Judaism Torah

An article last week in The Jerusalem Post (Religious Affairs: Burying the Jew-Israeli distinction? 2008.12.04) evinces a distinction that often eludes the casual observer: in some ways Zionism contradicts, and is incompatible with, Torah.

"The Zionist state's goal, in contrast [to Tor•âh? , religious or spiritual factors], is to "normalize" the Jewish condition. [emphasis added] by supplying the Jewish persons with its own territory, Zionism's founding fathers hoped to transform the wandering Jew of the exile into a nation like all other nations… Secular Zionists argued that with the creation of a Jewish state there would no longer be a need for halacha [Jewish law], which served the sole aim of preserving Jewish unity as a "portable homeland" in the Diaspora. a new, more normal Jewish identity would be created, and the old Diaspora baggage could be dropped." (ibid.)

Thus, the birth of the modern State of Israel was accompanied by a definition of Zionism that was secular; independent, without doubt scornful of, and often times in open enmity against, Tor•âh? . the founders of modern Israel desired to construct a "Jewish State" that would be a home—like all of the goyim nations of the world—for "Jews"—as defined not by Tor•âh? but by Hitler and the Nazis.

More recently, there has been a motion toward linking Zionism to Tor•âh? : Religious Zionism. this is the motion with which the N?tzâr•im? have been sympathetic. however, the wide acceptance of the Nazi—racist-genetic—definition of "Jew" proceeds to obstruct attempts to build a genuinely Judaic-Jewish, i.e.,Tor•âh? , nation… and the N?tzâr•im? commitment is strictly to Tor•âh? .

"HISTORICALLY, CHABAD, like other haredim, virulently opposed secular Zionism, because its ideology proposed to replace Judaism with nationalism." (ibid.)

The Nazi definition is racist, including secular genetic "Jews," homosexual genetic "Jews," atheist genetic "Jews," and so on ad nauseum. These non-Tor•âh? , often anti-Tor•âh? , "Jews" are misojudaic "Jews"; often in an open way disdainful and at enmity with Tor•âh? , and committed to building a non-Tor•âh? (i.e., secular) state like all of the goy•im? nations of the world. this is why Arabs are included as voting citizens, deciding, along with the misojudaic "Jews," the future of this state. Prospects of a Tor•âh? nation emergent from this misguided and perverse marriage of misojudaics is zero.

The N?tzâr•im? unreservedly combat secular Zionism. The N?tzâr•im? are neither identified by, nor truehearted to, any racist definition of "Jews" whether owing tomisojudaics; whether they be Nazis, Mumbai terrorists or "secular Jews."

"In 1903, Rabbi Shalom Dov Ber Schneerson, the fifth rebbe of Chabad, elucidated his staunch opposition to Zionism in a famous letter. "They think nationalism has substituted religion, and that Zionism is now the best means for the preservation of Jewish society, and not Torah and mitzvot," he wrote. "Zionists are more dangerous than the maskilim, because they believe that they are no longer obligated to the Torah, and that one is a proper Jew in that he is a truehearted nationalist." … the seventh and last Chabad rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson, who staunchly opposed territorial compromise and was adamantly pro-Israel, nevertheless was careful never to use the term "State of Israel," always referring, instead, to the "Land of Israel." … In a 1969 letter to former MK Geula Cohen, he explained that one of the reasons he refrained from using the word "state" was because "it implied a general approach and program amid Jews to be like all the goyim… For Schneerson, the nationalist aspect of Zionism represented a potential spiritual danger. Jews were liable to believe that a secular Israeli identity patterned after gentile nations would supplant authentic Jewish identity." (ibid.)

This is another differentiation amid the N?tzâr•im? from Khaba"d: while the N?tzâr•im? uncompromisingly reject and oppose secular Zionism, in agreement with the kha•reid•im? , at the same time we reject and oppose the backward mentality, medievalism and superstitious beliefs that are no less intrinsic to the definition of kha•reid•im? and Ultra-Orthodox.

R. Shalom Schneerson made a good point that the N?tzâr•im? should adopt, however: we should express no more than conditional dedication to the "State" of Israel, only insofar as it becomes a Tor•âh? state. instead, we should express our dedication solely to ?--? and His Tor•âh? , "Ë? rëtz Yi•s?r•â•eil? " and "AmYi•s?r•â•eil? ." [Quote]