Zionism & Jewish Identity

Do Charedim Reject Zionism Because They See Jewish Sovereignty as Legitimate Only When Given by Hashem Through Moshiach?

Yes—at its root, this is the heart of the Charedi objection to Zionism. While there are many reasons that Charedim oppose secular Zionism—its values, its culture, its treatment of Torah, its historical approach to religion.

How does the Dati Leumi (Religious Zionist) world view nationalism?

Within parts of the Dati Leumi community, especially its ideological leadership, nationalism has been embraced — often wrapped in religious language. They believe the rebirth of Jewish sovereignty through the State of Israel is a spiritual milestone, even a fulfillment of prophecy.

What is the Torah's view on Nationalism?

Nationalism is the belief that a people’s identity, value, and destiny are rooted primarily in their nationhood — in shared language, land, culture, and history. It often promotes national self-determination as the highest goal and sees the nation-state as the ideal vessel for a people’s expression.

Are Charedim Anti-Zionists?

Charedim are opposed to the ideology of Zionism as a replacement for Torah—but no, Charedim are not anti-Jew, anti-Israel, or seeking harm to Zionists in any way. This distinction is critical: we reject the ism, not the people.

What Is the Charedi View of October 7th?

On Shemini Atzeres, 22 Tishrei 5784—October 7, 2023—the Jewish people awoke to a tragedy that shook the world. In the early morning, Hamas terrorists invaded southern Israel, breaching the Gaza border and carrying out one of the most barbaric attacks in modern Jewish history.

What is the Charedi View on Yom HaZikaron?

The Charedi community mourns every Jewish soul lost in war or terror, regardless of the uniform they wore or the path they walked in life. While Charedim may not always express that grief through state-instituted rituals, the pain is real — and the love for every Jew runs deep.

What Is the Charedi View on Yom HaShoah?

For many Israelis—especially in the secular world—it is the central day of remembering the six million Jews murdered by the Nazis, often accompanied by themes of Jewish strength, defiance, and national pride.

What Is the Charedi View on the Phrase “Never Again”?

“Never Again.”Two words. Deeply emotional. Immortalized in Holocaust museums, shouted at rallies, etched into monuments.

What Is the Charedi View on the Holocaust?

The Holocaust—השואה—is one of the most unfathomable and devastating tragedies in all of Jewish history. Six million of our brothers and sisters were murdered, among them towering Torah giants, entire Chassidic dynasties, yeshivos, kehillos, children and elders.

Do Charedim Pray for the Success of the State of Israel? Why Don’t They Say the Prayer for the State in Shul?

Do Charedim not care about the country?Don’t they want peace, prosperity, and protection for their fellow Jews?Don’t they appreciate the freedoms and opportunities available in the land?

What Do Charedim Think About the Return of Hebrew as a Modern Language?

The revival of Hebrew might seem like one of the great miracles of Jewish history. A language that hadn’t been spoken for 2,000 years was reborn as a living, breathing form of speech—in government, in school, in everyday life.

What Do Charedim Think of the Israeli Flag and National Anthem?

For many Jews, the blue-and-white flag stir deep emotions—expressions of Jewish pride, survival, and national identity. But when these symbols are met with coolness or even rejection in Charedi neighborhoods, it raises a question: Why don’t Charedim relate to these symbols the same way?

Was Rav Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook’s zt”l Approach in Line with Our Mesorah?

Few figures in modern Jewish history inspire as much admiration in one world and concern in another as Rav Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook zt”l. To some, he is a visionary prophet of redemption; to others, a sincere talmid chacham whose ideas ultimately diverged from the firm path of Torah mesorah.

Why Are Gedolim So Important to Be from Our Mesorah?

The Jewish people have always walked through history with a guiding hand in every generation. That hand is the Gadol HaDor—the leading Torah sage of the time, a man shaped entirely by the Torah and who, in turn, shapes the Torah world through clarity, humility, and unwavering fealty to the mesorah.

Why Is “Mesorah” Such an Integral Part of Judaism?

Imagine a glowing flame passed from hand to hand, father to son, rebbi to talmid, generation to generation—never allowed to go out. That is mesorah. It is the heartbeat of Torah Judaism—the uninterrupted chain of truth that binds Har Sinai to the present day.

What Is the Difference Between Charedim and Religious Zionists in Their Hashkafa?

On the surface, Charedim and Religious Zionists share much: a love for mitzvos, a passion for Eretz Yisrael, a deep commitment to Klal Yisrael. But beneath these similarities lies a major point of divergence—how we understand the story of the Jewish people, our exile, and our redemption.

Is Zionism one of the 70 Faces of Torah?

Shiv’im Panim LaTorah”—But Not Shiv’im Paths Outside the Torah

Do Charedim Believe That the State of Israel Is a Chilul Hashem or a Kiddush Hashem?

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?

Is Zionism Working?

Zionism began as a secular national movement in the late 19th century, spearheaded by individuals like Theodor Herzl, who believed that the only way for Jews to survive and normalize their status among the nations was to establish a sovereign state.

What Is the Torah’s Interpretation of the Three Oaths in Kesubos 111a?

If there’s one sugya that stands at the heart of the Torah perspective on Zionism and the Jewish return to Eretz Yisrael, it’s the passage in Kesubos 111a known as the Three Oaths.

Why Do Charedim Oppose Saying Hallel on Yom HaAtzmaut?

But across the Charedi world, you will not find Hallel said on Yom HaAtzmaut—not in yeshivos, not in batei medrash, and not in Charedi shuls. And the reason is not a lack of gratitude or denial of the goodness Hashem has granted. It is, first and foremost, a matter of halacha.

What’s the Difference Between the Charedi View of Galus and the Zionist View?

Is exile simply a political condition—something to be reversed by statecraft, armies, or human will? Or is it a spiritual reality, a consequence of our sins and the destruction of the Beis HaMikdash, to be ended only by Hashem at the proper time?

Why Don’t Charedim View the State of Israel as the “Reishit Tzmichat Geulateinu”?

For many Jews, especially within the Religious Zionist community, the establishment of a Jewish government in Eretz Yisrael after two thousand years of exile was clearly the opening act of Geulah.

What’s the Charedi View on Ripping Down Public Israeli Flags or Stealing Them Off Cars?

A Jewish youth tearing down an Israeli flag from a lamppost or pulling one off someone’s car. For many Israelis, this feels like a personal attack—not just on a symbol, but on identity. And when it happens in Charedi neighborhoods, people naturally ask: Is this what Charedim believe in?

Why Don’t Charedim Celebrate Yom HaAtzmaut Like Other Jews?

In Charedi neighborhoods, the day is largely observed in quiet. No parades. No flags. No festivities. Not even a mention in most yeshivos or shuls. For many looking in from the outside, it raises the question: Why would religious Jews not celebrate such an important national milestone?

What is the comparison between the founding of the State and the history of the Jewish people during the time of Chanukah?

The comparison between the founding of the State of Israel in 1948 and the events of Chanukah is both striking and sobering—especially through the lens of the Charedi Torah worldview.

What Was the Charedi View of the Founding of the State of Israel?

There may be no event in modern Jewish history that evokes more emotion, more confusion, and more nuance than the founding of the State of Israel in 1948.