Interview -- Rabbi Dovid Feldman: ‘State of Israel is rebellion against God’
ISTANBUL (Turkiye): Rabbi Dovid Feldman is an Orthodox Jewish rabbi from New York, United States, and a prominent spokesperson for Neturei Karta, an international anti-Zionist Jewish group.
Neturei Karta opposes Zionism on theological grounds, arguing that Judaism is a religion, not a nationalist or political project, and that the establishment of a Jewish state before the coming of the Messiah contradicts Jewish law.
Rabbi Feldman has been active for many years in public advocacy, interfaith dialogue, and international forums, where he presents Neturei Karta’s religious critique of Zionism and opposes Israeli policies toward Palestinians.
He is widely recognized for his articulate representation of Orthodox Jewish thought that rejects political Zionism.
He was recently in Istanbul to attend an international conference on Palestine, where he spoke to Kashmir Times.
Excerpts from his interview are presented here.
Kashmir Times: Many people assume Judaism and Zionism go hand in hand. From your perspective, what is the difference?
Rabbi Dovid Feldman: Very, very important. There's a great difference between Judaism and Zionism. Judaism is a religion, a religion only; it's about the belief in God and the practice of his commandments, no politics to it. Zionism is a purely political movement.
What they are doing is they are transforming Judaism. You no longer have to believe in God to be Jewish. This nationalist movement of Zionism is basically uprooting Judaism. Scriptures tell us, Jews must await the coming of the Messiah before establishing a Jewish neighborhood.
You mentioned messianic claims being used in politics. How do you view that, especially when leaders invoke Judaism to justify state policy? I have heard somewhere that Netanyahu claims he is the Messiah, pointing to a coin excavated near Al Aqsa, with inscriptions of his name.
Now this is a sad joke when you are seeing a person who is violating each and every law of Judaism claiming to be the Messiah. And we have to remember, Benjamin Netanyahu misuses the Jewish religion to justify all the crimes he's committing. He doesn't even keep the Sabbath or eat kosher. He's violating each and every law of Judaism.
There's no way that he can represent Judaism, and certainly not be a Messiah. When we're talking about the Messiah, we're talking about the spiritual person following God's commands to humanity. Netanyahu is not the Messiah; he is Satan. What he is doing is the greatest rebellion against God.
Some say that opposing Israel means denying Jewish identity. So how would you respond to that?
The question is, what is the Jewish identity? Here we come back to the very wickedness and confusion of Zionism. Judaism is a religion, and following it makes me Jewish. My Jewish identity is about the religion I follow. It's not about nationalism. I happen to be a Jewish American. I'm Jewish by the religion I follow, and I'm American by nationality. In no way does it affect one's Jewishness when he believes in the state of Israel. They try to bring a new definition of Judaism, replacing religion with nationalism. But this is what we are talking about. This is an uprooting of our religion.
Many people say the Holocaust led to Israel being given as a “gift” to the Jews. Your family and community also suffered. How do you view this argument?
No, no. Certainly, Jewish people suffered immensely during the Holocaust, and we suffered in so many other times in our past history. But that doesn't allow us or anyone to oppress other people. It's because we have suffered in the Holocaust, we learn what suffering is, and we don't want to see this happen to anyone.
And certainly, we don't want to be those people carrying out all these crimes. We, as Jewish people, are embarrassed when all of these crimes are being done supposedly in our name. It's a desecration of God's name. And I would say religion is being misused to justify all these crimes.
You reject the 1967 compromise or borders between Palestine and Israel and call for a complete return of the land. Why do you take that position when even Arab countries recognise the two-state solution?
We disagree with the 1948 occupation of Palestine. We say that everything was wrong, everything was wrong morally, and everything was wrong religiously.
According to Judaism, this is forbidden. We have to understand what's the cause of all of this strife, all of this cycle, an endless cycle of bloodshed. It's not the difference in religion that is causing all of this. We had differences of religion for the longest time, a thousand years before the 1920s, and we lived in peace.
It is the movement of Zionism, the occupation of Palestine, which has destroyed the beautiful peace, and it is the ongoing crimes that are fueling this endless cycle of bloodshed. We have to stop it. We have to stop it in its entirety. And then, and only then, we can expect a better future.
But many people say opposing a Jewish state is a betrayal, and those who oppose Israel are “traitors.” How do you respond?
Well, everything comes back to the actual conversation here. What exactly is the definition? The Judaism or the Jewish people, and what's the interest of the Jewish people if those people choose death and destruction, an endless cycle of bloodshed?
This is not in favor of the Jewish people. The state of Israel is a rebellion against God.
There is no way that this will be successful. There is a verse in the Torah. Why are you violating the word of God? It will not be successful by supporting the state of Israel. Unfortunately, we are encouraging hatred towards Jews. So many people around the world hate Jewish people because of what Israel is doing.
What's being done in our name, the state of Israel, is not in favor of the Jewish people. It's the destruction of Palestine and the danger to the Jewish people. Those supporting Israel are betraying the Jewish people. They are rebelling, rebelling against God. And violating Judaism in so many ways.
Since you are from New York, and the city has recently elected the new mayor Zoran Mandani, a Muslim. Many Jewish communities also voted for him. What exactly led to that?
So many Jewish people are waking up and realizing what is being done in their name. We are tired of that blind support for Israel, especially in these two years of genocide. So many people in the world are waking up, including the Jewish people. We are going to see a change.
What led you, personally and as a religious organization, to take up this anti-Zionist stance?
We are a religious community, a religious organization. It is the Jewish religion that drives us to oppose this movement of Zionism, this regime, the Zionist regime, on so many levels. According to the very basics of Jewish belief, this is wrong, and our religion teaches us that this cruelty and mistreatment of Palestinians is unjust and unfair.
Finally, on Gaza: what are your takes, especially after the ceasefire, which many say is being observed?
Unfortunately, the genocide in Gaza has not ended yet. People think there is a ceasefire, and this is the end. The genocide is continuing and going on. But it's not only for two years that Gaza has been suffering. Otherwise, genocide is on for over the past 77 years. The occupation is going on. This rebellion against God needs to stop.
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