About True Torah Jews Against Zionism

I have expanded the article about our organization to read:

Jews Against Zionism is a religious-political movement and non-profit organization. It argues by the use of quotes from the Torah, and the history of Zionism, that the ideology of Zionism is in total opposition to the teachings of traditional Judaism.
The organization was founded in 1999 in Brooklyn, New York by several members of the Satmar Chassidic sect.

http://www.jewsagainstzionism.com/endorsements/index.cfm

The organization is also known within the Jewish community by the name Natruna. Natruna is an Aramaic word meaning "waiting" and is intended as a reference to a Midrashic commentary, Pesikta Derav Kahana, on Exodus 12:6, which states that the Jewish people will be redeemed from their final exile in the merit of their waiting patiently for the redemption.

History

The idea of establishing a public relations office to spread the views of anti-Zionist Jewry and to counter Zionist propaganda originated with Rabbi Yoel Teitelbaum, the Satmar Rebbe (1887-1979). On February 20, 1955, Rabbi Teitelbaum called a gathering of activists from 37 different Jewish groups in the Viener Synagogue in Williamsburg, at which he established an organization called Ichud Olami Lemaan Chizuk Hadas the World Federation for the Furtherance of Torah. (Natruna and Its Activities, p. 21.)

On the stationery of the organization, the following were listed as members of the Rabbinic Committee: Rabbi Avraham Shlomo Katz, Rabbi Dovid Jungreis, Rabbi Yissachar Dov Rothenberg, Rabbi Mordechai Savitzky, Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Friedman, and Rabbi Shimon Yisroel Posen.[ http://www.natrina.org/yiddish/brochure.pdf >True Torah Jews] brochure. Hebrew.

The organization rented a Manhattan office at 246 Fifth Avenue, as well as a Brooklyn office at 134 Broadway.

On June 27, 1957, Rabbi Teitelbaum called a second gathering in his house, at which he exhorted his students to make sure the World Federation continued to exist and publicize the views of anti-Zionist Jewry. He recognized that many official Jewish organizations might not want to join the Federation; nevertheless, he said, there were surely individuals in every group and community who would want to join. He asked his activists to recruit 1000 members from all communities, each member paying $10 annually. (ibid. p. 26)

As late as 1967, the World Federation still existed and was mentioned by Rabbi Teitelbaum in a speech in connection with the battle over forced autopsies in the State of Israel. (ibid. p. 28) However, no mention of it was made for the next 34 years, although the Satmar community continued to hold periodic demonstrations against Zionism. In 2001 the organization was re-established under the name True Torah Jews Against Zionism. The organization's website was launched in 2002 in response to a widespread demand from the public for more information about the subject of religious Jewish opposition to Zionism.(p. 35)

http://www.natrina.org/yiddish/brochure.pdf

Activities:

Over the past seven years, Jews Against Zionism has placed several advertisements in the Washington Post and the Washington Times, as well as on the radio.

On its website, Jews Against Zionism features coverage of current events with their comments, historical information about Zionism and Judaism, quotations from famous rabbis, an online bookstore, weekly commentary on the Torah, and an archive of questions asked by visitors and the answers they were given.

The question and answer archive gives a unique picture of the major arguments of the Zionists and anti-Zionists, as the visitors and the staff writers of the site debate the issues, sometimes heatedly.
http://www.jewsagainstzionism.com/about/response.cfm
Some of the writers for the website are: Hersh Lowenthal, Reuven Waxman, Leizer Fishberg, and Yirmiyahu Cohen. The website features endorsements from several rabbis from various circles, including Satmar, Brisk, Sephardic and Lithuanian.

Jews Against Zionism has published two books, Efes Biltecha Goaleinu in Hebrew and In the Footsteps of the Flock in English.

http://www.natrina.org/articles/efesbiltecha.pdf

http://www.jewsagainstzionism.com/bookstore/productDetails.cfm?merchID=24 - 11k -

Jews Against Zionism is neutral in the Satmar succession dispute, and they are endorsed by prominent rabbis from both Rabbi Aaron and Rabbi Zalman Leib Teitelbaum's factions of the community.

http://www.jewsagainstzionism.com/endorsements/index.cfm

The largest recent outpouring of support for Jews Against Zionism came on December 3, 2007 when over 1500 people attended an inspirational banquet in Brooklyn to benefit the organization.

http://www.jewsagainstzionism.com/news/currentarticle.cfm?id=90

The event was covered by the Satmar community's two major Yiddish language newspapers, Der Yid

http://www.natrina.org/yiddish/deryid%20kinus.htm

and Der Blatt http://www.natrina.org/yiddish/derblatt%20kinus.htm