Israel

The state, the society, the war, the present hour.

Reckon with the Devastation

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This will make some people irrationally mad but: Zionism must reckon with the devastation of Gaza.

We’ve left behind the naive days when we waged war solely and wholly in self-defense, with great concern and cunning strategy to decisively end wars with as little human, moral, economic cost as possible.

Rejecting the blood libels and insulating ourselves from the propaganda is insufficient in light of our public failure to meet our professed standards of conduct and policy in Gaza.

Correct assignment of moral agency and culpability to Hamas for instigating and doing their part to prolong the war is insufficient in the aftermath of what we, together, wrought in Gaza.

Even if the bombs were meant for the deserving, even if steps were often taken to protect the undeserving from the bombs, the net result has been thousands dead that should have lived and they too have a claim on our dream of Zion.

Zionism is about return.

Return to the nation.

Return to the land.

Return to the covenant.

Return to right relationship.

Now as we end this miserable war, we must return to our senses and show the world what it means to return to the right way.

What return to the unfinished dream of Zion, as a nation of individuals with agency and autonomy, truly looks like at home and on the world stage:

– a just and peaceful law-abiding society
– a symbiotic relationship with the land
– a common culture of beautiful holiness
– a sanctuary for all human beings, created in the divine image

And furthermore.

In the name of building the Zion of which we have dreamed for millenia – in the name of return – it is not enough that we bring about the rebuilding of and return to Beeri and Nir Oz.

We must do everything we can to rebuild and encourage the return of Gazans to their homes, their communities, their lives.

Yes, Gazans – those who have unfathomably suffered for the past two years as they scrambled for cover trapped between Hamas and the IDF, deserve to return home no less than any Israeli.

We must reckon with their loss at our hands, just as we must reckon with our own – and build Zion from the ruins of Beeri and Gaza together.

At this delicate and uncertain time, on the eve of the Hebrew anniversary of the attempted genocide that started this horrific war, when so much about the future remains unknown and opaque to us – I pray that the Creator of all hearts accept our prayers for a just peace, for an end to wicked injustice and cruel violence, for the remaining kidnapped hostages to be reunited with their families, for a rebuilt Gaza, and for a day when awareness of our common Creator fills the world like the waters of the ocean.

Thoughts on Zionism

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Random thoughts on Zionism (ok not random they were points missing in someone else’s overview of Zionism but they will be random to you):

– traditionally Jewish politics put God in the position of sovereign and the nation of Israel in the position of contingent steward/tenant; Zionism is about autonomy, not sovereignty (and for many supporters of Israel, the real fear is a loss of that autonomy)

– Zionist branding worked because the national aspiration for a holy and just society, and the cultural meaning of Zion, already existed in the biblical literature and liturgy for thousands of years

– modern political Zionism starts with Doña Gracia Nasi’s organized purchases of land in the 16th century for the express purpose of re-establishing Jewish settlement in Israel and points to the direct connection between Jewish disenfranchisement as a diasporic minority and the need for Jewish landed autonomy

– religious Zionism may be redundant but insofar as it’s a valid label it can be used to describe many Zionist groups in the 19th and 20th century, and such Zionist leaders as R Abraham Isaac Kook z”l without mention of whom no discussion of religious Zionism can be complete

PSA on Palestine

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PSA to both Leftists and Right-Wingers:

If all you know about the situation in Palestine is derived from memes and viral posts, and you haven’t done any research into the history of this land, or learned about the peoples who come from it, or even just talked to both Palestinians and Israelis who have lived here for generations – then the most responsible and helpful thing you can do for us is to support BOTH Palestinians AND Israelis in creating a just and peaceful society that respects the rights of all the residents of this land, and offers us all a chance to pursue our happiness safely and securely.

Otherwise, you are choosing an arbitrary side in a contrived conflict that is fueled by propaganda, ignorance, and hate.

Furthermore.

Zionism does not demand uncritical and unwavering fealty to a policy or to a government or even to society itself. The biblical prophets railed against the corruption, injustice, and violence of their society in their day – in the name of Zion.

Zionism – consistently from the days of the Hebrew bible through the modern political era – does demand a commitment to justice, based on the recognition of the image of God in which every human being is created. Rebuilding Gaza and ending the military administration of civilian populations are both entirely consonant with that central demand of Zionism.

If you support Zionism, then you should logically support justice for Palestinians as an integral part of establishing Zion in justice.

If you support justice for Palestinians, then you should logically support Zionism not just as a historically necessary complement to that cause but as the very means to actualizing its success.

Nothing about this situation is zero-sum.

And finally.

I reiterate my invitation to all Israelis and Palestinians to join me in establishing a just and peaceful society for us all in this land which is our sacred heritage. Our ancestors shared a covenant, our fates are intertwined – come, let us reason together for the sake of our grandchildren.

The Ceasefire Plan

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The Trump ceasefire plan does not seem substantially different from the Biden ceasefire plan.

The timetable for some things is a little faster, for other things a little slower. There is a stark cosmetic difference in the language.

But it seems to set out roughly the same basic points for both Israel and Hamas as the previous administration’s proposal.

🤷

There are definitely good, if vague, points set out in the plan.

But there are also some red flags:

I think setting up a Board of Peace headed by a corrupt authoritarian to rule Gaza via a puppet technocracy sounds shady.

I don’t trust the current US government.

And I’m left with a lot of questions about many of the points and how they will be implemented.

So I have my reservations about this ceasefire plan, like I did about the war itself; but if it brings about an end to the war, the elimination of Hamas, the return of the hostages, and the rebuilding of Gaza, then those will undeniably be good things.

How Many New Years

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Whew. Said the prayers. Blew the shophar. Ate the honey. Let my wife rest through the night.

I showed up, I did my part, I stood with every single being in creation and crowned my King.

Despite everything, Rosh Hashana was, thank God, a success in my little corner of the cosmos.

Barukh Hashem.

Mammash.

But.

As we started the month of Tishri, I opened up Isaiah for the next review. And I returned to the following verses:

“Your new moons and fixed seasons fill Me with loathing; they are become a burden to Me, I cannot endure them.

And when you lift up your hands, I will turn My eyes away from you; though you pray at length, I will not listen. Your hands are stained with crime—

Wash yourselves clean; put your evil doings away from My sight. Cease to do evil;

Learn to do good. Devote yourselves to justice; aid the wronged. Uphold the rights of the orphan; defend the cause of the widow.”

These verses made me think.

I thought of the attacks on farmers and shepherds in Yehuda and Shomeron.

I thought of the devastation in Gaza, excessive beyond the needs of self-defense and exploited for corrupt profit.

I thought of the hostages abandoned to Hamas, their families libeled as traitors for demanding accountability.

I thought of the widows and orphans of fallen soldiers and murdered civilians, sacrificed by career politicians clinging to power.

I thought of our society, built on holy ideals and ancient dreams, but that has become tolerant of too much violence against the vulnerable and too much injustice against the innocent.

How many new years will we celebrate while glibly justifying the ultimately unjustifiable?

How can we crown our King when we can not recognize his image and likeness?

What good are my prayers when both the Temple and Gaza lie in ruins?

Beloved, let us return to the covenant of our ancestors and the ways of our King.

We may have gone astray but all is far from lost.

There is still time for us to reconsider our path going forward.

This is the time.

“Come, let us reach an understanding, —says GOD. Be your sins like crimson, they can turn snow-white; be they red as dyed wool, they can become like fleece.”

One State Invitation

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As more and more countries recognize a state with no contiguous territory, no means of self-defense, no independent monetary policy or funding, and no active popular legislature, I would like to renew my personal invitation to build a shared society in a single state, built on the infrastructure of the existing Israeli state, that grants citizenship to all residents of this land, along with all the benefits and social resources necessary for the pursuit of happiness.

And as the Palestinians remaining in this land mostly descend from Israelites forcibly converted by Islamic colonizers, Zionism – as the restoration of autonomy to Israel (among other things) – has relevance and meaning for them as well. Our roots and our destiny are united.

And since the name Palestina itself is a Hellenization of the name Yisrael, I see no reason why we can’t call this country Yisrael in Hebrew, Falastin in Arabic, and either Israel or Palestine in English. Your preference.

🤷

Anyway, my invitation remains on the table. 👍

Your move, Europe.

The Zionism I Believe In

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The Zionism that I believe in – that I study, that I pray, that I live – does not envision for the holy people of Israel a life by the sword, surrounded by enemies, condemned by the world.

It does not tell us to rule over minorities with callousness and prejudice, it does not demand of us to empower fundamentalists and bigots, it does not ask us to set our sights on anything short of the full flourishing of Torah society in this land.

It also does not require us to hide who we are, to depend on false friends, or to seek our own destruction in order to appease those who have culturally misunderstood us by choice for millenia.

The Zionism that I believe in is the dream of millions of Israelite souls who have lived, fought, built, and died for a country where we can be free to choose ourselves and our God.

It was not defeated by enemy leaders from without and it will not be defeated by failed leaders from within.

Statement on the Discourse of Genocide

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Statement on the Tiktok Discourse of Genocide in Gaza

The Mt. Zion Bureau of Public Affairs affirms the responsibility of every sovereign state, including Israel, to conduct military operations in accordance with international humanitarian law. We recognize that the current war in Gaza has caused profound suffering and immense civilian loss of life. Allegations of war crimes—including disproportionate use of force, attacks in densely populated areas, and restrictions on humanitarian aid—must be addressed with seriousness and transparency. We call for rigorous review and accountability where violations may have occurred.

At the same time, we categorically reject the accusation that Israel is engaged in genocide against the Palestinian people. Genocide, as defined by the 1948 UN Convention, requires intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group. Israel’s stated and operational objective is the destruction of Hamas as a terrorist organization responsible for the October 7 massacres, kidnappings, and continued rocket attacks on Israeli civilians. The tragic civilian toll of this war reflects the brutal reality of combat against an enemy deliberately embedded in civilian areas—not an exterminatory policy against Palestinians as a people.

We further note that Israel remains home to nearly two million Arab citizens who participate fully in the civic, political, and social life of the state. Their continued security and integration stand in stark contradiction to claims of genocidal intent. Where inflammatory rhetoric by individuals has strayed into language suggestive of extermination, such speech has been condemned within Israel’s political and legal system and does not reflect state policy.

The charge of genocide is not simply a legal question. It carries with it a historical echo. For centuries, Jews have endured false collective accusations—blood libels, deicide, dual loyalty—meant to strip them of legitimacy and justify violence against them. To misapply the label of genocide to Israel’s self-defense risks repeating this pattern: collapsing the distinction between the Israel Defense Forces, the State of Israel, and Jews worldwide, and recasting Jewish survival itself as a crime.

We therefore call upon the international community to distinguish between legitimate investigation of alleged violations of the laws of war and the politically weaponized discourse of genocide. The former is essential for the integrity of international law. The latter undermines it.

Israel will continue to defend its citizens against genocidal threats, as it has since its founding, while striving to uphold the standards of law and morality upon which its legitimacy rests.

– Mt. Zion Bureau of Public Affairs

Devastation of Gaza

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The devastation of Gaza can still shock and pain me, as a thinking and feeling human being and as a religious Zionist, and pose a collective challenge to Israeli society that demands a coherent answer, without any need to redefine genocide in order to make it fit the horrific impact of this war on the lives of ordinary Gazans.

Is this how we want to wage war, as a nation?

And what does God say??

If the settled law is not enough, if the poseqim have no creative vision for this day, then Elul is here – according to kabbalistic legend, the transcendent king is accessible in the field of the heart’s imagination.

Pray on this then, and hear what our Creator speaks unto your heart.