When Loyalty to a State Becomes a Substitute for Loyalty to God
There is a dangerous confusion today between Judaism and Zionism, and it must be addressed clearly and courageously.
Judaism is a covenant with God, rooted in Torah, truth, and justice. Zionism is a modern political movement, rooted in nationalism. While they may overlap historically, they are not the same — and conflating them distorts both.
Many today have made the State of Israel into a kind of sacred cow. Criticizing its actions — even in cases of moral outrage — is treated as if it were heresy. The political has become theological. The state is beyond critique. This is not loyalty to Torah — it’s a form of idolatry.
Some have even joked that Zionism today is like a new Trinity:
God the Father, the Jewish Mother, and the Holy Land.
When religious identity becomes wrapped around nationalism, moral clarity is lost. Crimes committed in the name of Jews are excused, minimized, or even celebrated — simply because they are carried out by a government that calls itself Jewish. And anyone who calls for accountability is dismissed as a “self-hating Jew” or worse.
This is not Torah.
Judaism does not say, “We’re always right because we’re Jews.” It says:
“God chose us to be holy — and holds us to a higher standard.”
When injustice is done in the name of the Jewish people, the proper response is not silence, and certainly not celebration. The proper response is grief, protest, and return to Torah.
Our loyalty is to the truth, not the tribe. To the Torah, not to nationalism. To God, not to the government.
We must never forget:
Judaism existed for thousands of years before the State of Israel — and it will continue long after every government rises and falls.
Ich werde nicht fasten (aus gesundheitlichen Gründen) weil alle diese Tage Tage der Freude werden – bald wird die Realität diejenigen einholen, die an seinen Wiederaufbau nicht mehr glauben oder sich selbstzufrieden mit der Zerstörung (bis auf einen erhaltenen Rest) arrangieren. Die einen, weil sie ihn nicht wollen, die anderen, weil sie an dessen Zerstörung aktiv in der Vergangenheit beteiligt waren und jetzt diesen euphemistisch als nicht mehr notwendig erachten.
Shavua Tov!
Ich bin mit meiner Seele und in Gedanken ganz in Jerushalajim und dem Bet haMikdash.
Der französische Botschafter in Israel besuchte die Muqataa in Ramallah und überreichte Mahmud Abbas eine Verpflichtungserklärung zur Gründung eines palästinensischen Staates.
Was sicher ist: Der französische Botschafter konnte auf den Fotos die Karten von „Palästina“ sehen, die an den Wänden jedes Raumes und jeder Halle in der Muqataa hängen. Das ist die einzige Karte, die sie besitzen – in Schulbüchern, auf öffentlichen Plätzen in arabischen Städten in Judäa und Samaria, in jeder diplomatischen Vertretung der palästinensischen Autonomiebehörde, die Israel ihnen überhaupt erst ermöglicht hat.
Der einzige Staat, der ihnen je irgendeine Form von Unabhängigkeit gegeben hat, ist der Staat Israel.
Es gibt keinen Führer dieses erfundenen Volkes – eines Volkes mit einem lächerlichen Namen, der nicht einmal wirklich arabisch klingt – „die Palästinenser“ – der sich vor seiner gesamten Diaspora hinstellen und sagen könnte: „Nie wieder werden wir nach Haifa, Jaffa, Akko, Safed, Lod, Nazareth oder Zippori zurückkehren. Wir werden in einem Zwergstaat leben, den die israelische Linke und Macron uns im Westjordanland und Gaza anbieten. Wir werden auf ‚Palästina vom Fluss bis zum Meer‘ verzichten. Wir werden in Frieden leben, Seite an Seite mit Israel. Unser großes Volk – das größtenteils in der Diaspora lebt – wird sich mit diesem kleinen Zwergstaat zufriedengeben.“
Dabei handelt es sich um ein Gebiet, das bis 1967 unter arabischer Kontrolle stand – doch kein einziger arabischer Führer träumte jemals davon, den Palästinensern dort einen Staat zu geben. Die Arabische Liga hat niemals ihr „Recht“ auf einen Staat anerkannt – weder in Jordanien noch in Ägypten. Keine einzige arabische Nation sah in den Palästinensern ein unabhängiges Volk mit Anspruch auf ein eigenes Staatsgebiet. Die Palästinenser waren ein Vorwand, um den arabisch-israelischen Konflikt aufrechtzuerhalten, dessen Ziel die Zerstörung Israels war.
Jerusalem war zu keinem Zeitpunkt der Geschichte Hauptstadt eines arabischen Staates. Für uns Juden gab es niemals eine andere Hauptstadt als Jerusalem.
Und doch will Macron den Arabern Ostjerusalem geben. 🤔 Das wird ihm nicht helfen. Paris wird islamisch – ob er Palästina anerkennt oder nicht.
Text :Tamir Morag
Ein bisschen Perspektive – angesichts der Hysterie rund um die französische Anerkennung eines „palästinensischen Staates“, der in Wirklichkeit gar nicht existiert:
Schon lange vor dem dramaliebenden und heuchlerischen Macron haben etwa 139 von 193 UN-Mitgliedsstaaten (also über 70 %) den „palästinensischen Staat“ anerkannt – darunter auch einige westliche Länder wie Spanien, Irland, Norwegen und andere. Was hat das den Palästinensern gebracht? Unklar.
Macron ist gelangweilt, weil er innenpolitisch gelähmt ist und nichts bewegen kann – also sucht er sich Abenteuer im Ausland und drückt uns diesen Baguette ins Gesicht.
Der Sturm wird vorübergehen – und die Realität wird sich nicht ändern, so wie sie sich auch bisher nicht geändert hat, obwohl die Mehrheit der Staaten weltweit diesen imaginären Staat längst anerkannt hat.
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Text: Avi Grin
The French ambassador to Israel visited the Muqataa in Ramallah and presented Mahmoud Abbas with a declaration of commitment to the establishment of a Palestinian state.
What is certain is that the French ambassador could see in the photos the maps of „Palestine“ hanging on the walls of every room and hall in the Muqataa.
This is the only map they have – in schoolbooks, in public squares in Arab towns in Judea and Samaria, in every diplomatic mission of the Palestinian Authority, which Israel made possible in the first place.
The only state that has ever given them any form of independence is the State of Israel.
There is no leader of this fictitious people—a people with a ridiculous name that doesn’t even sound particularly Arabic—“the Palestinians“—who could stand before their entire diaspora and say: „Never again will we return to Haifa, Jaffa, Acre, Safed, Lod, Nazareth, or Zippori. We will live in a dwarf state that the Israeli left and Macron are offering us in the West Bank and Gaza. We will renounce ‚Palestine from the River to the Sea.‘ We will live in peace, side by side with Israel. Our great people—most of whom live in the diaspora—will be content with this small dwarf state.“
This is territory that was under Arab control until 1967—yet not a single Arab leader ever dreamed of giving the Palestinians a state there. The Arab League has never recognized their „right“ to a state—neither in Jordan nor in Egypt. No Arab nation saw the Palestinians as an independent people entitled to their own territory. The Palestinians were a pretext for perpetuating the Arab-Israeli conflict, whose goal was the destruction of Israel.
Jerusalem has never been the capital of an Arab state at any point in history. For us Jews, there has never been a capital other than Jerusalem.
And yet Macron wants to give East Jerusalem to the Arabs. 🤔 That won’t help him. Paris is becoming Islamic – whether he recognizes Palestine or not.
Text: Tamir Morag
A bit of perspective – in light of the hysteria surrounding the French recognition of a „Palestinian state“ that doesn’t actually exist:
Long before the drama-loving and hypocritical Macron, approximately 139 of 193 UN member states (over 70%) recognized the „Palestinian state“ – including some Western countries like Spain, Ireland, Norway, and others. What has this done for the Palestinians? Unclear.
Macron is bored because he is paralyzed domestically and can’t get anything done – so he seeks adventures abroad and shoves this baguette in our faces.
The storm will pass – and reality will not change, just as it has not changed so far, even though the majority of countries worldwide have long since recognized this imaginary state.
Today I began to study Parasha Matot. Its name centrally refers to the tribes of Israel and is the last parasha to be read together with Parasha Maseij in the Sefer Bemidbar. Therefore, next Shabbat, we will soon reach a new stage in the development of the Children of Israel. At the very beginning, it speaks of vows and how to deal with them. Then the text continues with the war against the Midianites. Following a request from the tribes of Reuven and Gad, Moshe, in view of their extremely numerous herds of cattle, allocates the vast plains of Transjordan. However, he obligates them to participate in the conquest of Canaan alongside his brothers. It is the emphasis on a shared goal and the importance of all brothers standing together that deeply impresses me and is very important. After a quick recap of the stages of their journey through the desert, the Children of Israel learn from Moshe the course of the land’s borders, which they must observe. The Lord then appoints those responsible, who will assist the High Priest Eleazar and Joshua, as the leader of the people, in distributing the land. The Levite cities are then designated and given to the Levites. Furthermore, an unintentional murderer can seek refuge in them from the archaic desire for revenge among the victim’s relatives.
In Parasha Shelach Lecha, the spies are sent to be given to the Children of Israel. It is important to recognize that a spy is sent for each of the 12 tribes of Israel, among which there are even princes. However, only two bring back a realistic report that is not demoralizing: Khaleb from the tribe of Judah and Hoshea bin Nun from the tribe of Ephraim.
I identify with the latter, as I am not both Levi and Jew, thus doubly fruitful, as the name Ephraim suggests. It is also important that Hoshea bin Nun had traveled the long way from Egypt to prepare everything. This is about Canaan, the land that Hashem promises his people. While everyone else, except Caleb and Hoshea, encourages the people to conquer the land and take possession of it for themselves, it is the rest who consider this impossible and report this to the community, the entire body of the Children of Israel, who are now about to enter the „Promised Land.“ They listen to the messengers of doubt from their own ranks and begin to grumble and wish to return to Egypt. What can we learn from this? First, that the Children of Israel are following the wrong people, that it was two princes who fulfilled G-d’s command and only report what G-d expects, without any doubt and without their own emotional admixtures regarding fears that are transmitted to the people.
I speak of the land in two ways. On the one hand, it’s about conquering one’s own approach to the Torah and all 613 mitzvot, a ‚land of deep spirituality and fear of God,‘ a ‚land flowing with milk and honey,‘ and also the land of Eretz Yisrael itself, as a home for all tribes, all of which are, of course, Jews.
There will be a United Israel and No foreign Nation have the right and possibility to create a State for so called „Palestines“ on the ground of Israel.
„Palestine“ never exists, is having no own language‘, no songs who are praising G-d. So we Jews are the rightfull owner of Israel. This also is stated in the Holy Book of all Muslims.
Israel is the Land of G-d, IT IS HIS property and for this everything will be comes like Hashem wish. No foreign G-d will rule Israel ever. But all Jews are in the duty to come closer to Hashem.
🇮🇱🇵🇸- The IDF has chosen a name for the upcoming military operation: ‘Gideon’s Chariots“
MORE DETAILS ON ISRAEL’S WAR ESCALATION IN GAZA
In essence, Israel is telling Hamas: either agree to a deal within the next ten days to free all the remaining hostages or face total destruction.
In a dramatic and long-overdue decision, the Israeli cabinet has unanimously approved Operation “Gideon’s Chariots”, a plan of maximum pressure aimed at the full defeat of Hamas and the release of all hostages.
As revealed by Minister Bezalel Smotrich, the IDF will no longer withdraw from territories it liberates in Gaza, even in exchange for hostages. Instead, Israel will continue its military campaign until Hamas is decisively defeated and the hostages are freed as a result of that pressure, not through concessions.
This marks a major strategic shift. For the first time, Israel is publicly aligning itself with the standard military strategy, where no country surrenders strategic gains in trying to defeat an enemy and free hostages.
Key points of the plan:
Massive reinforcement of IDF forces and decisive action to dismantle Hamas’s military and governing capabilities.
Ongoing military presence in cleared areas—unlike past operations, to prevent the return of terror.
Evacuation of Gazans from combat zones to the south, separating them from Hamas fighters.
A security buffer zone around Gaza will be maintained permanently to protect Israeli communities.
Limited humanitarian aid, only after combat begins, will be delivered by the IDF under tight military control to prevent Hamas exploitation.
A senior defense official clarified: the IDF is now acting to crush Hamas and bring home the hostages—not through negotiations, but through force. If Hamas does not agree to a deal in the coming days, the operation will move forward with full force.
… ich überlasse die Zuordnung der Verfehlungen derer, die sie betreffen, ganz Hashem. Bin mir voll bewusst, dass diese nicht ohne Konsequenzen bleiben werden. Hashem ist der beste Richter und alles unterliegt seinem Willen. Warum ist dass so? Weil niemand ist wie der G-tt Israels. Dies ist die Lehre die gezogen werden kann. Hashem ist ein barmherziger, gnädiger… aber auch strenger und entzürnender G-tt. Es ist unsere Aufgabe als Juden uns selbst zu verbessern und jeden Tag die Möglichkeit zu ergreifen umzukehren, zum G-tt Israel’s – dem G-tt unserer Vorfahren. Dies ist auch der Grund, warum ich als Jude und Lewi jegliche Form des Götzendienstes ablehne; und glauben Sie mir: Es spielt dabei keine Rolle von welcher „Seite“ diese erfolgt.
Some of my Muslim friends, with whom I was engaged in interfaith dialogue until a year ago, are publishing criticisms of Israel’s actions in Gaza. I would now like to say the following to you:
If I were a Muslim, I would be deeply ashamed of the outrageous Hamas massacre—which, according to opinion polls in Gaza, is still supported by the majority of Palestinians. Above all, I would remain silent—especially during the holy month of Ramadan. But I certainly would not criticize the Jewish state for its handling of the Hamas terrorists who are now cowardly hiding behind Palestinian women and children in Gaza.
Here is the latest report, written by British researchers, on the Palestinian crimes of October 7:
Warning – this is a horrific report! It details how Palestinians – yes, including ordinary civilians – raped, dismembered, and burned Jewish women and men, how they tortured children in front of their parents, and how they cut off the genitals of fathers in front of their children. During their atrocities, they often did not fail to repeatedly shout Allahu Akbar.
As I said: If a Muslim doesn’t have the courage to demand punishment for the criminals in his own ranks, he should really keep his mouth shut.
At the moment I am dealing with the first words of the weekly section Shemot. Not long ago, the sons of Israel were mentioned in the previous week’s section when it was explained that they did not hear Joseph’s lamentation. But now all the sons of Israel who came from the womb of Yaakov are listed. This means that all those listed are listed as sons Yaakov applies and is. This statement makes me extremely happy. Joseph died in the diaspora. Then the Torah reports that the children of Israel were fruitful, swarmed and multiplied. Now comes a very important passage, because afterwards they would become powerful!!! It is this strong external influence that is seen critically, because the Torah further reports that a new king arose in Mizrayim who knew nothing about Joseph. So it was Joseph himself who ensured that the people in power did not have anything evil happened. Now the situation is fundamentally changing – there is a new ruler.
What can we learn from this… The political situation can change and with it the assessment and treatment of the Jewish people. The diaspora is therefore always only a temporary arrangement and only the second best place – after Israel – for a Jew.
Words and Passion 