Neturei Karta

A prominent Jewish rabbi considered Israel as a state standing "against God, against Torah, and against the Jewish religion." He added that it caused many tragic events to both Palestinians and Jews.

The Zionist movement, he said, that was behind establishing the Israeli state, is based on blood shedding, destruction, killing and terrorism. On the other hand, he supported the right of Palestinians in resistance and restoring their complete usurped homeland.

The rabbi, Israel David Wyce, speaker of the Neturei Karta group, that opposes the Zionist movement, went on to say that Zionism is a secular movement.

Zionists, he elaborated, are heretics and stand in the face of the Jewish spiritual teachings.

The Jewish rabbi, said Zionism is no more than a racist nationalist non- religious movement set up by those who veered away from the pure Jewish religion.

The Torah (Old Testament), he pointed out, provides that the Jews were given the land of Palestine thousands of years before.

Yet, due to their sins they were dismissed from that land; they went astray.

Hence, the Jews are never entitled to establish a Jewish state on the Palestinian territory as this is opposed to the Jewish instructions and it is even against God's will.

Most of the Jews, up to the second world war, the rabbi said, were extremely opposed to the Zionist movement.

They accused Zionists of turning Judaism from a spiritual religion into a racist secular movement.

Theodore Hertzel, founder of the Zionist movement, was not a religious Jewish. He exploited the Jewish religion to distract and misguide the Jews.

The rabbi recalled that the Zionist forces used to blast off the Jewish temples and scare the Jews so that they might emigrate and usurp the land of Palestine from the original owners.

The man squarely accused the Zionists and the occupying Israeli army of committing carnage, heinous massacres against the Palestinian as well as against the Jewish people.

He termed the Palestinian resistance a legitimate action and normal reaction against Zionist offenses.

Neturei Karta is the Aramaic term for Guardians of the City.

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http://www.netureikarta.org/

For nearly 2,000 years, Jews have been, for the most part, unable to live in the land of Israel. During this time period, known to most Jews as the Edomite Exile (based on the fact that the rulers that ejected them from the land were a part of the Roman, or Edomite empire,) different attitudes have been held about return to the land of Israel

In the Talmud, Tractate Kesubos, 110b, there is a discussion of Mishnaic teachings saying that a person who lives outside of the land of Israel (that is able to move), it is as if they worshipped idols. Then there is a discussion based on scriptural sources about whether Jews are still obligated to observe an oath that was made concerning whether Jews could return to Israel before the coming of the Messiah. Based on this peice of the Talmud (and several other sources), a number of authorities in the last dozen centuries discuss whether this law is still in effect. The discussion became more and more heated as the land of Israel was settled in the early 1900's. Many prominent Rabbis were of the opinion that, while any individual could certainly move to the Land of Israel, the nation as a whole was not to return until the Messiah came and established a nation with the guidance of prophets, and rebuilt the temple in Jerusalem.

As the modern State of Israel was founded, the vast majority of religious Jews still beleived that it was not acceptable to have a state of Israel, but a minority of religious jews decided to go to Israel even though almost no leaders of the generation said that the state was acceptable in Jewish law. Various different ideologies motivated the Aliyah (ascent) of Jews to Israel, including opposite ends of the spectrum. "Modern Orthodox" Jews had a philosophy combining many of the tenets of the previously stricly secular zionist movement, and the ideals of religious, (but mostly American) Judaism . The Hassidim and other European Jewish communities moved for purely religious reasons, not to support the state, and were mostly of the opinion that while it was not acceptable to have a 'Jewish State', they would live there anyways.

After the Six Day War, many religious Jews, in America, Israel, and elsewhere felt that the amazing victory was a sign that G-d had decided to intervene on behalf of Israel, and clearly if G-d helped the country to repel such incredible odds, it must be what was correct. A minority, however, still felt that it was absolutely forbidden to have a state of Israel. Within this minority, there was a radical splinter group, The Neturei Karta, that for the most part, has dissasociated itself from all other religious jews (including most of those who feel that the state of Israel is wrong.)

Neturei Karta has staged a number of protests, both in New York and in Israel. Many of these protests occur on Saturday, which is the Jewish Sabbath. In several cases, leaders of the movement have performed acts that clearly violate the laws of Sabbath, and have upset a sizeable portion of people formerly associated with their views. In addition to this, the protests are often held with Palestinians who are known to have sponsored, or been involved with personally, acts of terror agaist jews, which is also seen as a major point against them. Even if people were willing to discuss the points they raise, the involvement in acts that put them well outside the realm of Halacha, estranging many possible followers.

In short, the arguement that Neturei Karta puts forwards is well grounded in terms of purely Halacha reality, but in view of the acts that they have done, and the fact that they are seen but almost everyone as a radical group completely destroys their credibility with Jews around the world.