Let’s Be Clear: Real Jews Are Against The Existence Of The Current State Of Israel And Those Who Oppose Them Are The Real Antisemites

The establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 was met with profound joy by many ‘Jews’ worldwide, seen as a miraculous end to two millennia of exile and persecution. However, for a significant minority, it represented not a divine redemption but a profound theological violation. Their opposition is not rooted in anti-Jewish sentiment but in a deep-seated interpretation of Jewish law and eschatology that views the state as a forbidden, human-made usurpation of God’s plan. This minority are the real Jews. They are the ones guided by scripture. The rest are just playing at being Jewish for their own reasons.

This stance is primarily associated with two groups: the Neturei Karta and larger, non-activist segments of the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) world, particularly within the Hasidic dynasties of Satmar, Munkács, and Toldos Aharon. To understand their position, one must delve into the Three Oaths, a Talmudic concept that forms the bedrock of their belief.

The Foundation: The Three Oaths

The opposition is fundamentally theological, centred on a passage in the Talmudic tractate Ketubot. In this text, God is said to have imposed Three Oaths upon the Jewish people during their exile:

1. Not to ascend to the Holy Land “as a wall” – that is, not to reclaim the land by force or as a unified national body.
2. Not to rebel against the nations of the world amongst whom they were exiled.
3. To swear that the nations of the world would not oppress Israel excessively.

For these groups, the third oath is a covenant: the Jewish people must not force God’s hand by taking their destiny into their own hands through political or military means. In their view, the modern Zionist project—the secular, political movement to create a Jewish state—is a direct rebellion against this divine decree. They believe that redemption must come solely through the Messiah, sent by God at the appointed time, and any human attempt to preempt this is both heretical and doomed to fail.

The Historical Context: Zionism as Heresy

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as political Zionism gained traction under Theodor Herzl, the vast majority of the Orthodox rabbinate in Europe was vehemently opposed. They saw Zionism as a secular, nationalist ideology that sought to redefine the Jewish people from a religious community bound by Torah law into a secular nation-state like any other.

Key historical figures articulated this view:

• Rabbi Yoel Teitelbaum, the Satmar Rebbe, became the most influential post-Holocaust voice for this ideology. In his seminal work VaYoel Moshe, he argued that the Holocaust itself was a divine punishment for the sin of Zionism, a consequence of violating the Three Oaths. He saw the State of Israel as a satanic entity, a “false redemption” that dangerously impersonates the true, Messianic one.
• For these groups, the use of political power, a secular army (the Israel Defense Forces), and a secular government by Jews was an abomination. Authentic Jewish life, they maintained, could only be led under the rule of Torah, not a secular parliament (the Knesset).

Distinctions and Nuances in the Modern Era

It is crucial to distinguish this anti-Zionist position from the broader Haredi community’s complex relationship with the state.

1. Non-Zionist vs. Anti-Zionist: Many Haredi groups, such as the Lithuanian-style Yeshivish world and Hasidic groups like Chabad-Lubavitch, are non-Zionist but not actively anti-Zionist. They do not ascribe religious significance to the state and may criticise its secular nature, but they generally participate in its political system, accept state funding for their institutions, and recognise the practical benefits of a Jewish-majority space for safe Torah study. Their stance is one of pragmatic acquiescence rather than theological endorsement.
2. Religious Zionism: In direct opposition to both the above stands Religious Zionism, a major Orthodox movement that views the State of Israel as the “Atchalta De’Geulah” – the beginning of the Messianic redemption. For them, the state is a divine gift that must be shaped into a Torah state, and serving in its army is a sacred duty.

Contemporary Manifestations

The anti-Zionist Haredim, though a small minority, are a visible presence, primarily in Jerusalem neighbourhoods like Mea Shearim. Their opposition manifests in several ways:

• Refusal to recognise state authority: They do not participate in national elections, do not serve in the IDF, and some even refuse to use the state’s official currency or postage stamps.
• Protests and Demonstrations: They regularly hold protests against the Israeli government, the IDF, and anything they see as the “Zionist occupation,” particularly on Israeli Independence Day, which they mourn as a day of tragedy.
• Engagement with Israel’s Adversaries: The most extreme fringe, such as Neturei Karta, has drawn widespread condemnation from across the Jewish spectrum for their meetings with leaders like the late Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, using these platforms to argue that Zionism is not Judaism.

In conclusion, the opposition of these Orthodox Jews to the State of Israel is a deeply principled, theological stance forged in the crucible of Talmudic interpretation and 19th-century Jewish history. It is a protest not against Jews, but against a specific political ideology they believe contradicts the very essence of God’s covenant with the Jewish people. For them, the true Israel will only be re-established not by tanks and treaties, but by the Messiah and the direct, unmistakable hand of God. And true Judaism appears beyond the many who have allowed themselves to be indoctrinated. They have become, in effect, antisemitic by becoming Zionist.

Those propagandists who defy Orthodox Judaism are the enemies of the Jewish scriptures. They are ignorant and yet manipulative. Those who do not challenge them are the real antisemites.