Even if the leaders of this state were to be believers in the Torah and the words of Chazal on some level, and even if they did not persecute religious Jewry, the entire concept behind this state would be complete heresy, for it is impossible to imagine that the Jewish people should have their own country before the holy Divine Presence returns to the holy site of the Temple. Heaven forbid for the children to despise the honor of their Father in heaven, that they should attach no value to their Father’s honor, and they should prefer to accept from the nations this gift of independence. Whoever thinks this way is like someone who says to his father, “What do I have to do with you? I have built my house, and what do I care if you continue to wander in exile?” …Whoever is proud of the fact that there is an independent state called “the State of Israel” is revealing that deep down, he hates his Father in heaven.
Whoever believes in or admires this state of heretics even the slightest bit, is a heretic like them. Anyone who wants it to continue existing, even in the inner chambers of his heart, even if he does not make this known to others, or derives secret pleasure from the existence of this state, is a believer in idolatry. This should definitely be spoken of in public all the time, so that the masses who do not understand this on their own should not forget about it. We must not allow them to become dull with time, G-d forbid, and be drawn after all the noise made by the priests of this idolatry. (Toras Alef, v. 4 ch. 31 par. 7)
In 1957, after the attempted Hungarian revolution, most of Hungary’s Jews succeeded in escaping to Vienna, Austria, where they awaited a country to take them in. The Zionists campaigned strongly to bring all of these Jews to their state. At that time, the Shoproner Rav, who had stayed in Hungary for some time after the war and established a yeshiva, but was now in America, headed a delegation to Vienna to speak to the Jewish refugees. The members of the delegation met with the refugees and explained to them the great spiritual danger that awaited them in the State of Israel.
The Shoproner Rav wrote a long, impassioned plea to the Hungarian Jews not to give into Zionist pressure.
They are not embarrassed to write: ‘You left Hungary for fear of the gentiles. Please do not go now and live among other gentiles. Come to Eretz Yisroel; our land is your land!’ Look, my friends, how much heresy and impudence against the Shepherd of Israel these words contain. They are ready to bring Jews to spiritual destruction. For almost two thousand years we have lived among gentiles, and they have always hated us, but we gave our cheek to those who beat us and we bore their yoke, knowing that this is the Creator’s will, until He decides to redeem us. But they have thrown off this yoke, together with the yoke of the holy Torah. Therefore please take care not to fall into the net of these inciters. You must especially warn the young not to listen to them. I have written at length because I fear that some who are not acquainted with the latest events will think our opposition to the Agudah is only politics. I unfortunately must tell you that those among them who take part in Zionist activities and have adopted their slogans—that we must leave the exile—are the worst destroyers of the holy Torah. They are the ones who lengthen the bitter exile and delay the redemption. (Botzina Kadisha v. 2 p. 184)
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