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. For some Jews, it was the long-awaited rebirth of Jewish sovereignty. For others, it was a political necessity—a refuge after the horrors of the Holocaust. But for the Charedi world, the reaction was complex, layered with both deep gratitude and profound theological caution.
The Land Is Holy—But Holiness Doesn’t Come from a Flag
The Charedim have always loved Eretz Yisrael. They have davened to return to it, cried for it in their tefillos, and made tremendous sacrifices to live in it—even under dire poverty and Ottoman or British oppression. But their love for the Land is rooted not in nationalism or government declarations—it is rooted in Torah.
“לזרעך אתן את הארץ הזאת” To your offspring I will give this Land (Bereishis 12:7)
“ונתתי לך ולזרעך אחריך את ארץ מגוריך... לאחוזת עולם” I will give to you and your descendants after you the Land of your sojourning… as an everlasting possession (Bereishis 17:8)
The Land is ours not because of the United Nations, not because of Herzl, and not because of 1948. It is ours because Hashem gave it to Avraham Avinu. That promise never expired, was not paused during the exile, and most certainly was not created anew in modern times.
Charedim in Eretz Yisrael Long Before the State
Well before the birth of modern Zionism, Charedi Jews had already re-established themselves in the holy cities of Yerushalayim, Tzfas, Teveria, and Chevron. The talmidim of the Vilna Gaon, in the early 1800s, came to rebuild the Land for one reason alone: kedushah. So too, Chassidim sent by the Baal Shem Tov and his disciples came to settle the Land and bring spiritual light through Torah and avodah. There were yeshivos, mikvaos, and vibrant kehillos with no government, no army, and no “State.”
As many Charedim said when the State was founded: “We were here before the Zionists. We are not here because of them. And we will remain long after.”
A Time of Hope—And Deep Caution
The founding of the State, especially after the Holocaust, did stir feelings of hope. Gedolim expressed hakaras hatov that Jews who had fled from destruction could now find a refuge in Eretz Yisrael. There was immense joy that Torah could begin to flourish again, that yeshivos could be rebuilt, and that Jewish life would not end in Europe’s ashes.
But alongside that gratitude came deep concern. The Zionist movement that led the creation of the State was in many cases openly hostile to Torah. They wanted to create a “new Jew”—strong, proud, and modern, but not a ben Torah. They admired Western culture, championed secularism, and sought to normalize Jewish identity as ethnic or national, not religious.
To Charedim, this was a dangerous echo of the Misyavnim—those Jews in the era of the Chashmonaim who embraced Greek culture while abandoning Torah. They didn’t want to destroy Judaism—they just wanted to redefine it without Hashem. The response then, as now, was the same: Torah cannot be replaced. Redemption cannot come without Moshiach. A Jewish state without Torah is not Tzion.
Gedolim Who Sounded the Alarm
Rav Elchonon Wasserman zt”l, one of the great Torah giants before the war, warned against secular Zionism. In his sefer Ikvesa D’Meshicha, he called it a false messianism that could lead Jews away from emunah and confuse people about the true nature of geulah.
The Chazon Ish zt”l, while not confrontational in his tone, was deeply pained by the spiritual danger posed by the State. He guided the community in Bnei Brak with sensitivity, building Torah institutions without legitimizing secular governance.
Rav Aharon Kotler zt”l was even more vocal. He fiercely opposed the idea that the founding of the State could be seen as Atchalta D’Geulah (the beginning of redemption), insisting that true redemption must come through Moshiach and the return of full Torah authority.
Rav Reuven Grozovsky zt”l initially held some cautious optimism but later turned sharply against the State once its direction became evident. Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach zt”l, while more reserved, drew clear distinctions between political and religious realities—recognizing the value of Jewish safety, but never calling it redemption.
And the Brisker Rav, Rav Yitzchok Zev Soloveitchik zt”l, took a path of near-total separation. He avoided using State services and famously even had his own electricity, so as not to benefit from a secular system that he saw as spiritually dangerous.
The Satmar Rebbe and the Shalosh Shevuos
No figure spoke more forcefully against the Zionist enterprise than the Satmar Rebbe, Rav Yoel Teitelbaum zt”l. In his sefer Vayoel Moshe, he argued from the Gemara in Kesubos (111a) that Jews are forbidden to reclaim sovereignty in Eretz Yisrael before Moshiach comes—the Shalosh Shevuos. He viewed the creation of a Jewish State before the arrival of Moshiach not as progress but as rebellion against Hashem’s will. His views became deeply influential, especially among Hungarian and Chassidic communities.
A Torah Presence in Politics: Agudas Yisrael
At the same time, not all Charedim advocated total withdrawal. Agudas Yisrael, representing Torah Jewry in the political realm, chose to engage with the new State—not to support its ideology, but to protect religious life. They worked to preserve Shabbos, build Torah chinuch, ensure kosher food, and uphold the family purity of Jewish society. A famous agreement—called the status quo—was reached with David Ben-Gurion to maintain basic religious standards.
Some viewed this as a necessary compromise. Others saw it as a heroic effort to build a Torah future in a spiritually dangerous world. But everyone agreed on one thing: Torah must lead.
The State Does Not Define Redemption—Torah Does
For the Charedi world, the founding of a Jewish government is not the same as the Geulah Shleimah. They deeply appreciate the fact that Jews were saved, that yeshivos were rebuilt, that Torah flourishes once again. But they will not call a secular state—founded by people who opposed Torah—the “beginning of redemption.”
Redemption, they believe, will come with Moshiach ben David, with the Beis HaMikdash, with the nations of the world recognizing Hashem. Until then, any political achievement is incomplete—and can even be a distraction from the real goal.
Not One Voice, But One Heart
The Charedi world was not entirely uniform in tone. Some Gedolim hoped at first that the State could be a tool for good. Others held back judgment and watched with caution. Still others, like the Brisker Rav and the Satmar Rebbe, took firm ideological stances. But beneath all these views lay the same unwavering heart: a heart that beats for Torah, for Hashem, and for truth.
Yes, the Charedim love Eretz Yisrael. Yes, they are grateful for the survival of Klal Yisrael. But they have never confused survival with salvation. They have never confused sovereignty with sanctity.
We Await the True Geulah
And so, the Charedim continue to build, to learn, to raise generations in the holy Land—not because of Herzl, but because of Har Sinai. They wait—not for the next Knesset coalition, but for the sound of the shofar. Not for a national holiday, but for the return of the Shechinah to Zion.
We wait for a day when Yerushalayim will be rebuilt, when the Beis HaMikdash will stand tall, and when all the world will declare: “Hashem Echad u’Shemo Echad.”
Sources & Footnotes:
- Bereishis 12:7, 17:8 – Hashem’s promise of the Land to Avraham’s descendants as an eternal inheritance.
- Kesubos 111a – The Three Oaths prohibiting forced redemption and mass rebellion against the nations.
- Ikvesa D’Meshicha, Rav Elchonon Wasserman zt”l – Describes Zionism as a counterfeit messianism.
- Pe’er HaDor, Vol. 4 – Letters and stories of the Chazon Ish zt”l.
- Mishnas Rav Aharon, Vol. 1 – Rav Aharon Kotler zt”l on geulah and the limits of political developments.
- Letters from Rav Reuven Grozovsky zt”l – Found in Digleinu and other Agudah publications.
- Halichos Shlomo, Vol. 1 – Testimonies and rulings from Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach zt”l.
- Uvdos VeHanhagos LeBeis Brisk, Vol. 2 – Details on the Brisker Rav’s separation from State services.
- Vayoel Moshe, Rav Yoel Teitelbaum zt”l – Sections on Shalosh Shevuos and theological objections to Zionism.
- Status quo letter (1947) – Agreement between David Ben-Gurion and Agudas Yisrael on religious protections, discussed in Religion and State in Israel by Prof. Menachem Friedman.
- Yosifun, Gemara Shabbos 21b, Al HaNisim – Sources describing the Misyavnim and the Chashmonaim’s fight for Torah.
- Ramban, Vayikra 18:25 – The kedushah of Eretz Yisrael is defiled when mitzvos are not kept.
Rambam, Hilchos Melachim 11:1 – Describes Moshiach and the authentic geulah.