Isolationists, Hawks, and Israel

U.S. Army Gen. Michael E. Kurilla, commander of U.S. Central Command (JI)

How serious is the threat of a military attack against Iran? Is the president’s bellicose rhetoric just words? Does he abhor the idea of war with a powerful enemy so much that he might sell out Israel in some sort of Obama-like compromise on a nuclear deal? Is Trump just a paper tiger whose ‘roar’ will never amount to much of a bite?

There are two conflicting schools of thought within his administration. On the one hand, there are the strong supporters of Israel who advocate military action if Iran does not capitulate entirely to U.S. demands. Demands that include the complete dismantlement of their nuclear program, even for peaceful purposes. For his part, Trump has said that this is a non-negotiable condition of any agreement. These hawks believe that the only way to stop Iran is through force if talks fail.

Then there are the isolationist factions. They believe we have little to fear from enemies halfway around the world and that we ought not be sabre-rattling when a compromise on a nuclear deal would serve American interests just fine. Thereby avoiding U.S. entanglement in yet another foreign war with little to gain and much to lose.

Some political pundits claim that the isolationist factions are gaining influence within the administration while the hawks are losing ground. That perception is likely based on the belief that Trump has no stomach for war and that his ‘America First’ policies are, at their core, isolationist anyway.

Isolationists, almost by definition, are not particularly pro-Israel and in some case might even be antisemitic. They are known to harbor sentiments blaming the ‘neocons’ for promoting war against Iran for the sake of Israel. It is also common knowledge that many neocons are Jewish. A fact not lost on them.Using the term ‘neocons’ is  a substitute for ‘the Jews’ - giving therm cover for their antisemitism.

They are the kinds of people who make snide comments to pro-Israel legislators such as, ‘You forget which country we represent - and it isn’t Israel.’ That, in my view, is plainly antisemitic. In fact, that exact comment was once made by Chuck Hagel, Obama’s Republican Secretary of Defense. And yes, I consider his comment antisemitic too.

This seems to be the conventional wisdom. Causing many pro-Israel Americans to worry about how Israel will fare in all this. If the isolationist faction is becoming the dominant  voice in the administration, will Israel be left to fend for itself?

Except that this narrative isn’t true.

The isolationist faction is far from taking control over foreign policy in the White House. At least not according to CENTCOM commander Gen. Michael “Erik” Kurilla, the top U.S. military official in the Middle East. As reported in Jewish Insider:

[Kurilla] said on Tuesday that he had provided ‘a wide range of options’ to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and President Donald Trump for carrying out U.S. military strikes on Iran’s nuclear program if negotiations with Tehran fail to achieve the dismantlement of its nuclear program...

Kurilla affirmed, under questioning from the House Armed Services Committee, that the military is fully prepared for a strong show of force against Iran if it refuses to dismantle its nuclear program. He noted that Iran continues to increase its stockpiles of uranium enriched to 60% purity—a level with no legitimate civilian purpose.

Some people try to downplay Israel’s contributions in weakening Iran and its proxies, claiming no one of consequence has ever credited Israel for that. But that too is false. General Kurilla himself stated that Iran is in a weaker strategic position today than it was before October 7^th. He further noted that:

Iran’s vision of a “Shia crescent” through the Middle East has collapsed with the fall of the Syrian government - calling it “probably the single biggest event that has happened in the Middle East” - along with the degrading of Hezbollah and other Iranian proxies.

Kurilla went so far as to describe Israel’s success against Iran’s proxies, especially Hezbollah, as “brilliant,” saying it should be studied by every military in the world.

Israel is clearly an asset worth preserving. And the president has not wavered in his support, despite efforts by some to portray discord between our two nations.

Elbridge Colby, the undersecretary of defense for policy, once opposed military action against Iran. But according to Katherine Thompson, the acting assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs, he is now fully aligned with current administration policy. She stated:

“We support the president’s objective to not only, first and foremost, defend the State of Israel but second, of course, deny Iran the ability to obtain a nuclear weapon. That is something that we are 100% committed to,” Thompson said. “I will also note that we support the president’s objectives and stand ready to provide military options should his strategy of pursuing peace with Iran through a negotiated solution [fail].”

I don’t think the president’s pro-Israel policy could be any clearer. Regardless of what some pundits say about the internal debates in his administration, or whether his recent actions suggest a retreat from his stated commitments.

Sometimes what seems like a zebra really is just a horse after all (to turn a common phrase).

Those of us who strongly support the Jewish state should stop being so paranoid about how every move the president makes reflects on his stance toward Israel. We need to recognize that sometimes there is more going on behind the scenes than meets the eye. And I believe that’s the case here.

So, despite indications to the contrary, the isolationists are not winning. To put it the way Thompson did in her testimony before congress: the president’s objective (is) first and foremost, (to) defend the State of Israel. And the president is surely NOT a neocon.

Four Antisemites Who Insist they Aren't

Greta Thunberg being offered a sandwhich by an IDF 'kidnapper' (JTA)

It is getting easier to be an antisemite these days and get away with it. That’s because all one has to do is claim that their opposition to Israel has nothing to do with antisemitism. Some may even delude themselves into believing that. There are four such individuals in the public arena today. They all claim to be fully supportive of the Jewish people, even while saying and doing things that clearly indicate otherwise. Some are more blatant than others, but at the end of the day, they are all antisemites at their core.

The most obvious example is Represntative Rashida Tlaib, who has called for the dismantling of the Jewish state. While she doesn’t state it so explicitly, her open support for the BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) movement is telling. If BDS were successful - if every nation boycotted, divested from, and sanctioned Israel - it would lead to the destruction of the only Jewish state in the world. That alone should be a red flag.

Tlaib also repeatedly uses the slogan ‘Free Palestine from the river to the sea,’ a phrase widely understood to call for the elimination of Israel. And yet she insists she is not antisemitic. What about the majority of the world’s Jewish population that lives in Israel and would be displaced if Palestine replaced it? Does she not consider that antisemitic?

And yet she declares:

“I stand firmly against antisemitism. And I stand firmly in support of a Free Palestine.”

Another example is Marjorie Taylor Greene, who also sees herself as free of antisemitism. Yet both she and Tlaib were the only two members of Congress to vote present (instead of yes) on a bipartisan resolution condemning antisemitism. The bill came in response to attacks on Jewish targets in Boulder, Colorado, and Washington, D.C.

Taylor Greene’s justification? She tweeted:

“Congress never votes on hate crimes committed against white people, Christians, men, the homeless, or countless others... Americans from every background are being murdered - even in the womb - and Congress stays silent. We don’t vote on endless resolutions defending them.”

Well, maybe if Jews didn’t receive an outsized share of hate crimes, they wouldn’t need such resolutions. Greene’s antisemitism may be more subtle than Tlaib’s, but her comments reveal the mindset of an old-fashioned, far-right Christian antisemite -  of the pre-Holocaust variety. She can say all day long that antisemitic crimes are wrong, but that doesn’t make her any less antisemitic.

Next is Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old Democratic Socialist running for mayor of New York City. He isn’t leading in the polls but has nonetheless gained significant traction. His anti-Israel views are well-documented, particularly through his support for BDS, which could bar him from visiting Israel under existing Israeli law.

The Times of Israel recently reported:

“Mamdani has previously called for boycotting Israel but has been evasive on the campaign trail when asked whether he would seek to have the city join the boycott. During a forum on Sunday, he explained his past support for BDS but did not clearly answer a direct question about whether he would continue to support the boycott if elected mayor.”

And yet he, too, denies being antisemitic, echoing the same argument as Tlaib: that opposing Israel is not the same as hating Jews. He claims that …

visiting Israel is not necessary to represent the roughly 1 million Jews among his potential constituents. His positions have drawn strong criticism from parts of the Jewish community.

Rghtfully so.

That Mamdani also has support from some progressive Jews is a sad commentary on how deeply progressive ideology has permeated parts of the Jewish left. These individuals might be called ‘useful idiots’ - unwitting enablers of Israel’s mortal enemies. But I digress.

The worst offender may be none other than Greta Thunberg, the environmental activist idolized by the global left. She gained international fame at 15 for her climate change activism, eventually addressing the UN and earning spots on Forbes' list of the world’s most powerful people and was Time magazine’s Person of the Year in 2019. She became an icon and, unfortunately, was treated as a credible voice on issues well beyond her expertise.

Her anti-Israel stance - especially her over the top support for Gaza over Israel - has granted undue legitimacy to radical views. One might forgive a young woman who suffers from mental illness and is on the autism spectrum, but antisemitism is not a symptom of Asperger’s or clinical depression. It is more likely the product of ignorance and perhaps indoctrination at home.

Her latest stunt was an attempt with a few colleagues to deliver food boxes to Gaza by boat. She pre-recorded a video message implying that if that video was seen, she had likely been kidnapped. Suggesting a moral equivalence between Israel and Hamas in terms of hostage-taking. Of course, she was not kidnapped at all. Her boat was intercepted by Israeli authorities, and she was sent back to Sweden immediately.

Her brand of antisemitism is especially dangerous because of her iconic status as an ‘environmentalist warrior’. She has been put on a pedestal by the global left, by media giants like Time and Forbes, and by (mistakenly) respected institutions like the United Nations. So when she paints Israel as the villain, a lot of people take her seriously. And yet, she would surely insist that she doesn’t have an antisemitic bone in her body.

These four individuals come from vastly different sectors of influence. But they have one thing in common: they are all influential people who, whether knowingly or not, promote antisemitic ideas. That is why we must remain vigilant, support those who truly stand with the Jewish people, and call out antisemitism wherever it hides—especially when it comes disguised as political or social activism. After all, Israel is home to the majority of the world’s Jews today, and attacking Israel often means attacking all of us.

The Unity of All the Jewish People

The brief Post October 7^th unity of the Jewish people (PBS)

Once again, the subject of unity has come up. This time in a Jerusalem Post opinion piece. 

I consider myself second to no one when it comes to pursuing this ideal and have often lamented the elusiveness of this lofty goal. Mostly as it applies to the disunity of Orthodoxy. But there should in fact be unity between the entirety of the Jewish people.

The author of this opinion piece makes what seems to be an excellent point:

"All my life, I’ve heard about how smart we Jews are, especially Israeli Jews. We’re the Start-Up Nation. We’ve won Nobel Prizes far beyond our proportion…

If we’re so smart, why can’t we figure this out? Why do we keep repeating the same patterns with the same disastrous results? Shouldn’t intelligent people be able to learn from the past?

Creating AI, launching satellites, and curing disease – we’ve mastered all of this. We have just never found the answer to the challenge of unity. Why?"

That’s a powerful and thought-provoking question.

One of the reasons we lack broad unity among the entirety of the Jewish people is the attempt (over 200 years ago) at the reformation of Judaism by a group of rabbis who no longer saw observance of all the Torah’s Mitzvos as necessary. In their attempt to make Jews less conspicuous and more integrated into the prevailing culture, they decided that Judaism should be stripped of many of the things that made us different. Hoping that by doing so, we could be seen as equal in every respect. The hope was that this would reduce antisemitism in the then relatively new age of Enlightenment.

Unfortunately, we are seeing the bitter fruits of that effort in two very different ways. First, antisemitism is no longer reserved for conspicuously religious Jews. It affects even completely secular Jews. Second, by stripping Judaism of its uniqueness, many Jews are left with no real Jewish identity. In its place there are universal values like social justice, which, while noble, apply to all of humanity. This is one reason Jewish demographics in this country are shrinking so rapidly. But I digress.

The point I’m really trying to make is that when such a fundamental split exists, unity becomes virtually impossible. You cannot say that observance of Torah law is both mandatory and optional at the same time. That is self-contradictory.

As I read the author’s references to the Torah and some of its classic commentaries like Rashi and the Mechilta quoting a Midrash - and especially his reference to the Final Redemption, I assumed the author, Rabbi David Fine, must be an Orthodox rabbi. To make sure, I googled him and found references to a *Reform rabbi by that name and at first assumed that he was the authot of this article. But I was mistaken. I have been informed that he is indeed an Orthdox rabbi - ordained by RIETS (YU).  should have known better since - to the best of my knowledge, Reform Judaism does not believe in the concept of Final Redemption. 

Bearing this denial of one of the fundamentals of the Jewish belief system in mind, can we have unity with Refrom Jews? As much as I would like to say yes, I’m still not sure it’s possible. I would go a step further and question whether we can have true unity with any heterodox movement that legitimizes heretical beliefs that actually do question the Divine authorship of the Torah.

I would argue that unity is not possible with segments of the far-left Orthodox world that supports the LGBTQ agenda - some of whose rabbinate officiates at same-sex marriage ceremonies. I would even question their Orthodox credentials.

We cannot be unified as a people when our core values clash - when Torah values are redefined or corrupted by well-meaning rabbis in the spirit of inclusivity. As I’ve said many times, we can and should be welcoming without ‘Kashering’ forbidden behavior or promoting pride in desires that involve serious Torah prohibitions.

I agrew with what Rabbi Fine is advocating. I beleive it is possible to have unity with the entirety of our people on a more basic level. We are one people in the sense that we are all Jews. And we have demonstrated that kind of unity in the past - tragically, often only when disaster strikes. That’s what happened on October 7^th. In the face of horror, we stood united. We all shouted ‘Never Again!’ and proudly proclaimed, Am Yisrael Chai - the People of Israel lives!

In those moments of shared tragedy, our Jewishness rises to the forefront of our consciousness. Pride in being Jewish emerges regardless of observance level. The ideological and cultural differences between right and left, secular and religious, were - for a brief time - cast aside. We were all in the same Jewish boat, both in Israel and the diaspora. Sadly, there were some on the extreme right who refused to attend a post-October 7^th unity rally in Washington, objecting to the implied legitimacy granted to secular and heterodox Judaism. But by and large, the Jewish people were united, if only for a fleeting moment.

Rabbi Fine’s question remains: Why can’t we harness that same sense of unity when tragedy doesn’t force it upon us? Why can’t we find a way to unite as we once did at Ma’amad Har Sinai, the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai? If we can achieve so much as a people in medicine, technology, and science - why can’t we be equally ambitious in striving for unity?

I understand the obstacles. One of the most significant I’ve already mentioned. But still, we ought to find a way to harness the unity we feel in times of tragedy and apply it in times of celebration and joy.

*Update An earlier version of thids post erred in identifying Rabbi Fine as a Reform rabbi. I was susbsequently informed by one of his colleagues that he is Orthdox and always has been. The post has been corrected accordingly. And I apologize if I caused him any pain or disconfort.

As Things Stand Now...

2 of the most recent 866 IDF soldiers killed in Gaza since the war began (TOI)

There have been 866 IDF soldiers killed in Gaza since October 7^th, 2023, when Hamas committed one of the most heinous crimes against humanity - specifically targeting the Jewish people - since the Holocaust. Every one of those soldiers died fighting a war against Hamas, the ‘Nazis’ of our time, in defense of our people. These ‘Nazis’ are funded and supplied by an equally virulent antisemitic enemy of the Jewish people: The Islamic Republic of Iran.

Prime Minister Netanyahu’s goal is to eliminate these ‘Nazis’ from the face of the earth - a task he has pursued through the IDF for over 600 days. While Israel has succeeded in severely weakening Hamas’s capacity to commit atrocities like those of October 7^th, he has not succeeded in eliminating them entirely. They continue to survive,  as does their determination to rebuild themselves and return to the level of strength they had before this war began. On that level, one might even say they are winning. As long as their ideology of annihilating the Jewish presence in ‘Palestine’ persists, groups like Hamas will continue to arise with the goal of implementing their own version of a ‘final solution’ to the ‘Jewish problem.’

One may reasonably ask how this is possible, given the extensive destruction in Gaza over these 600 days. Why hasn’t Hamas surrendered? How are they so confident they can reconstitute themselves?

Unfortunately, the answer is right in front of us, though much of the world refuses to see it. The truth is that Hamas is supported by a significant portion (probably the majority) of the Palestinian population. Especially in Gaza. There have been countless instances of such support over the past 600 days, and only willful blindness could lead one to deny that.

It first became evident on October 7th, when Hamas committed its unspeakable brutality, including taking over 200 Jewish hostages. When those hostages were paraded through the streets, video footage revealed crowds showing no sympathy for the innocent Jewish hostages. On the contrary, the mood was one of celebration.

Since then, the IDF has essentially destroyed much of Gaza. It has been bombed into near oblivion and is now largely uninhabitable. In the process, many Palestinian civilians have been killed - used by Hamas as human shields against airstrikes by Israel targeting Hamas command centers and leadership. Hamas deliberately places women and children in harm’s way, disguising fighters in civilian clothing so that any count of civilian casualties will include them.

Food shortages followed. When humanitarian aid was sent to relieve them, Hamas and affiliated gangs commandeered the supplies, hoarded them for their own use, and sold the remainder to starving civilians at exorbitant prices. Meanwhile, UN humanitarian agencies staffed by Hamas sympathizers - or in some cases, actual Hamas operatives - blamed Israel for these shortages. When Israel began blocking aid trucks to prevent Hamas from using the food for its own ends, Palestinian sources in Gaza and their collaborators at the UN presented a picture of near-famine, blaming Israel exclusively. They also blamed Israel for all civilian casualties, as though the inflated numbers were entirely accurate and involved no combatants. Something that is demonstrably false, given Hamas’s widespread embedding in sensitive civilian areas like hospitals.

So why hasn’t Israel been successful in eradicating Hamas? And why does Hamas believe they will surely reconstitute themselves when the war ends?

I believe it’s because most Palestinians in Gaza support Hamas. They have for years. Long before October 7^th. And they will continue to do so long after. Gaza’s Palestinian youth eagerly await the opportunity to join Hamas and help in their ‘holy’ war against the Jews. For every Hamas terrorist killed, there are dozens of young Palestinians ready to take their place.

I don’t accept the claim that the war has created new recruits. That’s an all too easy assumption to make, but I believe it’s false. Their determination to eliminate Jews is deeply embedded in their ideology. It always has been. The only way to defeat Hamas is to defeat the genocidal ideology that drives them. An ideology embraced by far too many Palestinians. The more devout they are in their religious beliefs, the more tightly they cling to this vision of a ‘final solution’. Most Gazans are nothing if not devout.

In all the footage I’ve seen of Palestinian suffering - and I don’t doubt for a moment that they are suffering -  have yet to hear a single voice demand that Hamas release the remaining hostages. Surely they must know it was the Hamas attack that brought this misery upon them. Surely they understand that releasing the hostages would begin to alleviate their suffering. And yet - not a word. Their narrative is entirely about what Israel is doing to them.

It is appalling to me that the mainstream media allows images of war to dictate their moral compass. They see blood. They see bombs. They see Israel dropping them. And they conclude that Israel is solely to blame. They urge Israel to stop defending itself so Palestinians can survive. Not a word is said urging Hamas to release the hostages and surrender as the quickest path to peace. The media knows this. But in their knee-jerk response to the imagery from Gaza, they see only Israeli culpability and demand that only Israel take action to stop the war.

I believe this is the true reality in Gaza and Israel. The question now is: What can be done?

If the only way to fully destroy Hamas is to destroy the genocidal ideology of those who support them, continuing the war seems pointless. You can’t destroy an ideology without destroying the people who hold it. But deliberately killing all Palestinians in Gaza would itself be genocide! Especially considering that there may be significant numbers who do not support Hamas and would be willing to make peace with a Jewish state, though they are likely a minority.

I don’t have an answer. That question is above my pay grade. I leave it to Israel’s political and military leaders to make that determination.

There are those who insist that Netanyahu is prolonging the war solely to stay in power. While I’m sure he wants to retain power - just as all political leaders do - I don’t believe that is his primary motivation. I truly believe he wants to win this war, because he sees it as the only way to prevent future atrocities like October 7^th. There are politicians who disagree, who believe Hamas has already been weakened enough to prevent future attacks. But I side with those who understand that a permanent ceasefire will only allow Hamas to reconstitute itself. It’s just a matter of time. 

That said, I do not want to see any more IDF soldiers die in a war whose legitimate goal seems so unattainable. If this sounds conflicted and confused, that’s because I am.

A brief word about Iran: I believe that President Trump’s insistence on denying Iran any nuclear enrichment capability - and Iran’s insistence on retaining low level enrichment, purportedly for peaceful purposes - makes any future nuclear deal unlikely. This could eventually lead to a joint military operation with Israel against Iran’s underground nuclear facilities, advanced air defenses, and even their Revolutionary Guard installations. Trump may be averse to war, but not at any cost. (The US military has the ‘bunker busting’ bombs that can penetrate their underground nuclear facilities. 

Back to Israel. With the religious parties threatening to bring down the current government, and new elections potentially on the horizon, it’s difficult to predict what the future holds. The only thing I can say with confidence is this: Right now, I’m not sure of anything. 

Big Win for Orthodoxy but Not for DaasTorah

Hard to believe that I’m a bit late to the party, considering that the preliminary results of the WZO elections were just published. But YWN and Rabbi Yitzchok Adlerstein beat me to the punch. That, however, is not going to stop me from offering my own perspective. Even though there’s a lot of overlap with what Rabbi Adlerstein said.

At the time of voting, I wasn’t aware that there were more than two Orthodox parties vying for votes in that election: the Charedi Eretz HaKodesh party and the Mizrachi (Religious Zionist) party. I had urged everyone to vote Mizrachi for reasons beyond the scope of this post. But it turns out there was another religious party that garnered more votes than either of those two: Am Yisrael Chai, which Rabbi Adlerstein describes as an Orthodox party involved in outreach. Apparently, there were also some other Orthodox party slates I wasn’t aware of, which received votes as well.

According to YWN, the combined total of votes for all the Orthodox parties outnumbered the combined total votes of the secular or heterodox parties. (The numbers are still being checked for accuracy and possible fraud, so we’ll have to wait and see if the final tallies hold up.) Still, I’m feeling pretty good about the fact that observant Judaism seems to have become more important to Jews who care at all about Jewish peoplehood than at any other time in recent memory.

This does not necessarily signal unity, though it should. It does, however, underscore my long-held contention that our ultimate survival as a people depends on our observance of the Mitzvos of the Torah.

That Eretz HaKodesh got more votes than Mizrachi should surprise no one. Charedim vastly outnumber Religious Zionists.

What is perhaps surprising is that this outcome does not seem to hinge on the Charedi concept of Daas Torah. As Rabbi Adlerstein indicated, that ship seems to have sailed.

As mentioned in an earlier post, Rabbi Aharon Feldman - a member of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah of Agudah - issued a call forbidding participation in the WZO election, even for the Charedi slate, calling it a Chilul HaShem. He argued that the very nature of the WZO is antithetical to Torah values, and participating in their elections—even for the purpose of obtaining badly needed funding - would be hypocritical and thus a desecration of God’s name. This view was endorsed by the Roshei Yeshiva of BMG in Lakewood, which even interrupted its regular afternoon seder Limud so that the students could hear Rabbi Feldman’s message directly. He sharply criticized those in the Charedi community (including the Charedi magazines) who encouraged people to vote.

While this wasn’t a universally held view within the Moetzes, and was never presented as such, the lack of public dissent from other members left the impression that this was Daas Torah.

There was a time when a Moetzes member speaking out so forcefully - and without any public disagreement - would have been sufficient. The Charedi world would have by and large listened to its Gedolim. But this time, that didn’t happen. In fact, the opposite seems to have happened. As Rabbi Adlerstein put it:

(Those) who voted did not simply fail to receive the memo. They were defying one message in the Charedi world for different ones they received from their own guides and mentors. Or, they didn’t see it as an issue that required a Torah luminary to pass judgment on, and voted their own conscience.

Eretz HaKodesh got 50% more votes than they did last time, when it was  publicly endorsed by Rav Chaim Kanievsky!.

Some may argue that those who voted were listening to their own Daas Torah - their own Rabbis and mentors. That may be true. But no one has called these guides ‘Gedolim’.  

I think the better explanation is this: one need not always follow a Gadol on non-halakhic matters. God gave us brains, and a conscience based on our education - equipping us with a moral compass to make independent decisions. So, when it came to voting in the WZO election, people followed their conscience, effectively setting aside the pronouncement of “Daas Torah.”

As a result, the Orthodox world will now reap the majority of WZO’s  financial rewards. It will be distributed equitability based on the numbers who voted per party, which they can use as they see fit.

I do wonder, though: if some of the money awarded to Eretz HaKodesh is allocated to yeshivos whose leaders publicly opposed voting, will they take it? Or will they stay true to their principles and reject funding from a source they ideologically oppose? My guess is: they’ll take it. Just as they accept money from a government they also oppose ideologically.

Be that as it may, it appears that Daas Torah, as the Charedi world defines it, may very well be in its death throes. The idea of religious edicts handed down from on high by Rabbinic leaders whose ideology no longer fully aligns with their constituents may be fading.

I’m not sure what the future holds. But the large Charedi turnout in this election seems to be a form of quiet rebellion. I think that’s a good sign.

I would add that one of the primary differences—though certainly not the only one—between Centrists and Charedim is how we view the concept of Daas Torah. Specifically, whether unlike Centrists  their views on non-Halachic matters still carry the same weight as their Halachic rulings. It seems that gap is starting to narrow.

And I, for one, am happy to see that.

 

Message from a Charedi Reader

Just got this in an email. Thought it would demonstrate how some Charedim feel about me and the MO community. He identified himself by name. But I did not get permission to reveal his indentity. So I am posting it anonymously. It follows:

 hi i'm a proud charedi as you can see probably from my grammar, i will not get into detail on each one of your articles, it will save me a lot of time and embarrassment for you cause whatever your iq is my little brothers is higher. What I do see from you is that you're a really disturbed modern orthodox individual which in my opinion is suffering really badly, my heart goes out for you and I pray for you and your dying community 3 times a day that you all will do teshuva. What's funny to me is that for some reason I don't know any blogs from the charedim that trash the modern orthodox world for a living like you do. i think the answer is simple, when someone like the haredi community knows the truth we don't need to put people down to lift ourselves up. just look at the reform and conservative movement, what's left of it? and now look at the modern orthodox community/ yu commmunity what's left of it?  either they go astray or flip out and become haredi. nothing! look at what is going on with the lgbtq kids (well even if  you embrace them the torah calls it toevah and really doesn't pity them like you do) what i'm trying to bring out harry, whatever is authentic lasts whatever is not doesn't and history has proven itself. have a good shabbos love (first name deleted) your holy brother we will ne in touch

Antisemtism in America - Revisited

I don’t think there can be any doubt about it anymore: Antisemitism in this country is at its peak. I never thought I would see the day when walking down the street in my very Orthodox Jewish neighborhood of West Rogers Park here in Chicago - would cause me even the slightest bit of worry about being attacked.

But now I do worry. Not that I feel in any immediate danger, I don’t. But the fact is that my neighborhood borders another that is highly populated by Arabs, most of whom are devout Muslims. Many may very well be of Palestinian heritage.

Last Sunday, on the eve of Shavuos, one of the most horrific attacks against Jews in America that I could have ever imagined occurred:

Mohamed Sabry Soliman, a 45-year-old Egyptian national who federal authorities say was living in the U.S. illegally, shouted “Free Palestine” and threw two of the 18 Molotov cocktails he was carrying, injuring more than half of the estimated 20 people demonstrating in support of Israel. Officials said he expressed no regrets about the attack.

According to witnesses, one Jewish woman was engulfed in flames. Although there were thankfully no fatalities, there were serious injuries to at least 12 Jews attending the rally.

If such a horrific attack can happen in Boulder, Colorado, there’s every reason to believe it could happen anywhere devout Muslim radicals are found. And as noted, there are certainly devout Muslims here too. So yes - it has felt a bit scary of late. Although, thank God, there have been no incidents here. Yet.

That Mr. Soliman was a devout Muslim is not in doubt. He recorded and shared his virulent, religiously-motivated antisemitism on a social media app - something even the mainstream media has reported.

This savage incident followed the recent murder of two Israeli embassy employees in Washington D.C. by Elias Rodriguez, a radical leftist who declared he had ‘no choice’ but to kill Jews to spread his message of “Free, Free Palestine!” Which he screamed as he was being arrested. Though neither Palestinian nor Muslim, he was clearly influenced by their rhetoric.

There was a time not long ago when the primary threat of antisemitic attacks came from the right - from white supremacists, Neo-Nazis, and other extremist fringe groups. Even though they were few in number, it only took one to perpetrate the massacre in Pittsburgh a few years ago. While hate crimes like that were relatively rare, that threat was always in the air, and still is. We must remain vigilant against that brand of antisemitism too.

But today, the greater and more immediate danger of violent antisemitic attacks comes from devout Muslims and their sympathizers on the far left.

So yes, we Jews live in precarious times. Even here in America. And yet…

The broader American public is not antisemitic. Not even most on the left. They are as appalled by what happened in Boulder and D.C. as we are. Law enforcement is aggressively pursuing both cases, and these vile individuals will likely never see the light of day again. While many Americans may not agree with what Israel is doing in Gaza, that does not mean they question Israel’s right to exist. To the extent that they think about Israel beyond Gaza, they generally see it in a positive light.

This is not 1939 all over again. Not even close. In fact, one could argue that this might even be the opposite of that era. Think about how the government of each era treated antisemitic acts. Compare the German government’s reaction to Kristallnacht to the American government’s reaction to Boulder and D.C.

That said, there are very real differences of opinion about how our government should respond to the rise in antisemitism. As far as I’m concerned, the Trump administration is taking the right approach by targeting the primary source of contemporary antisemitism in America: college campuses.

The left has refused to acknowledge this problem, accusing the government of using the issue as a pretext to stifle free speech and control what they teach. Thus stifling academic independence. There may be some truth to that concern. But there is also a great deal of truth to the claim that antisemitism has festered on these campuses for decades.

Led by Palestinian professors recruited under the banner of diversity - and supported by far-left professors these institutions have created a culture of anti-Israel hatred so intense that it has deeply influenced student governments to support the BDS movement. BDS pretends to advocate for Palestinian rights, but in truth, its goal is the destruction of the Jewish state.

Long before October 7^th, student governments at top universities were demanding that their administrations divest from Israel. Jewish students were being harassed simply for being Jewish assuming all to be Zionist supporters of ‘Apartheid’ Israel. This was widely known, but few spoke out, and fewer still did anything about it.

The prevailing attitude was best illustrated by the now-infamous testimony of three university presidents who, when asked whether calling for genocide against Jews was antisemitic, responded with: ‘It depends on the context’. Their answers revealed a willful blindness to antisemitism on campus.

But the Trump administration and its supporters in congress saw it and called it out in front of the entire country.

That ended those university presidents’ careers. It also exposed the worst-kept secret in academia: that these institutions had an antisemitism problem they were either ignoring or denying.

Guess what happened next? They admitted it. And claimed they’re now doing something about it. Whether they are or not is beside the point. The fact that it had to be dragged out of them shows that they were never serious about combating it. Until now. When they are now finally being seriously sanctioned for it by the government.

Previous administrations turned a blind eye too. But not Trump. He hit these institutions where it hurts: in their funding. Now, university administrators are crying foul - claiming that withholding research grants is unfair because the research has nothing to do with antisemitism.

What about the research that supposedly benefits all of mankind? My response: The government does not owe them a thing. They want to continue vital research? Where there's a will, there's a way. Schools like Harvard have endowments worth billions. Some of which can surely be used to fund their ‘vital’ research.

So, are we living in 1930s Germany all over again? The way to answer that is to compare what the German government did then to what the American government is doing now. Thank God, we have a president who cares enough to bring antisemitism in academia to the national spotlight. Something no previous president was willing to do.

That doesn’t mean I’ve changed my mind about the president’s character. But it does mean I appreciate what he is doing for the Jewish people. Something many of my coreligionists on the left are too blinded by hatred to recognize and, sadly, see in a negative light

Insularity - a National Tragedy

Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch (Matzav)

My guess is that this is one of the few times the political left and Netanyahu haters in Israel are cheering for the Charedim to make good on their threat. Their hope of finally bringing down the Netanyahu government has been a dream of theirs since the very first time he was elected - and that hope has only intensified over the year and a half since Hamas committed Nazi-like atrocities against Israelis on October 7^th.

The Charedi leadership is now more determined than ever to ‘protect’ their youth from what the rest of us would call their moral obligation to serve in the IDF. 

They would, however, characterize such service as immoral. They are threatening to bring down the government by leaving the coalition. As noted by Matzav:

The home of Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch has issued a stark warning: If there is no significant breakthrough on the long-stalled draft law, the Degel HaTorah faction within United Torah Judaism will exit the governing coalition.

Rav Hirsch is increasing pressure on Netanyahu to forward legislation that would permanently exempt their students from military service. An institution they sometimes describe as an abominable anti-Jewish exercise.

The Charedi populace, by and large, is fully on board with this attitude. Their demand is simple: leave us alone. They claim that their full-time Torah study is, in any case, what protects the Jewish people and the ‘Zionist entity’. (I use that term deliberately. While they may not call it that—since it's a term often used by Palestinian terrorists - they may as well. Their views on the state's legitimacy are eerily similar. They never refer to it as ‘Medinat Yisrael’ Only ‘Eretz Yisrael’ -  a land they see as settled and controlled by secular Jews who, in their eyes, have no right to lead the Jewish people. They often go so far as to say that it’s not a Jewish state at all. It’s just a state of Jews.)

If I sound angry, that’s because I am. I’m angry that these religious leaders seem to care so little about the rest of Israel’s Jews. Not even the devoutly religious Jews who are not part of their insular world.

Over the Yom Tov of Shavuos, three IDF soldiers were killed in action in Gaza. And what was at the top of the Charedi agenda? Making sure that none of their people would ever have to suffer the same fate. Of course they would never put it that way. 

They show little to no concern about what happens outside their daled amos. As long as they and their children are not subjected to the dangers of the army. And by dangers, they mean NOT physical harm but harm to the soul.

I recall that when Rav Shach was alive and heard that a soldier had been killed, he cried - even if that soldier wasn’t observant. I've been told that some of the current nonagenarian Charedi leaders do the same.

But I wonder if they even bother to follow what’s happening with the IDF in Gaza. If they do, their response hasn’t been recorded. I don’t recall any statement by any of them responding to the death in combat of even a single Jewish soldier - out of the nearly 900 who have given their lives since the war began. Some of those soldiers were doing exactly what Charedi students were doing when they weren’t in combat - studying Torah.

So yes, I am angry. I’m angry at a culture so insular that many within it have no clue that soldiers – even observant soldiers - are dying in action. Their total focus is on the bubble in which they live. Which consists of an inordinate emphasis on full-time Torah study to the exclusion of everything else. A life they are willing to fight for with massive protests, even if it means being arrested or going to jail. This is their focus, a focus urged upon them by their leadership.

I understand that insularity helps one improve their personal relationship with God. A goal that is hammered into their minds from cradle to grave. That is surely an important goal for all of us. What I do not understand is the abdication of communal responsibility. The religious obligation of every Jew to care about all other Jews seems non-existent outside their bubble.

Insularity may (and I emphasize may) offer a degree of protection from the moral pitfalls of general culture. I get the desire to avoid anti-Torah influences. I even understand applying that concern to army service, where one is often forced into halachically compromised situations. When you take someone out of a sheltered world and place them in the IDF, it can be spiritually overwhelming.

But the solution is not to further isolate them. The solution is to educate and integrate. To prepare them how to confront these challenges when they arise. Insularity on the other hand breeds contempt. The outside world is deemed irredeemable and best avoided altogether—for the sake of their personal spiritual welfare.

The religious world outside the Charedi camp is not insular. They are integrated and have learned how to navigate broader society without compromising their religious values. Their worldview includes the same degree of religious introspection and self-improvement as the Charedi world. But they also fulfill their responsibility to their fellow Jews through service to their nation, sometimes even through the ultimate sacrifice.

That’s why I reject the increasingly insular ways of the Charedi world. It’s self-serving and dismissive of fellow Jews. With a leadership that encourages that dismissiveness while championing personal religious growth exclusively.

Some might argue that the Charedi approach to Torah study is more intensive and more likely to produce Gedolim - religious leaders with the knowledge and insight to guide the Jewish people. But I would suggest that some of our greatest Gedolim did not necessarily spend their entire lives in kollel before becoming the leaders they were. Torah greatness is not limited to one path.

As I write these words, I realize they will likely have no impact on Charedi leadership or on their community. They will never read this. And even if they did, they would dismiss it. But these things need to be said. And repeated. Because the truth must be told. And eventually, the truth will prevail.

It must.

To Be Holy but Human

It might be a bit unusual to review a book on Erev Shavuos, but I believe the times reflect a need to do so. Especially if the contents of the book are relevant to our survival as a people. And there is no more appropriate time for such reflection than on a Yom Tov that, more than any other, symbolizes our unity as a nation.

My quest for unity (achdus) may seem Quixotic. I don't blame anyone for seeing it that way, especially considering that even the most devoutly observant Jews are more divided than ever.

That was, of course, not always the case. The one defining feature of the Jewish people at the time of the Divine Revelation at Sinai - which we celebrate on Shavuos was that we were completely united: K’ish echad b’lev echad—like one person with one heart. We were ready to accept God’s laws, designed specifically for His chosen people, the newly minted nation of Israel.

Unfortunately, that may have been the last time the entirety of Klal Yisroel was truly united. That being said, there is not the slightest doubt in my mind that unity is what God prefers. I do not believe He desires a divided people. While disagreement and debate is inevitable and even healthy in our understanding of Jewish law, it must not come with the animosity that so often accompanies it.

This is where Jewish leadership is failing us. Gone are the days when Rav Kook and Rav Sonnenfeld could sit side by side in mutual respect despite their profound differences regarding Zionism. Their ideological divide did not diminish the deep respect they held for one another.

Today’s religious leaders, sadly, would not be caught dead sitting together with ideological opponents no matter how devout, especially on the topic of Zionism. One side sees Zionism as pure evil intent on the complete destruction of Judaism, while the other views it as a positive step toward the unification of the Jewish people in our own land, and ultimately, the Final Redemption.

To Be Holy but Human is the title of a book by Rabbi Moshe Taragin that I am currently reading. It’s a fitting title for the subject of the book: Rabbi Yehuda Amital, founder and Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Har Etzion.

Rav Amital was a from a Hungarian background but was essentially a product of the Lithuanian hashkafah. His early views on Zionism reflected the anti-Zionist stance of that tradition. But upon encountering the teachings of Rav Kook, he saw a different path. One he believed to be the right one. Rav Amital maintained deep respect for his former colleagues. His home was near the Chevron Yeshiva in the Givat Mordechai neighborhood of Jerusalem. Despite differing ideologies, he respected that yeshiva even though he believed the religious-Zionist path he had chosen better reflected the will of God.

What was unique about Rav Amital was his belief that all Israelis deserved respect, regardless of their level of religious observance. Any Jew who lived in Israel and contributed to its welfare deserves our admiration. Nowhere was this dedication more evident than in army service.

Rav Amital felt that serving the Jewish people meant participating with them for the common good. It was not enough to work solely on oneself - to improve one’s own religiosity while ignoring the broader needs of the country. He emphasized that humanity is an essential component of spirituality. Caring for others and taking action on their behalf was just as important as enhancing one’s own spirituality through Torah study.

Rabbi Moshe Taragin does a masterful job painting a portrait of his rebbe and what it truly means to be a great Torah leader. I’m sure Rabbi Taragin had the same deep respect and awe for Rav Aharon Lichtenstein, whom Rav Amital appointed as co-Rosh Yeshiva. But he seemed to favor Rav Amital’s more humanistic approach over Rav Lichtenstein’s strictly halachic one.

As an example of that diffeerence, Rabbi Taragin recounts a philosophical question once posed by Dor Revi’i, a fourth-generation descendant of the Chasam Sofer:

If you were stranded on a desert island and in order to survive had to choose between eating chazir (pig meat) or human flesh, what is the correct approach?

The halachic approach would be to choose the lesser of two evils. Which in this case would mean eating human flesh, a less severe violation of Jewish law than eating chazir.

Rav Amital reasoned that in such extreme circumstances, personal morality should take precedence over the strict letter of the law.

When the same question was posed to Rav Lichtenstein, he did not hesitate: he chose human flesh, as that was the lesser halachic violation. Rav Amital, by contrast, believed that sometimes our humanity could and perhaps should override even deeply held halachic principles.

Rav Amital’s sense of the importance of human dignity and his emphasis on Jewish unity are values we desperately need today. And yet, they feel more distant than ever, as rigid religious ideologies seem to overpower any sense of shared humanity.

Imagine what the Jewish world might look like if today’s rabbinic leadership reflected the spirit and vision of Rav Amital.

I am therefore deeply grateful to Rabbi Moshe Taragin for publishing his reflections on his rebbe.  A man I wish I had known.

Is Seeing - Believing?

Screenshot from Agudah's Daf Yomi Siyum Video

It’s a facade. No such thing as what is implied by the video (available here). That was my initial reaction upon watching it. Agudah is already advertising the next Siyum which will take place at Met Life Stadium in New Jersey on June 6, 2027.The Achdus apparent at the last Daf Yomi Siyum HaShas from about 5½ years ago is not real. 

But that was not how I felt after watching a similar video of the Daf Yomi Siyum then. Then, I felt inspired.

Truth is, both of those emotions are justified. Unfortunately, I’ve increasingly come to the conclusion that my current reaction is the more accurate one.

The scene depicted in the video is one of exceptional unity. The kind of unity I’ve longed for as far back as I can remember. Unity encompassing all observant Jewry. Unity among those of us fortunate enough to have been educated about what Judaism really is - and retained those fundamental beliefs and practices.

The Daf Yomi Siyum HaShas, which takes place every 7½ years, does seem to reflect that kind of unity. It is sponsored by Agudath Israel, where the concept of studying a blatt (both sides of a page) of Gemara daily was popularized. Although the idea may not have originated with Agudah, they can rightfully take credit for advancing it.

About 30 or so years ago, after ArtScroll/Mesorah began its expanded explanatory translation of the Shas (Talmud Bavli) - Daf Yomi exploded. Many shiurim were established to accommodate anyone, regardless of background—from Yeshiva-trained scholars to novices. The shiurim spanned a wide variety of communities: Chassidic enclaves (mostly given in Yiddish), Yeshivish Charedi circles, Modern Orthodox shuls, and, in some cases (especially here in Chicago), even mixed groups with many members from across the religious spectrum. Today, because of the proliferation of so many shiurim, they’ve become more niche-oriented with fewer members per Shiur.) There is also a plethora of online Daf Yomi shiurim. Some of us study it with a Chavrusa (a study partner); and some of us study it alone.

Still, the number of people ‘Doing the Daf’ is probably greater than at any time since its founding by R’ Meir Shapiro in 1923. And that growing number has generated the kind of massive celebration seen in the video. Every new cycle seems to inspire more people from all walks of religious life to delve into the sea of Talmud daily resulting in ever-growing crowds of Siyum attendees.

As can be seen from the video, the celebrants include Chassidim, Lithuanian Yeshiva-types, American Modern Orthodox Jews, Israeli Dati Leumi individuals - some of whom were even dancing in their IDF uniforms. It was one of the most moving displays of Achdus (unity) among observant Jews I’ve ever witnessed.

But, as I said, it’s a facade.

If the events since October 7^th have taught me anything, it's that.

When I saw those IDF soldiers dancing, I wondered: How many of them were called up to serve in the current war in Gaza? How many survived? And if they did survive, was it without permanent injury or without the mental trauma of PTSD, which so many IDF soldiers now suffer? How many of their families are mourning the loss of a loved one in battle?

I also wondered: How do the Charedim who danced hand-in-hand with Modern Orthodox Jews at this Siyum five years ago feel about the sacrifice these soldiers made—and the lack of such sacrifice by their Charedi counterparts in Israel?  And yet, the sheer anger expressed by Charedi leadership in both Israel and the US at the mere thought of any Charedi youth serving in the IDF can’t possibly generate anything but sheer anger in return from those serving.

After over 600 days of war, how many Charedim of the Agudah that fought for the ‘right’ of Charedim in Israel to be exempt from army service would the MO/DL be willing to dance with today in spirit of Achdus?

The divisions are deeper now than ever. And images like the ones in the video feel like a betrayal - of what must be the certain anger, frustration, and resentment that each side harbors for the other because of what October 7^th has forced them to confront.

For the Dati Leumi community, extended IDF service under combat conditions has understandably generated a sense of bitterness toward those who might have helped bear the burden - but didn’t. For the Charedi community, they continue to believe - with deep conviction - that their rejection of army service is justified by religious obligation.

If the Siyum were held today, would they still be emotionally capable of dancing together in that same spirit of unity?

This isn’t about who is right or wrong. (Although most people know how I feel). As always it is about the fact that an issue that can unite - and has united us (like the completion of Shas at the same time by Jews all over the world from across the spectrum) is now outweighed by the resentments that each community harbors about their role and responsibility to Klal Yisrael.

Finishing Shas together is a tremendous achievement. But it pales in comparison to the chasm the war has illuminated.

I wish it weren’t so. I wish I could say that what this video represents is still the possibility - that Achdus is within reach. I used to think so. If so many of us from disparate observant Jewish cultures could come together here, maybe there’s hope after all.

But as things stand now… I don’t have much hope left at all.