Donald Trump has recently announced that America will now recognize Jerusalem as the Capital of Israel. Also, he has initiated a process where the embassy will be moved to Jerusalem. This obviously has huge ramifications for the Arab Israeli conflict. I won’t comment on that here, but I do want to talk about the history of Zionism.
The modern Zionist movement started in the 1800’s. Theodore Herzl didn’t start this movement but he was the first really big promoter of it. It should also be pointed out that Herzl didn’t want Jerusalem to be part of the Jewish State. In a dialogue with Pope Pius X, the following conversation took place:
“But, Holy Father, the Jews are in terrible straits. I don’t know if Your Holiness is acquainted with the full extent of this sad situation. We need a land for these persecuted people.”
“Does it have to be Gerusalemme?”
“We are not asking for Jerusalem, but for Palestine—only the secular land.”
Theodore Herzl would have some beef to pick with President Trump over the recent decision.
http://www.ccjr.us/dialogika-resources/primary-texts-from-the-history-of-the-relationship/1253-herzl1904
During the conversation with Herzl, Pope Pius X also expressed his firm opposition to the establishment of a Jewish State in the Holy Land. Today, Jews read this account and almost always accuse Pius X of being a….wait for it….ANTI-SEMITE! A word that has been emptied of almost all meaning because of extreme misuse by Rabbis and Jewish professional victim organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League and the Simon Wiesenthal Center.
So Pius X is a big anti-Semite to modern Zionists. They overlook the fact that Pius X says in this conversation that he was close with the Jewish community when he was Bishop of Mantua. Walter Diethelm wrote a great biography of Pope Pius X where he talks about how he worked with the local Rabbi in Mantua to feed the poor. However, the Rabbis and Jewish professional victim organizations have no interest in this information. They just want to apply the screws to try to keep the lid on for their racket.
There’s also something that the Rabbis don’t want people to know either. Before the founding of Israel, the vast majority of religious Jews opposed the establishment of the Jewish State. Essentially, their argument was that God had put the Jews into exile and God wanted them to keep Torah in exile and that one day God would send a Prophet or Messiah who will return them to the land of Israel where the Kingdom would be re-established based on Torah principles. The monarchy would be restored and the Temple sacrifices resumed. As one can see, this is not the modern state of Israel.
It’s also no coincidence that the modern Zionist movement was started by Jews who didn’t believe in religion and even disliked religion. Theodore Herzl, Chaim Weizmann, Albert Einstein and all of the other pioneers of the Zionist movement were all very secular. Essentially, the Zionists hated religion and the religious Jews hated Zionism.
Here is a Jewish anti-Zionist website that has many quotes by famous Rabbis up to 1948 and even afterwards. These are prominent Rabbis. I’ve even heard of quite a few of them.
http://www.truetorahjews.org/rabbinic-quotes
Let me give some quotes. Here is one from Rabbi Shalom Ber Schneersohn, Lubavitcher Rebbe (1860-1920):
Those who assist these Zionists will pay on the Day of Judgment, for they are abetting those who cause the masses to sin. Therefore, whoever is for G-d and His Torah will not join the evildoers and will not cling to them. On the contrary, he will oppose them as much as possible. And until it is G-d’s will to redeem us, we must accept the yoke of exile to atone for our sins. – Ohr Layesharim, P. 59
Whoops. I wonder what Rabbi Shmuley Boteach or Marvin Hier would say about this one. Here’s another quote from Rabbi Yissachar Dov Rokeach, Belzer Rebbe (1854-1925):
But it could be that before the arrival of moshiach, the Satan’s efforts will succeed and the wicked will get a state in Eretz Yisroel. Therefore it is an obligation on every Jew who must leave his home to move to America or somewhere else, but not to Eretz Yisroel under the state of these wicked men, because their state would be a great danger to every Jew’s body and soul. – Om Ani Chomah v. 6 13 Adar I 5717
Here’s one more from Rabbi Shaul Brach, Rabbi of Kasho, Hungary (1865 – 1940):
Since the dawn of the Zionist movement, suffering has not ceased to exist in the world. All the warnings of the Torah have been fulfilled in their details among our people all over the world. For a believer it is no surprise that the Zionists are the same as the heretics at the time of the Destruction of the Temple. Divine judgment has been unleashed on the entire world. – Avos Al Banim, p. 14
Many more quotes can be found on this wonderful website. Having familiarized myself with this history, it makes me laugh whenever I hear religious Jews like Dennis Prager, Ben Shapiro, and Orthodox Rabbis speak about the importance of the state of Israel and how anyone who opposes it is a…here it is again…ANTI-SEMITE! Either their historical amnesia kicks in or they just don’t know the history of their own spiritual ancestors of the not too distant past. That’s certainly the case or they could just be dishonest by hiding the history of this movement. Either way, it’s a betrayal of the religious Jews of not so distant memory. If a secular Jew wants to support Israel, I don’t make much of it. After all, the Zionist movement was extremely secular. On the other hand, if a Jew is religious and supports Israel, I listen to them as a form of entertainment. Knowing the history that I do, it’s especially funny when they throw the A-word at someone who opposes Israel.
Why is this history covered up? Because to publicly acknowledge these facts depletes their “anti-Semitic” ammunition. They can’t use it as a battering ram to call Christians anti-semites anymore. Pope Pius X opposed the creation of the Jewish State for the same reason religious Jews opposed it. Essentially, it wasn’t in God’s plan. Christianity and Judaism are both opposed to Zionism.
Today, the vast majority of Orthodox Jews support Israel. What changed? Basically, the success of the nation. From a secular point of view, the State of Israel has been a huge success. Most religious Jews today no longer have opposition to Zionism because of the immediate benefits of having a Jewish State and a powerful one at that. Let’s be honest, 100 years ago, the Jewish State seemed like a long shot. Regardless, it happened.
There have been a few groups that have stayed true to Judaism and opposed Zionism. These are groups like Naturei Karta, Satmar and a few others. However, they’re in the minority in the Jewish world and are often hated by their fellow Jews. I’ve even heard secular Jews call these people anti-Semites. Like I said, the word no longer has any meaning. I’m not Jewish so I don’t have a dog in this fight but this great irony of history sure makes for good entertainment.
I couldn’t resist. Here’s one more quote:
Rabbinical Court of the Orthodox Community of Kasho, Hungary
Urgent Notice
It is our obligation to make a public announcement because we know the extent to which the issues are important. Despite all its propaganda, the Zionist movement stands in total opposition to the foundations of the Jewish faith transmitted to us throughout the generations. Zionism itself rejects the Jewish religion. This is the position of our great and pious rabbis in the past and the present, in the Holy Land and abroad, without exception.
In the early years of Zionism, when it pretended to express love for the Holy Land and the holiness of the opportunity to live there, a few rabbis were caught in its snare. Today, however, when Zionism shows its true face as a false messianic movement, our rabbis stand at war against it just as rabbis of former generations had opposed the false messiahs of their times, including during the time of the false messiah Sabbetai Zevi, may his name be obliterated, and the later movement of the Frankists.
Association with the Zionists is forbidden according to the Torah and our tradition. Zionism is a disgusting abomination.
This announcement is based on all aspects of Jewish law. Every Jew who fears G-d will certainly accept our statement under the Code of Jewish Law and shall not stray from it to the left or the right.
May those who follow it be blessed.
December 14, 1925, Kasho, Hungary
Rabbi Shaul Brach
Rabbi Hanoch H. Pack
Rabbi Shmuel Jungreis
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