were rooted in the same biblical orientation as their Puritan forebearers.

The promise of America does not disappoint. Even now, at a time of heightened antisemitism. All one has to do is look at the city of Lakewood, New Jersey, to see what America’s creed of religious freedom has wrought. That unfettered freedom has allowed a small village to grow into a metropolis of Torah study and observant Judaism, unlike any other city in America. Without the slightest bit of government interference.

Whether one agrees with their hashkafos or not, one cannot escape the fact that this city exists and has grown exponentially since the yeshiva world was first established there by Rav Aharon Kotler. And of course, Lakewood is not the only example of how we, the Jewish people, have benefitted from the blessings this nation’s founders and leaders have bestowed upon us. The freedom to worship God in any way we choose has resulted in a virtual explosion of yeshivos, Jewish high schools, and elementary schools. Something our European ancestors, living under varying degrees of antisemitic oppression, could never have dreamed of. This freedom is enshrined in the Constitution. Although some on the fringes may wish to take it away, it is too deeply embedded in the American ethos to succeed. Most Americans would not tolerate it.

To those who say that Thanksgiving is not a Jewish holiday - or worse, that it has some non-Jewish religious aspect and therefore should not be celebrated - I would urge them to consider that they may be entirely off base. Worse yet, rejecting a national holiday designed to give thanks for our good fortune as Jews living in this time and in this place is an insult to our gracious American hosts, who have been so good to us.

I’m not saying that everyone must eat a big festive turkey dinner today—although there is certainly nothing wrong with that. What I am saying is that instinctively rejecting a secular holiday simply because it is not explicitly Jewish - and doing so publicly - may actually be a chillul Hashem. Instead, we should express public gratitude, especially on a national holiday where gratitude is in its name

Hakoras HaTov – gratitude - for what this great nation has given us cannot and must not be overlooked. We must show our appreciation to this country, to its founders, and to its leaders for carrying that torch. And more importantly, we must be grateful to God for His kindness in allowing us to live at a time and in a country like this.

Happy Thanksgiving.

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