Do Charedim Believe That the State of Israel Is a Chilul Hashem or a Kiddush Hashem?
This question touches a deep nerve. For many Jews, the modern State of Israel stirs pride, gratitude, and even a sense of spiritual destiny. So it’s understandable that people ask: Why don’t Charedim view the state as a Kiddush Hashem? Do they think it’s a Chilul Hashem instead?
To answer properly, we need to step back and ask: What is a Kiddush Hashem—and what is a Chilul Hashem?
What Is a Kiddush Hashem? What Is a Chilul Hashem?
A Kiddush Hashem is when Hashem’s greatness is made known in the world—when Torah, mitzvos, and yiras Shamayim are elevated before the eyes of others. As the Rambam writes (Yesodei HaTorah 5:10), the Jewish people have a special responsibility to bring honor to Hashem through our conduct and faith.
A Chilul Hashem, conversely, is when Hashem’s Name is diminished in the eyes of the world—when Torah is ignored, mitzvos are trampled, or the Jewish people act in a way that obscures our true mission.
So when we evaluate the State of Israel, we must ask: Does it sanctify Hashem’s Name—or profane it?
The Charedi View: Complexity and Clarity
Charedim do not view the state as a Kiddush Hashem. But that doesn't mean every individual act, every Jew, or every moment associated with the state is a Chilul Hashem. Rather, Charedim distinguish between the spiritual core of a nation and the actions of individual Jews.
Why Not a Kiddush Hashem?
The foundational ideology of the State of Israel—a secular nationalist movement divorced from Torah—was seen by many Gedolim as a betrayal of Klal Yisrael’s mission. Herzl and other founders openly rejected Torah as the unifying force of the Jewish people. Their vision was not a mamleches kohanim but a “normal” Western nation.
- Rav Elchonon Wasserman zt”l wrote that the state represents the ideology of Amalek cloaked in Jewish clothing—not because of the people, chas v’shalom, but because it attempts to replace Torah with nationalism.
- Rav Aharon Kotler zt”l said that a state which tries to define Jewish identity without Torah is the ultimate distortion of Hashem’s Will.
- Rav Shach zt”l cried over the spiritual dangers caused by the secular state—particularly its coercion of immigrants to abandon religious practice.
- Rav Yoel Teitelbaum zt”l (Satmar Rebbe) went so far as to call the establishment of the state “the greatest Chilul Hashem since the Churban”, because it presented a redemption without Hashem, without Moshiach, and without teshuvah.
Their point was simple: a Jewish state that rejects Hashem and His Torah cannot be a Kiddush Hashem—no matter how many Jewish symbols it adopts.
Even if Jews gain political power, if it’s done in a way that distances the people from Torah, it cannot be seen as a sanctification of Hashem’s Name.
Does That Mean It’s a Chilul Hashem? Always?
Some Gedolim—particularly in Satmar and Neturei Karta—did view the very existence of the state as an ongoing Chilul Hashem. They saw it as a rebellion against the galus that Hashem placed upon us, and a violation of the Three Oaths (Kesubos 111a).
Others, like the Chazon Ish, Rav Shach, and Rav Moshe Feinstein, though strongly opposed to Zionism, did not constantly label the state itself as a Chilul Hashem. Instead, they focused on opposing the secular elements while building Torah in the land. Their message was: Don’t fight the state with fire. Fight it by building Torah stronger than ever.
The Ponevezher Rav, for example, while never supporting Zionism, still hoisted an Israeli flag atop the yeshiva every Yom HaAtzmaut—not as a Zionist act, but because he wanted to demonstrate that the true honor of the Jewish people comes from Torah, not tanks. He said, “From this building will come the salvation of the Jewish people—not from politicians.”
Nuanced Love: Rejecting the State’s Ideology, Not the Jews Who Live in It
It’s crucial to understand: Charedim deeply love the Jewish people, and they love Eretz Yisrael. They rejoice when Jews are safe. They daven for protection. They run hospitals, chessed organizations, and volunteer with emergency services like ZAKA and Hatzalah.
But they believe that true redemption can never come through a secular project. And when a state presents itself as the Jewish destiny without Torah, that in itself is a Chilul Hashem.
Charedim don’t dance around that reality. But they also don’t hate. Their response is to build. To teach. To elevate. To keep Torah alive in the very heart of the land—even when the political system ignores it.
Conclusion: The Kiddush Hashem Is Still to Come
Charedim believe the ultimate Kiddush Hashem will be when the whole world sees the light of Torah shining from Yerushalayim, when Moshiach comes, when the Beis HaMikdash is rebuilt, and when Jews live in unity under Hashem’s kingship.
Until then, any system that tries to replace Torah with nationalism is, at best, a distortion—and at worst, a Chilul Hashem.
But the response is not to despair. It is to build. To strengthen Torah. To wait patiently for the true Geulah. And to make a Kiddush Hashem through every honest act of Torah and chessed in the land of our fathers.
Sources & Footnotes
- Kesubos 111a – The Three Oaths and the concept of not forcing redemption
- Rambam, Yesodei HaTorah 5:10 – Defines Kiddush Hashem and Chilul Hashem
- Vayoel Moshe, Maamar Shalosh Shevuos – Satmar Rebbe's view on Zionism as a Chilul Hashem
- Ikvasa D’Meshicha, Rav Elchonon Wasserman – Harsh warnings about secular nationalism
- Mishnas R’ Aharon, Rav Aharon Kotler – Zionism without Torah is not redemption
- Michtavim u’Maamarim, Rav Shach – Consistent opposition to Zionist ideology
- Toldos Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld – Charedi resistance to Zionism without hatred of Jews
- Maaseh with Ponevezh Flag – Told in Pe’er Hadar and later biographies of the Ponevezher Rav