A LOOK AT SEVERAL ASPECTS OF RELIGIOUS ZIONISM

Bismillahi Rahmani Rahim

By: Nureddin Cueva (murid_of_the_path@yahoo.es) August 2014

I INTRODUCTION

Just as we as muslims MUST fix the takfirists (the khawarijis of our time) by cleaning us from them,
jewish religious people [besides us, naturally, but in their case from within their tradition] must fix
THIS: ZIONISM.
While purely political zionism, specifically secular zionism, is based on money, power and self-
invented nationalism [and as such its pillars are pretty much subject to the weaknesses and
temporary nature of politics, world circumstances and the contingent and feeble nature of man
made isms], there is also a trend of religious zionism, seeking support under basis of a different
character.
Yes, there are strong voices (though powerless within jewish communities so far) that oppose and
denounce religious zionism and its crimes based on jewish religious reasons. But these same
voices need to address from within the self-aduced religious roots of religious zionism as
introduced by the zionists themselves.
Erasing such zionism goes far beyond than arguing that zionism, as those voices denounce, break
three binding promises of jewish people to observe in the exodus. Deeper than that, it is about
addressing the attitude to, as we as non muslims are called, gentiles.
In this realm, beyond the mere issue of 'zionism breaks the three promises' (that organizations
such as Naturei Karta remind their jewish brethren about) a much stronger basis against religious
zionism seems to be offered by adding to it the teachings that muslims can be, as per jewish
religious perception of us, 'gerei toshavim' and people of the seven laws of Enoch with no problem
at all all the while we the muslims keep strongly our muslim identity and religion. And so,
legitimate residents and owners of land in Palestine, for example (Again, in order not to be
misunderstood, we muslims do not need that for declaring that we have a right to live there,
Jerusalem in itself is a religious waqf; I am just exploring here what could be jewish perspective for
religious jewish people to combat the problem called the jewish religious defense of zionism).
More on this can be found here:
http://amuslimconvertoncemore.blogspot.com/2012/12/can-jews-pray-with-muslims.html
Of course, an even stronger basis for jewish people is probably offered by the judeo-sufis, by it I
mean those jewish people that admire sufism and show to some extent in their beliefs and
practices what we muslims observe of sufism, the great spirituality of Islam.
And though not all judeo-sufis (and in historical terms probably just a few of them) accept our
Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) as a real Prophet, may his prophecy and name
be exalted, sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam (considering him instead of that as a mere sage or brilliant
intuitive spiritual person only), at least a few judeo-sufis view him as Prophet (yet declaring that
he was sent for gentiles only not for jewish people), such as the case of Natanel Al-Fayyumi, a little
known 12th century Yemenite rabbi
(more about it here: http://www.judaism-islam.com/jewish-view-of-islam/ ).
THAT acceptance, still within the parameters of jewish religion, offers from within them the
strongest basis for anti-zionism.
Yet Naturei Karta and other many anti-zionist rabbis who spoke vehemently against zionism
usually fall within the first of these positions, that of the three promises, and fewer and fewer in
the other positions that have just been outlined here.
II THE RELIGIOUS PROBLEM
As for the 'religious' jewish zionism (tough extremely shaytanic and irreligious as it is in fact) we
find examples of tyranny each one more shocking than the other.
Here for example, under his religious reasoning, you find a rabbi, who endorsed in the past the
gentile-slaying manual, Torat HaMelekh, saying now: "In the case of Gaza, the Minister of Defense
will be allowed to instruct even the destruction of Gaza so that the south will no longer suffer and
to avoid harm to our people who have been suffering for so long from the surrounding enemies."
A rabbi worth of Hitler.
(For details, see here:
http://normanfinkelstein.com/2014/rabbinical-wisdom/ )
But his case is not an isolated one.
Many religious settlers in Israel (fueled by many rabbis) perceive Palestinians as Amalekites and so
worthy of extermination under their self-perceived halakhical ('sacred') religious obligations.
Nur Masalha is the author of Imperial Israel and the Palestinians: the politics of expansion, Pluto
Press, 2000

[http://books.google.com.pe/books?id=vgGJo3wR6sQC&pg=PA130&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f
=false].
This author wrote:
"Frequently Jewish fundamentalists refer to the Palestinians as the 'Amalekites' of today
According to the Old Testament, the Amalek were regarded as the Israelites' inveterate foe,
whose 'annihilation' became a sacred duty and against whom war should be waged until their
'memory be blotted out' forever (Ex 17:16; Deut 25:17-19). Some of the *modern+ political
messianics insist on giving the biblical commandment to 'blot out the memory of the Amalek' an
actual contemporary relevance in the conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians".
Another example. As found in this report of a jewish writer:
"[Contrary to many other non Chabad rabbis] a well known orthodox Chabad rabbi, Manis
Friedman, of the Bais Chana Institute of Jewish Studies in St. Paul [said]:
'I dont believe in western morality, i.e. dont kill civilians or children, dont destroy holy sites,
dont fight during holiday seasons, dont bomb cemeteries, dont shoot until they shoot first
because it is immoral.
The only way to fight a moral war is the Jewish way: Destroy their holy sites. Kill men, women and
children (and cattle).'"
(Source: Amalek and Videotape http://southjerusalem.com/2009/06/racism-amalek-and-
videotape/)
The writer then assesses the case of this hating orthodox hassidic rabbi:
"Chabad has taken hard-right positions in Israeli politics. Im sure theres variety within the
movement, but Friedmans words arent out of context. This article *Chabad of the West Bank
http://newvoices.org/2008/09/23/0001-4/ ] gives a bit of background on the Chabad role in the
Israeli far right. Yitzhak Ginzburg, perhaps the single most extreme and racist rabbi in Israel, is a
product of Chabad.
According to a report by Lisa Pevtzow published in Newsday immediately after the 1994 Purim
massacre in the Machpelah Cave/Ibrahami Mosque in Hebron, mass killer Baruch Goldstein was
proud of ancestry linking him to Chabads last rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson:
At the shiva Goldsteins mother, Miriam Schneerson Goldstein, traces the family lineage six
generations back to the first Lubavitcher rebbe, Schneur Zalman. That, in turn, makes her and her
late son distant relatives of the current Lubavitcher rebbe, 91-year-old Menachem Mendel
Scheerson, she says.
Baruch Goldstein was very much aware of a relationship, friends of Goldstein in Kiryat Arba said
He consciously patterned himself after the Lubavitcher rebbe, explained David Ramati, a Kiryat
Arba resident and one of Goldsteins best friends. The Lubavitcher rebbe and Rabbi Meir Kahane
were the only two people who meant something to him.
Goldstein carried out his horror on the day that commemorates victory over Haman the Agagite,
that is the Amelekite. It was an act of striking at the Palestinians imagined as Amalek.
(The best academic source on this, again, is Elliot Horowitzs Reckless Rites: Purim and the Legacy
of Jewish Violence. [http://www.amazon.com/Reckless-Rites-Violence-Christians-
Muslims/dp/0691124914]) "
In another incident, another surprised jewish writer says:
"Back in the days of the Shoah, one of the slogans of the Jew haters was: Jews to the Ovens.
Now, it causes me anguish to say, we have Israeli Orthodox rabbis saying the same about the
Palestinians.
Thanks to Cicero for pointing me to a shocking passage in an Israeli Orthodox family magazine,
Fountains of Salvation, which suggests that Israel will create death camps for Palestinians in order
to wipe them out like Amalek. The article attacks Israeli rabbis who dispute the letter recently
circulated from pro-settler extremist rabbis which urged that no Israeli Jew rent apartments or
homes to Israeli Palestinians. It chided them for being politically correct and refusing to do their
jobs and educate the populace in the true path of Torah (which is presumably to hate
Palestinians).
The last paragraph (page 4 of the original) though is the whopper:
It will be interesting to see whether they leave the assembly of the Amalekites [Palestinians] in
extermination camps to others, or whether they will declare that wiping out Amalek is no longer
*historically+ relevant. Only time will tell"
[Source: http://www.richardsilverstein.com/2011/01/12/israels-orthodox-rabbis-palestinians-to-
the-ovens/]
Finding such Chabad opinions in a well known and influent hassidic orthodox community inside
jewish world should probably not come as suprise when one is aware of the hand written
teachings of the last Lubavitcher rebbe, Menacheem Schneerson, about Amalekites and the
legitimate nature within halakha, in his outrageous view, of killing even their babies in accordance
to halakha jewish law.
M. Schneerson, the last Lubavitcher Rebbe who was believed to be in his lifetime one of the
greatest contemporary knowers and masters of jewish kabbalah in his time (considers by many
contemporary hassidic circles a virtuous among the tzadikim), in his letter quotes the question he
received from a jewish professor of Law in these terms:
How can a humane, civilized person today accept the Biblical commandment to wipe out the
entire nation of Amalek, etc., including infants, etc.?" to which he dedicated a scholarly answer ...
justifiying it.
[http://failedmessiah.typepad.com/failed_messiahcom/2014/03/chabad-lubavitch-rebbe-justifies-
genocide-murder-of-infants-678.html with a link to the Chabad presentation of the letter and their
own link].
FIGHTING ZIONISM IS ALSO FIGHTING THIS.
And as stated at the beginning of this small article, yes, we muslims have a problem inside:
wahabism - salafism -ahle hadith and all that kind of modern deviations ('isms' as such, not the
bright traditional teaching) that give fuel to takfirism and the horrendous fact of no more than
shaytanic murderers legitimating themselves in the exalted name of Islam. And the jewish people
have a big religious problematic creature called religious zionism.
Horror is horror wherever it is, the shaytanic fingers touch people everywhere. Yet at least
wahabism - salafism - takfirism is clearly a modern sect that is opposed to mainstream Islam as our
traditional and long history may easily attest, no matter how much they cry to be the pure people.
In the case of religious zionism, we welcome the antizionist rabbis, even more the rabbis that
consider is as righteous people, even more the jewish people that show some aspects of sufism,
and even more those who declare our Prophet (saaws) to be a Prophet of Allah. Yet it seems that
the weight of the religious creature called jewish orthodox zionists is far much dangerous and well
positioned than what anti-zionist rabbis may like to accept. None other than many among an
army, its settlers and many of the official positions of a state with more than at least 200 nuclear
weapons (Israel) protected by the biggest political powere (United States) receives nourishment by
zionist rabbis.
III SPECIALIZED APPENDIX: Danger within sources
To understand the religious issues that serve as food for religious zionism that need to be crudely
and directly addressed by the brave and honest antizionist rabbis within contemporary jewish
people, one needs to understand some declarations and religious facts that are often missed when
looking at the religious roots of the so called religious zionism.
What we present below is taken from the text of a jewish person trying to awake his other jewish
brethren from dangers from within, seeking to point with crude fingers a problem inside and
seeking to make conscious rejection of it.
"I found all these in the essay written by Rabbi David Bar Chaim of Yeshivat Mercaz HaRav:
A. The Ra'avad
We have already mentioned the words of the Ra'avad with regards to an animal slaughtered by a
Gentile: "for the Gentiles are like animalsand one who thinks of them as something *worthwhile+
will gather the wind in his fist." It is clear that this is not a simple Halachic argument merely
explaining why he disagrees with Maimonides on matters of Halacha, but rather the expression of
an entire outlook concerning the Gentiles. As far as an explanation is concerned, his words speak
for themselves.
E. Rabbi Abraham Issac HaCohen Kook
In the book "Orot," Orot Yisrael chapter 5, article 10 (page 156), Rabbi Kook wrote: "The difference
between the Jewish soul, in all its independence, inner desires, longings, character and standing,
and the soul of all the Gentiles, on all of their levels, is greater and deeper than the difference
between the soul of a man and the soul of an animal, for the difference in the latter case is one of
quantity, while the difference in the first case is one of essential quality."
H. The Arizal and Rabbi Chaim Vital
On the difference between souls of the Jews and Gentiles it is written in the book "Etz Chaim"
(Heichal Abi'a, Sha'ar HaKlipot, chapter 2):
"So we find that Israel possesses the three levels of soul (nefesh, ruach, neshama) from holiness
The Gentiles, however, possess only the level of nefesh from the feminine side of the klipotfor
the souls of the nations, which come from the klipot, are called 'evil' and not 'good,' are created
without the da'at [knowledge], and therefore they also lack the ruach and neshama."
In Sha'ar Klipat Noga, chapter 3, it is written: "Now you will understand what the animalistic soul
of man is; it is the good and evil inclination in man. The soul of the Gentiles comes from the three
klipot: wind, cloud, and fire, all of them evil. So is the case with impure animals, beasts, and birds.
However, the animalistic soul of Israel and the animalistic soul of pure animals, beasts, and birds
all come from [klipat] noga."
Rabbi David Bar Chaim of Yeshivat Mercaz HaRav:
C. The Maharal
The Maharal of Prague OBM, explains the saying of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, "You are called men"
in a number of places. In the book Gevurot HaShem chapter 44 (page 167) he wrote: "for even if
all human beings have a common shape, there still is a distinctionthere are nations who have
more of a tendency towards the physical and their actions testify to this, for they are inclined
towards lust and abominable things. This is evidence of their materialistic natureand as we find
animals, which are like an intermediary between man and the rest of the animal world, such as the
monkeylikewise there exist men--who are not completely men. Therefore he [Rashbi] spoke of,
the complete man who doesn't gravitate towards materialism too much -- these are the Jews, for
they posses the complete form without a tendency towards materialism. However, as for the
other nations, their form is nullified by their material aspect, until they, so to speak, cease to be
'men,' because their material aspect is primary and their form is secondary -- and in everything
which has both a primary and a secondary aspect, the secondaryaspect is always nullified by the
primary aspect. With the Jews, however, the opposite is true, for their form is primary and their
material aspect is secondary, and is therefore nullified."
In chapter 67 (ibid., page 311-312) he wrote: "For even thought all human beings were created in
the image of G-d, said it is written: 'You are called men and the nations of the world are not called
men,' for the G-dly form that was placed in man should not be nullified. In the Gentiles, who are
extremely materialistic, this form is nullified by the materialistic aspect until the form itself
becomes materialistic. Concerning the Jews, however, the material aspect is nullified compared to
the form, and since the material aspect is nullified by the form, they are considered men."
Regarding what is written in Avot, chapter 3, mishnah 17 (in the Vilna edition, mishnah 14), "He
used to say, 'beloved is man for he is created in [G-d's] image,' a greater love spreads upon him
because he was created in [G-d's] image, as it is written: 'For with G-d's image He made man;'
beloved are Israel, for they are called G-d's children. A greater love spreads upon them, for they
are called G-d's children, as is written, 'You are the children of the Lord, your G-d'." The Maharal
wrote in his commentary on Avot, "Derech Chaim," (Hanig edition, page 146; in R' Chaim Pardes's
edition, page 354):
"Even though it says 'Beloved is man,' this does not include all human beings, for Chazal said: 'You
are called men and the nations are not called men' -- as though the completeness of the Creation,
which is given to man in particular, is given to the Jews and not to the other nationsAnd even
though this advantage is only possessed by Israel, he said on this matter 'beloved is man' and not
'beloved are Israel,' because there is a great difference [between the two]. Even though this
advantage is also possessed by Israel in particular, nevertheless, there does exist the form of man
in the nations also. However, the principal form of man does not appear in the nations. In any
case, this image does exist amongst the rest of the nations, but it is worthless, and therefore he
did not say 'beloved are Israel who were created in G-d's image.' Additionally, when man was
created, this advantage was only possessed by Adam and Noah, even though they are not called
'Israel.' Though after G-d chose Israel this Image was lessened amongst the nations, nevertheless
His image belongs to man in essence, and this matter is clear" (see also "Netzach Yisrael," page
73).
The Ramak wrote in his commentary "Or Yakar," (volume 2, page 31): "'His body is only a dress of
the "man," etc.' -- this means that although one may find that the bodily features of the Gentiles
and the Jews are the same, the meaning of the word 'man' is not the body. For were it so, their
saying "'You are called man' would not be just. But rather the body is only a dress of what is within
him -- namely the spirit, and the body is only a dress for the spirit, that is the 'flesh of man': 'man' -
- the spirit, 'flesh of man' -- the garment of man. And for this reason the Jews, who are holy, are
called 'men.' 'The lower aspects, which were blended, etc.', they are holy and not impure, but not
at the level of man; however they are blended from the holy spirit, which expands increasingly,
and reaches the final levels of holiness"
Furthermore, in the portion of Bereishit (page 47a) on the verse "Let the waters teem with swarms
of creatures that have a living soul" the Zohar writes: "Rabbi Aba said: the verse 'creatures that
have a living soul,' pertains to the Jews, for they are the sons of G-d, and from Him come their holy
souls And the souls of the other nations, where do they come from? Rabbi Elazar said: they have
souls from the impure left side, and therefore they are all impure, defiling anyone who comes near
them."
In the continuation there it is written: Rabbi Elazar said: it supports what we said above, 'that have
a living soul' -- these are the Jews, for they have the high and holy living soul. And the verse,
'Animals, creeping things, and beasts of the earth, each to its kind,' refers to the Gentiles, for they
have no living soul, but only the prepuce, as we said above [that they stem from powers of the left
side which defile them -- the Sulam]."
In the end of the portion of Vayikra (page 25b) the Zohar says: "Come and see the difference
between Israel and the rest of the nations. Even though a man from Israel merited only a nefesh,
he remains on his level; [and the higher levels are also open before him -- the Sulam] if he wants
to merit ruach or if he wants to merit a neshamah *in the printed editions it is added: 'he can
obtain and merit it' and thus also explains the Sulam]. The Gentiles, however, can never obtain
more [than their impure nefesh, -- the Sulam] except if one of them is circumcised, for then he
merits 'nefesh for nefesh' -- a nefesh from a different source [from the holy side-- the Sulam]. In
'Or Yakar' (volume 12, page 100) it is explained: "Can never obtain more; even the righteous
Gentiles do not merit holiness, except only from superficial levels"
Again this writer informs othe jewish people of halakhical aspects to take a conscious rejection of
it knowing its nature:
"... a Jew who murders a gentile (even in peaceful times and even intentionally) is not punishable
by death in the human courts (under normal circumstances). According to some opinions he is not
punishable at all (under normal circumstances) by the human courts. But a gentile who kills a Jew,
even purely by accident and unintentionally, must be put to death. This applies to a ger toshav as
well. There is a single opinion according to which a ger toshav who killed a Jew by accident is not
put to death, but only goes into exile (like a Jew who killed by accident).
the Sources: Exodus 21:14 Mechilta d'Rabbi Yishmael on Mishpatim - Nezikin section, Mishpatim,
parasha 4 Mechilta d'Rabbi Yishmael on Beshalach - Ubeshalach section, parasha 1 Mechilta
d'Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai chapter 21 Mishnah Tractate Sanhedrin 9:2 Tosephta to Tractate
Avodah Zarah (Zuckermandel edition) 8:5 Babylonian Talmud Tractate Sanhedrin 57a Babylonian
Talmud Tractate Avodah Zarah 13b Minor Tractates, Tractate Soferim 15:7 Maimonides, Laws of
Murder and the Saving of Lives 1:1 Maimonides, Laws of Murder and the Saving of Lives chapter 2
Maimonides, Laws of Idolatry chapter 10 Tosphot on Tractate Avodah Zarah 26b Beit Yosef
Choshen Mishpat 425:5 Sefer Yeraim 175 [older printing: 248] The Raaban on Bava Kama 22
Meshech Chochma on Leviticus 24:18 Maimonides, Laws of Murder and the Saving of Lives
chapter 2 Mishna, Tractate Makkot 2:3 Maimonides Laws of Murder and the Saving of Lives 5:4
Minchat Chinuch commandment 34 --Do not kill the innocent -- section 1 Responsa Mishpatei
Uziel volume 3, Orach Chayim 10 Sifrei Bamidbar piska 160 The commentary of Rabbi Hillel on
Sifrei Bamidbar 160 (the portion of Maasei, Numbers 35:12) Gloss and explanations by an early
Sephardic sage (attributed to R' Suliman Ohana, a student of the Ari) on Sifrei Bamidbar 160 (the
portion of Maasei, Numbers 35:12)
Another jewish person, reading this, commented:
"Very powerful, interesting and soul searching comment from a Gadol B'torah (now Niftar) who
had the inner courage to acknowledge the deeply disturbing attitudes and halachos within the
tradition.
Rav Yehiel Yaakov Weinberg in a letter to his friend, Professor Samuel Atlas, dated September 15,
1957, wrote:
I have bitter thoughts about the very existence of the nation and its hopes for the future. The
entire world hates us. We assume that this hatred is due to the wickedness of the nations, and no
one stops to think that we also bear some guilt.
We regard all the nations as similar to an ass. It is forbidden to save a Gentile, it is forbidden to
offer him free medical treatment, it is forbidden to violate the Sabbath to save his life, his sexual
intercourse does not render a woman forbidden to her husband according to R. Tam because their
issue is like that of horses.
Can the nations resign themselves to such a deprivation of rights? It is permitted to deceive a
Gentile and cancel his debt as well as forbidden to return his lost object! What can we do? Can we
uproot our Torah teaching with apologetic formulae or clever deceptions? God knows that I have
written this with the blood of my heart, the blood of my soul.
From Marc B. Shapiro, "Scholars and Friends: R. Jehiel Jabob Weinberg and Professor Samuel
Atlas", The Torah U-Madda Journal, VII, 1997.
Answering the comments of a third reader of this religious facts, another jewish person answers:
"Well tough guy if the Talmud is racist WHY are Gentiles Noachides allowed to become Ger
Toshav's?
My sources, if not primary (due to time constraints) come from Proud Jews, like Leon Zilberstein,
author of Judaic sources on the attitude towards gentiles or Sasson Lerner, author of Gentiles,
Rabbis and Texts How about these two Jews - -the authors of the articles? Are they like Nazis or
are they honest and sincere Jews who want to objectively explain a very difficult aspect of their
own tradition? A tradition, that whatever its beauties, has a very ugly and hateful side. Mature
men of character like these two Jews believe it is important to bring this out in an honest way".
More on it for jewish readers can be found here (the entire book by Leon Zilberstein):
http://www.talkreason.org/articles/gentiles.cfm
At a time when the world has watched the horrendous crimes that the zionist army of Israel has
committed once more against so many civilian people, we welcome those jewish voices against
zionism. Indeed zionism is a danger for jewish people themselves. And we hope that they can
address every issue of zionism, both the political and religious ones, in order to help to erradicate
such cancer that affects both jewish and non jewish people.
Let us unite strongly in compassion, mercy, justice as we already are united in acknowledging the
greatness of the Creator who has no second nor anyone or anything equal to Him. Each one of us
have work to do against the attacks of the shaytan. Religion is a favorite target of such an enemy,
as only our connection with our Creator, blessed He be forever, may truly bring us all the
ammunitions to establish justice, compassion and nobility of humanity in this world.

As salam alaikum