Hashmonaim - a Bridge Toward Reconciliation

The Hashmonaim Brigades (TOI)

As upset as I am about the extremely negative Charedi attitude toward army service, I have always been careful to place the blame where it truly belongs - on the Charedi leadership. They are the ones who have convinced their followers that their views represent Daas Torah, the ultimate expression of divine will.

To be clear, these leaders would never claim to speak for God, nor are they so arrogant as to believe that literally. But they do believe they are somehow channeling His will in drawing on a lifetime of Torah study and communal leadership. They are not infallible — and would be the first to say so. And yet their policies toward the State of Israel are shaped by a long-standing belief that the government acts with hostility toward Torah Judaism.

That suspicion may have had some justification decades ago. But even then, any anti-religious intent was far from universal among Israel’s political leadership. Nevertheless, once early policies produced what they perceived as intolerable religious results, the Charedi worldview hardened. Ever since, many of their leaders have viewed anything the government does as malicious.

This mindset filters down to the rank and file. Ordinary Charedim, who are by definition Chareid L’Dvar HaShem - trembling at the possibility of transgressing God’s will - naturally defer to their rabbinic authorities. They have been taught that to question these leaders is to risk violating God’s word itself. Thus, their opposition to army service stems not from selfishness or indifference, but from a deeply ingrained Emunas Chachamim — faith that their sages know best.

Without such direction, I believe most Charedim would not instinctively oppose military service. Deep down, I think many understand the sacrifices soldiers make: that many are observant Jews; that families endure pain, fear, and loss; and that religious Zionist rabbis consider IDF service a religious obligation. They know of the Hesder yeshivot where Torah study and service are combined. And I suspect that in their heart of hearts, many Charedim realize they are not doing their part.

Still, cultural pressure is immense. A Charedi man raised to distrust the state faces enormous personal conflict in enlisting. Even joining the new Charedi units - such as the Hashmonaim Brigade - is condemned by much of the leadership. Those who enlist do so at great personal sacrifice. They are quite literally, heroes.

Professor Adam Ferziger captured this tension perfectly in a powerful observation he made at the Kotel:

“Before me stood a contingent of IDF soldiers — bearded, many with peyot — inductees into the new Hashmonaim Brigade. Families with black hats and long skirts watched proudly. Yet just steps away, a much larger group of black-clad young men prayed loudly in protest against the draft. Amid the fervor, I saw heads turn toward the soldiers — a flicker of curiosity, perhaps even admiration, crossing their faces.”

That scene, Ferziger wrote, ‘captures Israel’s national dilemma’. Indeed, the ongoing war and the enormous sacrifices of Israeli soldiers have only deepened resentment toward the Charedi sector. But it is precisely here, in the example of the Hashmonaim Brigade, that a potential bridge exists.

These young men deserve our admiration. They have not only risked life and limb like every other soldier — they have also defied powerful cultural and social pressures within their own community. They serve the Jewish people with devotion while maintaining their faith and standards.

Professor Ferziger himself approached the soldiers and said simply, 'Tizke le-mitzvot - May you continue to merit God’s commands'. That gesture captured the spirit of what our nation needs.

He added that these soldiers are heroes — not despite their Charedi identity, but because of the immense inner struggle they have overcome to affirm it alongside their service.

If there can be a grass roots effort that can begin to heal the bitter rift between Jew and Jew, this might just be it. 

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The Million Man Prayer Rally

The million man rally in Jerusalem (YWN)

I fully support full-time Torah study. There is not the slightest doubt in my mind that the Jewish people could not survive without it. It needs to be studied by the best and brightest among us so that we, the Jewish people, can know how to live in our time. I am therefore vehemently opposed to any attempt to destroy or weaken the Charedi yeshiva system.

One may wonder how this squares with my oft-mentioned complaint that Charedim need to serve in the military. Well, the two are not mutually exclusive. One can both learn Torah diligently and serve as well as prepare to serve when the time comes (such as in war).

This is, in fact, what a Hesder Yeshiva does. But I am not opposed to the idea that there should be yeshivas where full-time Torah study exempts one from the military. This too is in line with what the Charedi world seeks.

The big difference between us is the extent to which exemptions like that should be given. In my view, they should only be given to those who have the potential for greatness in Torah study. Those with the potential to guide others in advanced learning. Or who have the ability to rule on complex halachic issues. Or to lead the Jewish people in other ways.

What that number should be is something I am not qualified to determine. All I am saying is that there should be exemptions in some cases. The rest should be subject to army service, like everyone else. To the extent that there may be religious issues that might be impediments, they can and should be worked out between Charedi rabbinic leaders and military leaders who can come to a solution where the needs of both sides are met.

The Charedi leadership completely rejects that idea. They are opposed to any of their people serving in the army. First, they fear that serving in a secular army will dilute their religious observance - if not entirely disabuse them of it. And secondly, they believe that Torah study should be full time for every last one of them for as long as possible. Subjecting Charedim to the draft will destroy that paradigm.

So opposed are they that they are going to great lengths to fighting it.  And have told their students to ignore draft notices — even if it means being arrested and jailed, as some have been.

Government funding for yeshivas that don’t comply has been cut off.

These leaders are now apoplectic about their situation and have called for a prayer rally. Which is happening today. They are characterizing their dilemma as an extreme attack against the Torah world by the Zionist government. 

They consider themselves to be the ones that are suffering. As though what the rest of the country has gone through (and to some extent - still going through) does not exist. There is not a word about what the hostages and their families have gone through (and are still going through), Not a word about the many IDF soldiers that have given their lives in battle for the Jewish people. Not a word about those who have sustained permanent injuries. Or what their families have gone through. Not a word about the disruption to family life that so many in Israel have gone through; the disruption to their livelihoods, Not a word about the sleepless nights by mothers worrying about ever seeing their sons whole again, if at all!

These things were not worthy of a million man prayer rally. Not even a hundred man prayer rally. At best, a couple of verses of Tehilim were quickly recited after every public prayer service and then everyone just went their way.

I understand how they feel about Torah study. And as I said, I even agree with them about its importance. What I vehemently disagree with is their unwillingness to compromise and and their hard core defiance. A defiance that has been accompanied by some very harsh rhetoric against the government and anyone that supports them. 

What this shows is that they do not consider the rest of the Jewish world – even those of us that are fully observant – to be part of the Jewish nation. There is only one Jewish nation that matters. The Charedi Jewish nation. They are the ones that will perpetuate Judaism into the future. They practically do not acknowledge our existence! 

Right now, they are in the middle of that ‘million-man prayer rally’. Hundreds of thousands of them have been gathering in Jerusalem for an all-day prayer session, closing off all access to and from the city. And if they don’t get their way now, they will take even stronger measures to protest the government. I read somewhere that they are talking about closing down the airport. And if that doesn’t work. What’s next?

I cannot understand why these leaders can’t find a way to compromise. It might be true that their last attempt at compromise failed. They blamed the government for that. But that shouldn’t mean the end of negotiations.

The truth is that the army needs people. And the largest pool of available people to fill that need are the ‘million’ people at the prayer rally.

And yet these leaders are so respected that no one dares challenge them. Other rabbinic leaders of a bit lesser stature just walk in lockstep with them. I suppose  many (or even most) of them agree totally with these leaders. But it would not surprise me if there were a significant number of them who might actually disagree privately but fear the consequences of publicly challenging them.

Then there is the call by the American Agudah Moetzes to join their Israeli brethren in prayer characterizing the draft laws in the same evil terms that their Israeli counterparts do. But here too, I have to wonder if there is any private dissent among them? We will never know since they never discuss dissent when they declare their public policy decisions.

I believe these elderly Charedi leaders who have riled up their public are leading them into an impossible situation from which they may never recover. The increased anger and hatred this will surely generate will not go away any time soon.

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Isolationism is Not the Solution

“I am not Israeli. I am a Jew living in Eretz Yisroel.”

This was said by a respected, mainstream Charedi Talmid Chacham and Posek of Anglo extraction about how he viewed his tenure in Israel. It was forwarded to me by a friend who had a discussion with him about the responsibility of Charedi Jews toward the larger Jewish society in Israel. The debate centered on the Charedi rejection of army service. This Posek seemed to feel that he had no obligation to a community he did not consider himself a part of.

He in fact believes that the proper approach for a Jew living in Israel is to completely cut themselves off from Israeli society, which he sees as having nothing to do with authentic Judaism. He takes the adage ‘A People Apart’ to a new level. Which means excluding even his own people. He would be quite content to never have any interaction with ‘Israelis’ and if he never saw another secular Israeli again in his life, that would be too soon for him.

I have no doubt that he believes with complete faith that this is what God wants. That we must separate ourselves from the non-Jewish ways of the secular world. And that isolation from them is the best way to do that,. Thereby staying in the “safe space” of the daled amos of Halacha. What goes on in the ‘outside world’ doesn’t concern him, and is a best a distraction. The ‘outside world’ has nothing to do with him — unless it somehow penetrates his ‘safe space’ and threatens to disrupt it. Then he becomes not only a Jew living in Israel, but a Jew on a warpath to fortify that ‘safe space’ and prevent the outside world from entering.

Zionism - even religious Zionism - lies outside his ‘safe space’ and must be fought with the same vigor as secular Zionism. ‘What’, he would ask, ‘do Charedim have to do with Zionism?’

All that being said, I am 100% certain that he is otherwise a decent, caring man who would give you the shirt off his back if he thought you needed it. He is not the confrontational type and would probably run away from conflict. And is surely a beloved figure in his community.

Therein lies the problem. Second tier leadership like his is the prototype of what is wrong with much of today’s Charedi world. This second-tier leader simply reflects what his superior, elderly rabbinic leaders believe which they consider Daas Torah. No matter how they might personally feel, they suppress those feelings in deference to what they perceive as the greater wisdom of those they consider greater than themselves.

As a beloved figure, his attitude is easily transmitted as the true Hashkafa of the Torah - to the exclusion of every other Hashkafa.

The result is disastrous for the Jewish people. (This Posek might call me an Apikores for saying something like that, but that doesn’t make it any less true.)

The very last thing God wants from His people is for any segment to cut themselves off from the rest. No matter how strongly they might disagree.

First of all, to cut oneself off from other religious Jews who have a different outlook on Zionism - one that has a strong basis in Halacha - is an exercise in Sinas Chinam. You can disagree. Even strongly. Even if that disagreement means protesting a government edict they support, you must still respect a view that is based on a Torah Hashkafa. The last thing one should do is to cut oneself  from other religious Jews

But even cutting themselves off from secular Jews — whether Zionist or not — is wrong. Cutting oneself off from the rest of Jewry in order to insulate oneself from their way of life is precisely why the Tzadikim – the righteous men of the generation of the destruction of Beis HaMedrash were killed. They failed to reach out to the ‘secular’ Jews of their time to show them the right way to live as Jews. Instead, they looked inward and let the masses drift as they pleased. Even if they would not have succeeded, they were required to try!

In the case of this Posek, his attitude is one of the primary motivations for aredi opposition to the draft. They fear that the interaction will go the opposite way — that it will influence their people to become less observant, or not observant at all. What, they ask, do we have to do with them? Let them go their way, and we’ll stay in the safe space of our own daled amos.

He says he’s not Israeli?! He may not think so, but he is. He is every bit an Israeli as I am an American If he carries an Israeli passport, votes in Israeli elections, speaks mostly in Ivrit (Hebrew), belongs to Israel’s national health insurance program (Kupat Cholim), or in any way benefits from his status as an Israeli citizen then he an Israeli. Being Israeli or American does not preclude one from being a Jew in every sense of the word.

I’m sure what he meant to convey is that he does not participate in any of the culture associated with Israelis — which he considers anti-Torah. Well, no religious Jew would be involved with anti-Torah activity. But not everything Israeli - is anti-Torah. And not every Israeli is anti-religious.

In fact, the opposite is true. Most Israelis are traditional — meaning that even though they may not fully observe Halacha, they care enough about their Judaism to participate in many of its practices: keeping kosher, fasting on Yom Kippur, refraining from chametz on Pesach, and so on. They may not know the details of Halacha and may err in their observance, but the point is that they are anything but anti-religious.

What they have become, however, is anti-Charedi. Ever since the war in Gaza called upon Israelis to participate in defending their country - Charedim have vehemently refused to do at any level (with some minuscule exceptions). Resentment has grown. What was once tolerance for the Charedi way of life has turned into unprecedented hostility among increasing numbers of secular and even some religious Zionist Jews.

This Posek’s attitude explains why, and it only serves to exacerbate that divide even further. As will the following – as reported in the Times of Israel:

A planned massive “million man” Haredi prayer rally against IDF conscription slated for Thursday is expected to block the main entrance to Jerusalem for hours and cause major congestion in the capital, police say.

Making matters worse is another - related incident that happened:

Several ultra-Orthodox men twice interrupt proceedings at the High Court of Justice dealing with military conscription enforcement for their community, shouting in the courtroom against the enlistment of ultra-Orthodox yeshivas students.

At least two of the protesters shout “We’d rather die than enlist,” a common ultra-Orthodox anti-enlistment slogan, before being ejected from the courtroom by court security guards who handcuff at least one of the men.

So instead of showing secular and religious Zionist Jews the ‘pleasant ways of the Torah’, they are showing everyone how self-centered they are and how little they seem to care for anyone else. Even as the sacrifices made by so many IDF soldiers have ended in tragedy for themselves and their families!

As much as I might otherwise tolerate the views of someone I so profoundly disagree with, an attitude like his - achieves the opposite for me. Even though it is based on his sincere belief that this is what God wants - it makes me intolerant. 

I can’t help but worry that attitudes like his - rooted in the teachings of his mentors - will lead to the destruction of us all. 

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Why Mamdani is Bad for the Jews and Bad for New York

Cuomo, Mamdani, and Sliwa (Newsday)

I have to admit that one of the more depressing things I have ever encountered is the likelihood of a mayor in New York that will be so vehemently anti-Israel. In my wildest dreams, I could never have imagined that. And yet, it seems that unless an upset of gargantuan proportion takes place, the polls predict that this will happen.

What makes me even more depressed is that Jews may be one of the key factors in getting him elected. I never realized there were more than just a few Jews whose politics reflected strong socialist values. I had always thought these extremist progressive Jews were on the fringes of the Jewish body politic. I believed that most Jews were indeed liberal and voted Democratic, but were nevertheless very supportive of Israel. I think that is still true even though that support has waned somewhat, for reasons beyond the scope of this post.

What I didn’t realize is that there are enough Jews that are so progressive that they can swing an election in favor of someone who believes that Israel is an apartheid state that oppresses indigenous Palestinians with a brutal occupation, and that it should be boycotted  if not dismantled entirely as a Jewish state. Although they are still in the minority, they are growing in number and are increasingly found among younger Jews whose connection to Judaism is, at best, tenuous.

These progressive young Jews have joined their non-Jewish progressive counterparts in supporting a candidate who shares their values. A candidate enthusiastically endorsed by perhaps the most famous Jewish socialist in the US, Bernie Sanders. 

What these people are voting for are Mamdani’s socialist promises of better economic times once his progressive policies are implemented. After all, who doesn’t like total rent control, free transportation, and government-subsidized grocery stores? All of which promise to save voters tons of money in their everyday lives. It’s therefore not surprising that even some mainstream Democrats might vote for someone making promises like that.

Honestly, it’s hard to argue with Mamdani’s promises. Why vote for a status quo that has failed you? Give someone with fresh ideas a chance to show he can change things for the better – as promised.

This is what’s going to get Mamdani elected. His being so anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian is not really on the radar of the typical New York voter — unless they are Jewish or Muslim.

I’m not going to go into why this type of thinking is a big mistake — other than to say there is no such thing as a free lunch! And that socialism has failed every time it has been tried. 

Aside from Mamdani’s policies being doomed to failure, the biggest concern for mainstream New York Jewish voters is his anti-Israel stance and rhetoric. Although his policies will not directly affect Israel - other than perhaps divesting any municipal funds currently invested in the Jewish state - the very idea of arresting the Prime Minister of Israel is an image I never thought I’d see in a city with the largest Jewish population in the world. Calling Israel’s war against Hamas genocide - and blaming him entirely for all Palestinian deaths in Gaza without the slightest reference to Hamas’s part in that is yet another thing I never thought I would see from the mayor of New York.

His anti-Israel rhetoric will surely increase anti-Zionist activism. Which he will surely support if not join personally.  Resultant antisemitic violence that might ensue might be opposed by Mamdani and he will not tolerate it. But it will surely be his own rhetoric that will be responsible for inflaming it in the first place.

This is why so many rabbinic leaders across denominations have urged their members to vote against Mamdani in the upcoming election. As of the last count, over 1,000 heterodox rabbis as well as virtually all mainstream Orthodox rabbis and organizations have signed on to that message.

Some might say it’s a waste of time when the polls show what seems like an insurmountable lead for Mamdani. But as I’ve said, that does not free the Jewish voter in New York from doing their civic duty. Besides, polls have been wrong before. Even lopsided ones like his. You never know.

As it turns out, Mamdani’s ‘insurmountable’ lead is shrinking. Although he still leads Cuomo by a substantial margin, Mamdani is not projected to get a majority of the vote. That’s because of a third candidate — Republican Curtis Sliwa will get a small percentage of the vote. Which might otherwise go to Cuomo. If Sliwa were to drop out of the race, it might become competitive.

I believe the entire mainstream Jewish establishment — from Orthodox to Reform — would agree that Cuomo is far from ideal. Under normal circumstances, he would be getting very little, if any, support from any of these organizations or rabbis. But I think they all agree that Cuomo is by far the lesser of two evils. A city government led by a centrist Democrat would fare far better than one led by a socialist.

And perhaps most importantly for the mainstream Jewish community, Cuomo is not anti-Israel. He is a longtime supporter of the Jewish state. We will not be hearing talk about Israel as an apartheid state or accusations of genocide in Gaza. Nor would anyone be talking about arresting the Prime Minister of Israel.

It is late in the game. Early voting has already begun. The media is reporting the highest early voting turnout in New York history. The stakes are high. Many New Yorkers know that and are responding by voting early. The only question is: how are they voting? Is it a progressive surge or an anti-progressive backlash – a surge driven by fear a New York governed by socialism? It’s hard to know.

One thing seems clear: Sliwa is not backing out, even though he has no chance of winning. It’s also clear that people that will vote for Sliwa would never vote for Mamdan If Sliwa were out, they would likely switch their vote to Cuomo.

I strongly urge people who do not want to see a Mamdani mayoralty in New York not to help elect him by voting for Sliwa. Because every vote for Sliwa is, in effect, a vote for Mamdani. I urge every Sliwa supporter to switch their vote to Cuomo. If enough Sliwa voters do that; and if my hunch is right that most New Yorkers don’t want to see their city turn socialist; then the polls may be wrong and Cuomo might win.

If he does, we can all breathe a sigh of relief. If Mamdani wins, Jews may find themselves in a very precarious situation, as pro-Palestinian rallies will surely increase - rallies that will be heartily supported by the new mayor. And that is surely something not to look forward to.

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When a Religious Leader Loses His Sense of Moral Clarity

Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef (TOI)

One must respect the opinions of rabbinic leaders in every generation. They generally earn their titles as leaders by virtue of their Torah knowledge, piety,  and their life-long experiences. They are the ultimate Chareid L’Dvar HaShem - trembling lest they violate the word of God - especially since they guide the Jewish people.

It is therefore a mistake to denigrate or worse - humiliate - these great figures. Regardless of how much one disagrees with them. They did not become leaders by accident. They became leaders because many other rabbinic authorities recognized them as such. That, together with the wisdom that comes with age, makes them leaders.

So, I respect those leaders even when I disagree strongly with them. Some would say that my very disagreement is an insult regardless of how respectfully I state it. That is pure nonsense. Others might say that my disagreement is meaningless in the face of their superior Torah knowledge, wisdom, and piety. That may  - or may not be true. But that has never stopped me from expressing my difference of opinion about some of their policy positions and statements. Most often those disagreements are the product of influences from my own rabbinic mentors who - even though many are no longer alive - were nonetheless great leaders who themselves possessed Torah knowledge, wisdom, piety, and life experience.

But sometimes lines are crossed where I cannot in good conscience respect such a leader. When I read something like the following, I lost any level of respect I ever had for him. I dare say that my rabbinic mentors might even agree with me. I am talking about a story involving Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, the rabbinic leader of the Sephardic Shas party and former Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel.

If what the Times of Israel reports is true, I can no longer respect Rabbi /Yosef. No matter how much piety, Torah knowledge, and life experience he may have.

It isn’t only that I have profound differences with him; it is what he said about another rabbinic leader:

Former Sephardi Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, who is also the spiritual leader of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, calls a fellow rabbi and bereaved father a heretic for advocating conscription for yeshiva students.

“Who is an apikores?” Yosef is heard saying in recordings first leaked by Kol Chai radio and published by Ynet, referring to the traditional Jewish term for a heretic. “He says, ‘Everyone should go to the army.’ What do you mean by everyone [should go] to the army? They study Torah. Just as there is an air force, there is the ‘God force’ of those who sit and study Torah and protect the entire people of Israel.”

In the recording, Yosef explicitly criticizes Rabbi Tamir Granot, who serves as the head of the hesder yeshiva Orot Shaul in Tel Aviv — which combines Torah study and military service — and whose son, Cpt. Amitay Granot, was killed by an anti-tank missile on the Lebanon border in October 2023.

“Several heads of yeshivot attacked me,” Yosef says. “There was one rabbi — I don’t know if he’s a rabbi — Granot, the head of a hesder yeshiva. The way he spoke against us on television. Aren’t you afraid of the humiliation of the Torah scholars?”

“I think there are some of them who, if they were to come to join a minyan (prayer quorum), we would not include them in the minyan,” Yosef continues. “They fall under the category of apikores. Not all of them.”

I cannot understand how someone who is supposed to be a leader of the Jewish people can be so callous as to call a fellow rabbi a heretic merely because he suggested that yeshiva students should serve in the army. That would be bad enough. But to call the head of a Hesder yeshiva who lost his son in battle an apikores is beyond disgusting.

Even if I grant that Rabbi Yosef is entitled to his view against conscription of yeshiva students, to call a Rosh Yeshiva, who believes that Torah study and military service can coexist to protect the Jewish people... and Rabbi Yosef calls him an apikores?! That he said it about a man who lost his son in battle makes it one of the worst things I have ever heard a rabbinic leader ever say. It is the height of insensitivity and callousness. 

Although I profoundly disagree with him, Rabbi Yosef is entitled to his religious views exempting yeshiva students from army service. But tin my view he has lost any claim to moral authority with those comments. I believes it disqualifies him from any claim of leadership among the Jewish people..

I would therefore advise anyone who considers Rabbi Yosef their spiritual leader, to find another one. Because I believe Rabbi Yosef has lost his way.

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No New Post Today.

In an effort to improve the reading and commenting experience for my readers,  I am experimenting with another format - Substack - and do not have enough time to research and write a new post today. 

For what it's worth I have not had any great success thus far. New post tomorrow. 

Annexing the West Bank Versus a Palestinian State

I don’t get it. Or sadly, maybe I do.

What we have in the Israeli Knesset is a conflict between ideologues who do not understand the value of restraint of not trying to advance their ideals in the face of the horrible consequences of doing so - versus ideologues who understand that compromise is often necessary in order to survive. In fact, compromise may very well be the best of all possible outcomes.

But to the hardcore ideologues of the extreme right, compromise is not an option. They are true believers in their cause — to the point of thinking that God will ultimately assure their victory, despite the obvious and impossible challenges that promoting their policies will bring.

It is, in fact, ironic that the ideals and beliefs that inspire right-wing fanatics to lose all rational thought and proceed carelessly with goals that will almost surely bring tragedy to the people of Israel (and possibly to Jews all over the world by virtue of their association with Israel) are the very same beliefs and ideals that I share. I too believe that the Land of Israel belongs to the Jewish people, as promised by God in the Bible. There is no denying that fact. It is stated in black and white several times and was the ultimate goal of our exodus from Egypt.

The difference between us is that the conditions on the ground do not allow us to restore our sovereignty over all of the land. There is simply no possible way to accomplish that now. First, because there are people living there who have their own religious claims to the Land of Israel — and they will certainly not relinquish the parts they now occupy. They have their own right wing, whose religious beliefs require them to fight to the death to achieve what they see as their rightful claim to the land.

Israel has been denying that possibility in a variety of ways — most importantly, through security measures designed to thwart Palestinian terrorist attempts to achieve their goals. Unfortunately, these measures make life very hard for most Palestinian families. That is why Israel’s critics (increasingly including Europe) call Israel a brutal occupying force and even an apartheid state — a big lie that much of the world has bought into.

The idea of taking that land away from Palestinians outrages Israel’s critics — which include most of Europe and several Arab states that have recently indicated an interest in making peace with Israel. They believe Israel has no business occupying that land in the first place.

The most important reason for not even suggesting annexation of the West Bank is that Israel could lose the support of its only true ally — the United States. The president has already suggested as much after the Knesset’s foolish vote to do so a few days ago.

If Israel were to act on the notion of annexing the West Bank, the bloodshed that would follow would be unprecedented. Palestinians will not sit idly by while Israel tries to remove them from land their families have lived on for generations. They will fight back — and the world will cheer them on.

All of this means that the only way we can restore our sovereignty over all the Land of Israel is when Moshiach comes. Now is not the time. Any attempt to do so now is beyond foolhardy — if not entirely suicidal.

These circumstances are why I originally supported the concept of “land for peace.” I once believed that a compromise could be reached that would allow both peoples to gain some of what they wanted — even if neither got everything they desired. I believed that peaceful coexistence was the only way out of generations of war and terror — that Palestinians would ultimately choose peace over Israel’s destruction.

I have long been disabused of that notion after realizing that they want a Jew-free Palestine more than they want peace. Peaceful coexistence was a one-sided dream — Israel’s dream.

That “dream” persists to this day among many nations of the world that, for some reason, still believe what I once did — that Palestinians would choose peace over constant oppression and war. Many Israelis (mostly on the left) naively believed that as well. But after October 7th, 2023, most Israelis finally came to their senses and realized that this was not a viable possibility. One way or another, Palestinians would continue to try to turn Israel into a Jew-free Palestine.

And yet, the Knesset voting to annex the West Bank was still the stupidest thing Israel could have done. I’m glad to hear that the prime minister distanced himself from it — but the fallout from that foolish stunt hasn’t ended yet. What it does is lend credence to all of Israel’s enemies who claim that Israel has no interest in ending its “brutal” occupation of the West Bank and is determined to occupy Gaza in the same way.

I’ve given this some thought. If I were the prime minister, I would look at the situation now — at the weakening of our enemies, the willingness of Arab nations to make peace with Israel, and the creation of worldwide goodwill — and I would publicly embrace the concept of a future Palestinian state.

How, one may ask, does that square with my belief that such a state is impossible today and could destroy Israel?

I still believe that if a Palestinian state were to be established now, it would be suicidal. There is no possible way to create a Palestinian state with people whose ultimate agenda is to destroy you.

No, I am not schizophrenic. What I am suggesting is that any agreement for a future Palestinian state must be conditioned on a long-term transformation — at least a generation (25 years or so) — beginning with a complete restructuring of Palestinian education.

This must include the rejection of all materials and rhetoric that vilify the Jewish people or the State of Israel. It must start in the home, in mosques, and especially in schools. Curricula must be developed that teach young Palestinians the opposite of what they are being taught now. They need to be immersed in a culture that rejects the old anti-Israel, anti-Jewish paradigm their parents were subjected to. It must be made illegal to refer derogatorily to Israel or the Jewish people.

Independent monitors with expertise in antisemitism should oversee Palestinian life during this transition. The point being: once Palestinians stop hating us, the chance for peace will arise — and it could take the form of a provisional Palestinian state. That state, too, should be monitored by international experts to ensure compliance.

After a period of genuine peaceful coexistence under these conditions, a two-state solution might actually work.

Who might lead such a state in 25 years can be determined then. But it would have to be someone who rejects the idea of destroying Israel as a Jewish state, agrees in principle to peaceful coexistence, and has no terrorist ties or sympathies.

Will it happen? I strongly doubt it. It is nigh impossible to disabuse people of hate instilled in them generationally for well over a hundred years. The logistics of implementing such a plan would be just as nearly impossible. But Israel could accept the idea in theory - IF these or similar conditions were implemented. The world would gladly welcome any such gesture from Israel - and the U.S. might even endorse it. 

Which is a far better idea than trying to annex it.

Annexing Judea and Samaria / Electing Zohran Mamdani

Vice President Vance and Prime Minister Netanyahu meet in the PM's office 

 Although this is not what I want to talk about today, I would be remiss if I didn’t comment on it first.

The Knesset voted yesterday to annex Judea and Samaria (the West Bank). It is a meaningless vote since it will never become law. As noted in the JTA:

“Most members of Netanyahu’s party boycotted the votes, and the bills are seen as unlikely to advance to become law.”

Although this area is part of biblical Israel and belongs to the Jewish people by virtue of the word of the Creator Himself, asserting that right legislatively now was a huge mistake for a variety of reasons. One of which became obvious immediately when Israel’s most important ally condemned it. You do not want to bite the hand that feeds you—especially one that has been as generous as the U.S., in spite of the rest of the world doing nothing but criticizing Israel for its war tactics. That alone should have been enough reason not to proceed.

But it doesn’t even make sense politically. There is no chance that Israel will have sovereignty over all of biblical Israel when the Palestinian people, all of Israel’s neighbors and potential peace partners, and the rest of the world reject it.

Annexing the West Bank sends the wrong message. It will only increase the already intolerable number of terrorist attacks from Judea and Samaria. And while Israel has done a decent job of minimizing those attacks over the last few years, they have not disappeared entirely. Annexation would surely increase them to the point where they would overwhelm Israel’s security apparatus.

This was a victory for right-wing extremists and nothing more. I hope I’m wrong—but I see nothing good coming out of this. What were they thinking?!

---

Conservative Rabbi Elliot J. Cosgrove 

On to the subject I do want to talk about: the upcoming election for mayor of New York.

According to most polls, the openly anti-Zionist Zohran Mamdani will win the election against his two opponents handily. The polls don’t even make it close. Mamdani is a shoo-in. And ironically, it may very well be the case that progressive Jews will hand him that victory. Because to most progressive Jews - if they even have an opinion about Israel - it is usually very similar to that of the Palestinians: that Israel is an apartheid state whose decades-long ‘brutal occupation’ over Palestinians must end. And that everything possible must be done to make that happen, including supporting BDS.

This is precisely Mamdani’s position. He is open and unapologetic about it.

This man is about as anti-Israel as one can get. Which is why I am happy to see that, more than ever, not only are Orthodox rabbis and organizations (like Agudah) urging people to vote against Mamdani, but even heterodox rabbis and organizations are doing so.

As noted in the JTA:

As the New York mayoral election draws near, more than 850 rabbis and cantors from across the United States have signed onto a letter voicing their opposition to mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani and the ‘political normalization’ of anti-Zionism.

The letter, titled A Rabbinic Call to Action: Defending the Jewish Future, cited Mamdani’s previous defense of the slogan ‘globalize the Intifada,’ his denial of Israel’s legitimacy, and his accusations that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza.

The letter quotes Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch, the leader of the Stephen Wise Free Synagogue on the Upper West Side, and includes a wide range of rabbis and cantors from over 30 states as well as Toronto. It was organized by the new Jewish Majority advocacy group, led by AIPAC veteran Jonathan Schulman.

The letter also quotes Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove of the Conservative Park Avenue Synagogue on the Upper East Side, who urged his congregants during a sermon last week not only to vote against Mamdani but to convince other Jews they know to do the same.”

I am both surprised and pleased that heterodox rabbis - who generally lean left of center - have come out publicly against voting for Mamdani. They are usually reticent to endorse or oppose candidates. And a progressive like Mamdani is only a bit further left than many of them. Not to mention that younger secular Jews tend to lean even more progressive. So it’s refreshing to see a bit of cross-denominational unity among the Jewish people. At least on this one, very important issue.

Thing is, this may all be beside the point. As noted the polls are predicting a near landslide for him. This does nrt mean the New York Jews should give up and stay home on election day. They need to do what they can. You never know. 

Does this mean the Jews of New York are doomed? Are they, for example, going to lose protections against antisemitic acts? I don’t think so. Mamdani is too smart to let that happen - thereby lending credence to those who have accused him of antisemitism. My guess is that he will go out of his way to protect the Jewish community from antisemitic attacks, if only to ‘prove’ he is not an antisemite.

But what his election may do is increase those attacks indirectly by emboldening people to act against us based on anti-Israel sentiment. The anti-Israel rhetoric, which is vile but with which he agrees will surely be defended by Mamdani as ‘free speech’. That will inevitably generate more violence against us.

The day Mamdani takes office will be a sad day for the Jewish people. Not only in New York, but for Jews all over the world. If attacks increase there, they will increase elsewhere. We will simply have to be more vigilant for at least the next four years. Until Mamdani is defeated in the next election. May it be God’s will.

Conflicted Emotions and Unfinished Wars

I have had a number of conflicting emotional thoughts about a confluence of events which, at first glance, might not seem related . And yet I believe they are profoundly intertwined. I’ll try to express them as clearly as possible without rambling. So here goes.

If Hamas refuses to disarm in short order, the president has made it abundantly clear — in no uncertain terms and on multiple occasions — that “we will eradicate them.” As the Daily Wire headline succinctly put it:

“Trump: ‘End to Hamas Will Be Fast, Furious & Brutal.’”

That seems to be the likely scenario in the coming days (or weeks, depending on how much time the president decides to give Hamas to comply). It will be the IDF that does it.

Sadly, I find myself in complete agreement with Mali Brofsky. My heart goes out to her and others like her for what they have gone through and continue to go through. She wrote the following in the Times of Israel:

For those of us with family members in the army, that see war is not over. Our loved ones are holding the line against the Hamas terrorists who are constantly testing the boundaries. Our soldiers will be the ones to ‘take care of it’ (in the parlance of the president of the United States) if Hamas does not disarm.

I can tell you that I am still holding my breath. I am still not sleeping at night. And I am not alone. There are countless parents with children in active service and in the reserves — some with one in each. There are wives waiting anxiously for their husbands’ return; one newly married woman moves back and forth between the apartment she should be sharing with her husband and her parents’ home, praying for his safety. There are mothers caring for four young children on their own while their husbands guard Israel’s many fronts.

For those brave Israelis who have risked their lives in combat with these 21st-century Islamist Nazis - the war is not over. It will resume soon, likely with more ferocity than before. As much as I hope and pray that I am wrong, and that Hamas will lay down its arms and disappear, I fear that will not happen. Sadly, more blood will be spilled. Plenty of it.

When I predicted that the ceasefire deal would be a win for Israel, I was careful to include the possibility that such a ‘win’ might take the form of the complete destruction of an unrepentant Hamas. One that still believes it can survive even in defeat. Should that happen, Prime Minister Netanyahu will have the full backing of the president to do whatever is necessary to finish the job.

If the world again declares him a war criminal because of the inevitable Palestinian casualties — well, that has already happened. Israel will do what it must to ensure its security, and only then can the business of peace proceed as envisioned in the original agreement.

Meanwhile, across the ocean in New York City, another scene has unfolded. Tens of thousands gathered to protest in front of the Israeli consulate. But this time, it wasn’t the usual crowd of progressive anti-Israel activists. It was Satmar Chasidim. The two Satmar Rebbes - brothers who have long vied for leadership of the sect joined forces to condemn Israel. Not for its conduct in the war, but for its ‘’audacity” in seeking to draft Charedim into the IDF.

This is what outrages them. This is what animates their anger and frustration. Not the loss of Israeli lives. Not the soldiers who have fallen or been wounded. That, apparently, does not move them to gather in protest - or in support. On the contrary, they believe that the State of Israel is the creation of the devil, and that the IDF serves him, even if the soldiers themselves are unaware of it.

They claim to have waited until the war was over and the hostages returned before holding this protest. The problem is — as noted — it is not over. Are they unaware of Hamas’s obstinance? And what it will inevitably lead to?

The non-Chasidic Yeshiva world in Israel, led by two elderly Roshei Yeshiva, shares Satmar’s outrage  though for slightly different reasons. Their students are the ones being called to register for the draft, some even arrested for refusing to do so. Their Yeshivos have also lost the substantial government funding they long received while enjoying draft exemption. Now they face a dual crisis: the fear of conscription and the challenge of survival without state stipends.

I have no doubt the Yeshiva world takes some comfort in Satmar’s support, even though they share little else in common.

Still, I cannot help but feel anger and depression when I see tens of thousands of Chasidim protesting the draft  while Jewish soldiers, many of them religious, have laid down their lives for their people and are likely to be called upon to do so again.

I feel the same anger when I hear two revered Roshei Yeshiva publicly declare their agreement with Satmar’s position on the evil that is State of Israel. While they themselves live within its borders, enjoy its benefits, and contribute nothing to its defense. Others are spilling blood; they are not.

I have in the past been beyond angry about this state of affairs in the observant world.

And yet, setting aside these two painful issues (which should never be ignored), I still  respect both communities. Satmar’s piety and their extraordinary generosity toward fellow Jews in need are legendary. Their sense of family and communal solidarity is something to behold.

Likewise, the Yeshiva world’s devotion to Torah study is unparalleled. Many there willingly forgo comfortable middle-class lives in order to dedicate themselves to learning. And in both communities, there are individuals who manage to achieve great financial success while remaining deeply committed to their ideals. I do not - and cannot - dismiss them.

But I cannot understand how the very religious values that define these communities can lead them so far astray from what I believe to be the Derech HaYashar — the straight path.

How can people whose religious lives are built upon self-sacrifice fail to appreciate the sacrifices of others? How can they protest a government that seeks only to spread the burden more equally? How can Satmar, and those who think like them, not recognize the heroism of others who are risking everything. While they do nothing?

Even if they disagree with the policies, how can they not at least respect the sacrifice?

The Cease Fire - So Far So Good

Will Hamas disarm? (CNN)

The cease fire deal between Israel and Hamas is not unraveling. Contrary to claim of the many Trump and Netanyahu haters. (Some of whom salivate at that prospect because their disgust for those two leaders is so great, it outweighs their concern for the safety of the Israeli people. So they favor looking at the cease fire as a bad deal in a variety of creative ways. They feel good because their views have been vindicated.)

Their evidence for their claim is the recent airstrike in Gaza that killed dozens of Palestinians in retaliation for the Hamas attack that killed two IDF soldiers. 

Living up to their proven bias, the media gave equal credence to the claims by both sides that it was the other side that violated the cease fire. God forbid they believe Israel over Hamas. The “even-handed” mainstream media will dare not believe the belligerent Netanyahu over the peace-loving Hamas ‘fighters’ who are simply fighting for a cause they believe in. Which is to end Israeli occupation and apartheid. But I digress.

The point here is that both Hamas and Israel said they are still adhering to the cease-fire agreement — even though Hamas has not yet disarmed as the agreement requires. What they have been doing is executing the criminal element among them, which they mostly define as Palestinian collaborators with the Zionist enemy.

So much for their peaceful intentions. The president, for his part, was misled by Hamas to believe that they actually were just restoring law and order. What he didn’t realize was that this meant executing Palestinian ‘rats’.

It appears that Hamas has no real intention of complying with that most vital portion of the cease-fire agreement, and are using the cease fire to reconstitute their ranks — which, ‘sure as shootin’, they are doing right now!

Well, aren’t the naysayers right, then? If they don’t disarm, isn’t that a deal breaker? Of course it is. Does that mean it was a bad deal and a mistake to make that deal in the first place? 

Absolutely not. That deal accomplished the impossible: It got all the living hostages returned at once. And for now, the IDF is not in harm’s way in active combat. At least for the short term. These heroes of the Gaza war are out of harm’s way for the moment and can surely use the break.

What about the fact that Hamas is trying to restore itself to its former ‘glory’? What about all the Palestinian prisoners who were released as part of the deal, some of whom were convicted of terrorism and murder? Was that price too steep? 

Not in my book. 20 innocent lives were saved. What happens in the future will be dealt with then. Hopefully Israel has finally learned its lessen after October 7^th and will never ‘drop the ball’ again!

But to reiterate the question: if Hamas reneges on what I believe to be the most important part of the deal -  complete disarmament and no possibility of a role in governing Gaza - isn’t that the worst outcome? Will they not have been the ultimate winner – surviving to do it all over again in the future? I don’t think so. Here’s why:  

President Donald Trump on Thursday warned that if Hamas keeps killing people in Gaza, “we will have no choice but to go in and kill them.” 

“If Hamas continues to kill people in Gaza, which was not the deal, we will have no choice but to go in and kill them,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. “Thank you for your attention to this matter.” Trump later clarified that U.S. forces would not be involved in the renewed offensive he had threatened.

Well, if U.S. forces will not be involved (and they shouldn’t be), how will ‘we’ kill them? I’ll give you three guesses.

Never mind.  I’ll just spell it out: IDF. They will go right back in and do whatever it takes to eradicate Hamas regardless of how many Palestinian civilians Hamas puts in Israel’s way.

If Hamas has learned anything about Trump, it is that he doesn’t bluff. All they have to do is look at what he did to Iran at Fordow.

The president has repeated those comments several times in a variety of ways. Will the world scream bloody murder (at both Israel and the US)? Of course they will. Many more ‘innocent’ Palestinians will be killed. But as always they will be screaming at the wrong parties.

Besides, it doesn’t make any difference. Once Hamas is out of the picture as any kind of organized fighting force, the cease-fire agreement can be restored and the world that approved this deal in the first time will surely approve it again. Not because they love Israel (they hate Israel despite the platitudes we sometimes hear from their leaders). But because it will be in their own economic interests to do so as well as it will be in the best interests of the Arab states, the U.S., and, not least of all, Israel.

Meanwhile, the vice president is in Israel to make sure Netanyahu does not ‘jump the gun’ and restart the war prematurely. He wants to give peace a chance. 

Frankly, so do I. It’s just that I don’t have any confidence in Hamas living up to their part of the bargain. We will have to see what the deadline is for them to lay down their arms. If they do, it’s a win for Israel, the Palestinians, the Arab states, and the free world. If they don’t, it will still be a win — it will just take a bit longer and be a lot bloodier.

These are my thoughts as things stand now.

Jewish Culture Does Not Define Us

Wesleyan University president Michael Roth 

I have long been lamenting the decline of American Jews who care about identifying as Jews. That we are now at record levels in that sad statistic is well known, thanks to a Pew Research survey taken a few years ago. The corollary to that decline is that over 70% of American Jews are marrying non-Jewish spouses — which means that in about half of those cases, their children will not be Jewish at all.

Although in some — perhaps many — cases they may still identify as Jewish, it doesn’t help that the Reform Movement now considers patrilineal descent a legitimate definition of Jewish identity. When a denomination whose very genesis came about by rejecting the foundational document that created the Jewish people that defines us, it hardly lends credence to their definitional pronouncements. It only makes matters worse by confusing the rest of the world about who is and isn’t a Jew.

Besides, as most secular Jews will tell you, what difference does it make anyway how a person identifies? To most secular Jews, Judaism is a culture derived from traditions accumulated over time — traditions they later accept or reject as their cultural values evolve.

How we got here is a complicated issue that I have addressed many times. What I will say is that the vast majority of American Jews fall into a category called Tinok Shenishba — literally, ‘a child taken captive’. In this context, it refers to Jews born and raised in an environment that included no substantive Jewish education. Their parents were mostly non-observant, many of whom ran away from the ‘old world’ image of the uneducated, uncultured European Jew in order to assimilate and pursue the American dream. Children raised with those values could hardly be expected to understand what Judaism is about. At best, they will embrace cultural values like social justice and call it the quintessential Jewish value.

Conservative rabbis have only encouraged this attitude and focus little — if at all — on the mitzvos of the Torah. To the extent that they do, their congregants mostly observe those mitzvos in the breach, if they pay attention to them at all.

Even these rabbis are not entirely at fault — this is what they were taught. Reform Jews refer to mitzvah observance as a nice thing to do but ultimately voluntary, while Conservative rabbis do little to convince their congregants to observe the mitzvos they themselves consider mandatory. Which is probably rooted in the way they were educated to relate to their congregants. Both resulting in a willful disregard for the obligatory nature of halacha.

Although this is a situation not of my making, it does not make me feel any less sad. The consequences of either a lack of authentic Jewish education or its distortion by heterodox clergy upon their members have recently shocked me. This has become especially evident since the war in Gaza began and with the exponential rise of antisemitism in this country — most visibly on college campuses, especially the more prominent ones.

The pro-Palestinian voices have been coming almost exclusively from the left — the only politically correct position to take on those campuses. There is also a strong presence of students from the Middle East who are entirely sympathetic to the Palestinian cause while completely rejecting the Israeli point of view. They are joined in solidarity by their American counterparts, by DEI hires — some from the Middle East themselves, often Palestinians or deeply sympathetic to them — and by far-left progressive faculty members, many of whom are Jewish. It should be no surprise that organizations like “Jews for Justice in Palestine” exist and parrot the Hamas narrative at rallies, some of which are blatantly antisemitic and even call for the genocide of Jews in Israel.

The Trump administration has gone out of its way to clamp down on campus antisemitism, including deporting Middle Eastern students who shout such rhetoric. So when a Tinok Shenishba like Michael Roth — Wesleyan’s Jewish president — defends that rhetoric on the basis of freedom of speech, and then makes a point of emphasizing how Jewish he is, that is the saddest thing of all.

Yes, he is Jewish. And yes, he is proud of it. But what exactly is he proud of? Because his status as a Tinok Shenishba makes him unqualified to define what it means to be proud of Judaism. I do not believe he is observant. Without observance — the most essential defining characteristic of being a Jew — his definition is missing Judaism’s most vital component. It’s like a Ferrari owner proudly declaring ownership even though the car is missing its engine.

Yet he has been one of the most vocal critics of the Trump administration’s efforts to clamp down on campus antisemitism, claiming they are merely an excuse to advance a conservative DEI agenda. The thing is, if DEI policies on campus have contributed to the massive wave of antisemitic protests we’ve seen, then looking at DEI as part of the problem is a step in the right direction. So, with all due respect to Mr. Roth, I reject his framing of the Trump administration’s antisemitism policy as a cynical political tool — and his use of his Jewish identity to bolster that argument.

That the vast majority of Orthodox Jews approve of Trump’s antisemitism policies surely indicates that Jews who understand what truly makes someone Jewish recognize that these policies align far more closely with authentic Jewish values than those of cultural Jews whose values shift with the winds of time. It should not go unnoticed that Jewish college students — and even the ADL — approve of the administration’s approach.

The question then becomes: why isn’t the most exponentially growing  right-wing segment of Orthodox Jewry doing more about this? The right wing has largely failed to reach out to the Tinok Shenishba. While there are many fine organizations that do — such as Chabad, NCSY, and Aish, to name just a few — they are nevertheless a drop in the bucket, representing only a small fraction of the Orthodox world.

The last time a right-wing rabbi (Rabbi Yosef Reinman) tried to do something of significance like this — well over a decade ago — he was shot down almost before he started. And there has been no serious attempt since. That is how we get the Michael Roths of the world, who publicly speak as Jews when their Judaism is at best cultural — if that.

The right-wing Orthodox world has become so self-focused that they barely acknowledge the problem. They seem interested only in perpetuating themselves, and they are doing a pretty good job of it. The rest of the Jewish world? In their minds, it is a lost cause — best ignored.

But is this what God really wants? Does God want us to write off 90% of American Jewry? I don’t think so. The results of that attitude have so far not been favorable.

Final Thoughts upon Returning to Chicago

Now that the war is over (hopefully), and I’ve had a chance to think about it, I realized that I was here when the war began on October 7th — and I’m so grateful to be here for its conclusion. I pray that this will truly be the end. That Hamas will ultimately disarm.

The fact that they haven’t yet, and seem to have no intention of doing so, is very concerning. My hope is that they will come to their senses, just as they did regarding the return of all the living hostages.

My sense is that those hostages were their only leverage — and that they gave them up out of fear of being annihilated by an American-backed IDF that promised to do just that. They must know that if they don’t disarm, all bets are off, and the IDF will go back in and finish the job — with the full blessing of the U.S. I’d hate for that to happen, but if it must, it will.

Still, I pray that there will be no more fighting or bloodshed, and that — moving forward — peace between Israel and her neighbors will finally be achieved.

My wife and I are off to Chicago, having just completed a wonderful Yom Tov with my son and his family, which now includes five of the most adorable great-grandchildren anyone could ever ask for.

New post on Monday.

Rabbi Moshe Hauer, ZTL

Rabbi Moshe Hauer, ZTL (OU)

I never met him, but he was an inspiration to me.

I am deeply saddened to report the passing of Rabbi Moshe Hauer, Executive Vice President of the OU. He died suddenly and shockingly - apparently from a heart attack - at his home on Shemini Atzeres. He was 64 years old.

The loss to the Jewish people of a leader with his capabilities is indescribable. Rabbi Hauer was a giant of the Jewish world whose intellect was recognized by all who knew him - as that of a major Talmid Chacham.

He personified much of my own thinking on matters of faith and on issues of public concern to the Jewish people. Like the late Rabbi Berel Wein, his views reflected the essence of mainstream Judaism, yet he was unafraid to depart from the conventional ‘orthodoxy’ of the Charedi world when he felt it appropriate to do so.

One example of this was when he publicly advocated voting in the WZO elections for one of the religious parties. When he was aksed who he voted for he said the Religious Zionist party. This was despite the urging of the Charedi world to vote for Eretz HaKodesh. The Religious Zionist Party was what I voted for even though I am not a member. Nor, do I believe, was Rabbi Hauer. I assume it was for the same reason I did. I felt that the Religious Zionist party was more deserving of our vote because of the great sacrifices being made by the Religious Zionist community in Israel’s war against Hamas.

And yet, he had the deepest respect for Charedi leadership, both in Israel and in the United States. That was the measure of the man. He did not allow differences in public policy to affect his profound respect for the rabbinic leadership of the right. He recognized their level of religious scholarship and honored it accordingly. I feel very much the same way.

It should also be noted that, despite his occasional disagreements on matters of public policy, the Charedi leadership respected him as well.

Even though he was fourteen years my junior, I looked up to him as a leader and as a moral conscience for the Torah world.

As was the case with Rabbi Berel Wein, he will be difficult to replace. There are not many leaders who have the courage to stand by their convictions regardless of conventional wisdom. Rabbi Moshe Hauer was one of those rare leaders.

He will be sorely missed.

Baruch Dayan HaEmes.

Thank God - They Are Finally Home

All 20 living hostages returned to Israel (TOI)

All the living hostages kidnapped and so brutally treated under captivity by Hamas terrorists have been freed, thanks to the valiant efforts of President Trump and his negotiating team. No one believed it would happen. Least of all Netanyahu’s critics (in both Israel and the U.S.), who believed he couldn’t care less about the lives of the hostages and was only interested in prolonging the war to retain power. They have all been proven wrong.

What made this event even more amazing is what came along with it: Hamas is required to disarm. And if they don’t, the president has promised to make it happen—violently, if necessary. And if they think the president makes idle threats, I have one word for them: Fordow. I don’t think they believe he’s bluffing.

The deal includes an international peacekeeping force that, for the first time, will not consist of UN troops. Who in the past have been far more sympathetic to Israel’s mortal enemies than to Israel itself. This will be a multinational force that includes American troops.

That is the basis for the ceasefire, which will hopefully be permanent - for the first time since Hamas took over Gaza. Another plus is that the deal has the support of key Arab states and much of Europe, including nations that have not been particularly friendly to Israel, such as Turkey.

I managed to watch most of the president’s address to the Knesset. It was preceded by speeches from three Israeli politicians: the Speaker of the Knesset, Yair Lapid representing the opposition, and Prime Minister Netanyahu. All of them represented their nation with great eloquence. Despite the obvious and often rancorous disagreements between them.

With respect to Trump and Netanyahu, it was, in many ways, a mutual admiration society. The respect the president and the prime minister had for each other was obvious. One of the president’s comments about Netanyahu was that ‘he’s not easy to negotiate with’. That was followed by, ‘That’s what makes him a great leader.’

Enmity between the two? Hardly. Trump just asked Israeli President Isaac Herzog to pardon Netanyahu, with the remark, ‘Cigars and champagne? Who cares?’

The entire Knesset event was a celebration of what the president accomplished. Something all the speakers seemed to believe would eventually lead to a true peace between Israel and its Arab neighbors, beginning with the Abraham Accords. It envisions a Gaza free of Hamas, a restoration of homes and infrastructure, and economic development funded by a consortium of wealthy Arab nations. This would give Palestinians in Gaza a measure of self-determination. But the words “Palestinian state” were notably absent. As mentioned, the deal was agreed to by important Arab states.

The idea that Netanyahu was forced by Trump to accept a deal he didn’t want is laughable. Something only the most cynical anti-Netanyahu critics would suggest. Always anxious to show discord and disunity between the two. The way each of them described their relationship makes it clear that nothing of the sort happened. If I had to hazard a guess, I’d say Trump was able to quickly convince Netanyahu that he would get what he wanted under the deal. And only then did Netanyahu agree.

If I understand correctly, Trump will be receiving the Israel Prize by near-unanimous agreement of the Knesset. That he did not receive the Nobel Peace Prize for what he has accomplished - while Obama got it for accomplishing exactly nothing - says more about the Nobel Committee in Oslo than it does about either Trump or Obama.

What will history say about Netanyahu? Despite what his detractors might think, I believe he will go down as one of Israel’s most consequential leaders. First, by steering his nation away from its socialist roots and turning it into one of the most productive free-market economies (per capita) in the world. And perhaps more importantly, through his victories over Israel’s most implacable enemies he may usher in the longed-for peace Israel has sought since its creation. If that happens, it will be the most pivotal moment in Israel’s history since 1948.

All that being said, the optimism I feel depends on whether Hamas truly disarms. If they don’t, the deal allows Israel to go right back in and finish the job. But they may not have to. Since the president hasbeen assured that Hamas will disarm under the threat that - if they don’t - the U.S. will force them to. Violently, if necessary. (Maybe that’s what Trump meant by “Hell to pay.”)

As always, the devil is in the details. But either way, things are looking pretty good right now. Who’d a thunk it a few weeks ago?

Better Late Than Never

New Editor-in-Chief of CBS News, Bari Weiss (JTA)

Nowhere is the anti-Israel bias reflected by the broadcast media more strident than at CBS. While there is bias among all three major networks, CBS is by far the worst offender.

There has been enough instances of that bias over the last two years to make it abundantly clear to those of us paying attention. Unfortunately, CBS frames this bias as ‘balanced reporting’.

One of the most egregious examples was a 60 Minutes hit piece wherein Cecilia

Vega interviewed some disgruntled State Department employees who resigned over what they claimed was the U.S. government’s mishandling of the ‘atrocities’ being committed by the Netanyahu government in the war with Hamas. The report made it seem as though these individuals had inside information and irrefutable evidence of Israeli atrocities. Which they described in some detail.

None of this was verified by independent sources. And it was certainly far from the truth. But as is 60 Minutes’ habit, they made it sound like their version of events was the only truth. They had absolutely no problem ignoring Israel’s version of the truth. Which, in fact, was probably much closer to reality than what 60 Minutes was peddling.

Then there’s Imtiaz Tyab. He was hired away from Al Jazeera and is now CBS’s senior foreign correspondent. His reports from Gaza were devastatingly anti-Israel.

Perhaps the worst perpetrator of anti-Israel bias is Face the Nation host Margaret Brennan. She’s an attractive, well-dressed reporter who looks and sounds as American as apple pie. But her attitude toward Israel is not much different from Tyab’s. What may at first sound like hard-hitting but balanced questions, upon closer listening, are anything but even-handed.

Her guests on this subject are almost invariably anti-Israel, posing as objective voices—until you hear their responses to Brennan’s loaded questions, to which she often nods approvingly. On the rare occasions when she hosts a pro-Israel senator or administration official, she argues with their answers and makes sure to have the last word before going to commercial. This has been her pattern ever since the war with Hamas began.

Then there was what happened to Tony Dokoupil - perhaps the only truly even-handed reporter on CBS’s roster - when he interviewed author Ta-Nehisi Coates about his pro-Palestinian bias and failure to consider Israel’s point of view.

Dokoupil was criticized for that interview, accused of pro-Israel bias and of not living up to ‘journalistic standards’ by his bosses at CBS. This led to a backlash from at least one prominent CBS colleague, Chief Legal Correspondent Jan Crawford, who argued that his questions were entirely legitimate and deserved answers from Coates.

This episode revealed CBS’s bias as clearly as the morning sun. They view Israel’s perspective as immoral, and the Palestinian perspective as the objectively moral one. Only those with a pro-Palestinian bias would see it the way CBS management did.

Fortunately, Dokoupil was not fired and remains one of the three anchors on CBS’s morning news program. But he is virtually alone. Everyone else there seems to accept the pro-Palestinian perspective while ignoring Israel’s.

Well, things are about to change at CBS News. Apparently, the new owners of Paramount - the parent company of CBS - feel the same way I do. So did the previous owner, Shari Redstone. They both recognized the bias at CBS News and didn’t like it much either. That is one of the reasons Redstone gave for selling the company to Skydance.

Skydance CEO, David Ellison, is indeed planning to make a few changes at that news organization. The following was reported by JTA:

“Bari Weiss, the journalist who first rose to prominence for her campus campaign alleging antisemitism two decades ago, has been named editor-in-chief of CBS News, a stunning ascent that marks one of the most consequential appointments in American media in recent years.

The appointment came as Paramount Skydance, led by David Ellison, announced its $150 million purchase of The Free Press, the publication Weiss founded in 2022. Weiss will oversee both outlets as editor-in-chief, reporting directly to Ellison. The move marks a major shakeup for a legacy news division long associated with mainstream liberalism, and a bet on Weiss’s brand of provocative centrism.”

Centrism. What a refreshing change of direction for CBS. No longer will progressivism be presented as unadulterated truth while anything to the right is dismissed as extremist bias.

Predictably, many journalists at CBS’s progressive core saw this move as the death of objective journalism. How perverse that those who routinely invalidate other points of view without a moment’s thought now claim the mantle of objectivity.

The American people may soon get the fair and balanced news reporting that only a proactive centrist can deliver.

The first step Bari Weiss should take is to fire Imtiaz Tyab and replace him with a true centrist—if she can find one. Next, Margaret Brennan should be replaced, perhaps by Tony Dokoupil.

And 60 Minutes needs serious oversight by unbiased producers to prevent future “hit pieces” like the one reported by Cecilia Vega.

This is where a proactive centrist like Bari Weiss can make all the difference in the world. If the American people are finally given the truth about Israel’s conduct in this war instead of the propaganda Hamas has fed them thus far, it might just restore their long-standing support for the Jewish state.