Central Rabbinical Congress of the U.S.A. and Canada
85 Division Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 112111
384-6765
January 11, 1986
The central Rabbinical Congress of the USA and Canada representing the masses of Orthodox and Hassidic Jews feels impelled to reiterate the Torah true position it has expounded many times in the past.
We decry the shocking statements and accompanying actions of “religious” leaders in the state of Israel. We are especially offended by those who use the revered title “Rabbi” to bring shame upon the Jewish people as a whole by their actions and polemics
As a people we have demonstrated moral principles and greater religious tents to the world. Our tenacity in clinging to our faith has brought us much persecution in our physical exile. Despite this, we have always remained loyal to our traditions.
Among the traditions upheld through the years are three principles that pertain to our ultimate redemption by Moshiach for which we pray daily.
1. We are bound not to create or work to attain a state in the Holy Land before the promised redemption.
2. We are bound to accept the yoke of Diaspora, of exile, until the redemption.
3. We are bound to live in peace and harmony among the nations where Heavenly Providence has dispersed us.
These three principles have been followed without question for millennia. “Religious” zionism took advantage of the “opportunity” of the Holocaust, to manipulate and distort these principles so as to justify their actions in midwifing the birth of the state of Israel; there are religious Jews who have debased and degraded their faith by worshipping the Golden Calf of our day, the Israeli government.
This totally secular state is zionist not Jewish. Under its constitution and governing body, every sort of violation of Judaism is condoned and advanced. This state condones immorality, encourages and abets the profanation of the Holy Sabbath, allows indiscriminate abortions, forces post mortems, countenances the desecration of ancient Jewish graves and has the chutzpah to call itself the “Jewish” state. The “religious” political parties of the State allow themselves to be used to present an appearance of the approval by the Torah their participation is used to whitewash the misdeeds of the State and to prove that their every action is in accord with the Torah, Heaven forbid.
Recently various ultra nationalist zionist movements have emerged that demand permanent annexation of the West Bank. We have witnessed a renewed parody of “religious fervor” by the Gush Emunim, some of whose members are serving sentences for terrorist activities. These extremists, under the guise of religious zeal, have set up several settlements on the West Bank. The notorious “Rabbi” Meir Kahane has called for the expulsion of Arabs from their homes and their deportation to other lands. A group of religious people have established a town on the West Bank called Emanuel.
These acts have been committed in the name of the Sacred Torah.
We cannot, we dare not remain silent.
It is our duty to denounce those who invoke the name of the Almighty in vain. It is our holy obligation and our moral responsibility to cal on them: Stop using these falsehoods and heresies to justify yourselves and your misdeeds. The Jewish faith, as transmitted by the Almighty to our forefathers has not and will never countenance the zionist and nationalistic doctrines of the state of Israel. These false doctrines are compounded of atheism and anti-religious zionism, ideologies alien to Judaism. Let them not be misrepresented to the world as “Jewish”.
Our basic desire as G-d fearing Jews is to live in peace with our neighbors in the lands where we reside until the final Divine redemption takes place as promised and peace and harmony will come to all mankind. Amen.
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The following explains the statement issued by the Central Rabbinical Congress of the USA and Canada.
The true Jewish position on zionism and the state called Israel is found in the Scriptures in the Talmud and in the oral traditions transmitted to us by our parents and teachers.
At the outset of the Jews’ exile to Babylonia, the Prophet Jeremiah, in chapter 29 of his book proclaimed G-d’s message to all the exiled…Verse seven reads, “Seek out the welfare of the city to which I have exiled you and pray for it to the Almighty, for through its welfare will you have welfare.” This has been a cornerstone of Jewish “foreign policy” how to behave in the lands of the nations throughout our ensuing exiles till this very day.
There Jeremiah adds in the name of G-d (verses 8 and 9), “Do not let your false prophets among you and your sorcerers seduce you, do not heed your dreamers which you cause them to dream. For they speak falsely to you in My name. I did not send them.” This too has applied to all the would-be misleaders of Jewry whether they presented themselves as prophets or as sorcerers or as dreamers of national aspirations.
King Solomon in Song of Songs thrice adjured the “daughters of Jerusalem” not to arouse or bestir the love until it is ready.” The Talmud explains that two of the oaths are directed at the Jews, the exiled daughters of Jerusalem, not to unit to take the Holy Land and not to rebel against the nations. The third oath is directed to the nations of the world no to oppress the Jews. Throughout the seventy years of the Babylonian exile, throughout the 200 years of the Hellenic exile and throughout the 1917 since the destruction of G-d’s Holy House, we have steadfastly maintained our loyalty to G-d and have not transgressed His oaths. And we have prayed for the welfare of the cities and the countries of our host nations that did not oppress us, and in their welfare we indeed always found ours.
Whoever violates Jeremiah’s principles or Solomon’s oaths immediately imperils the welfare of Jews locally and elsewhere in the world.
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