WORDS OF THE RABBIS

Rabbi Mordechai Gifter, Dean of Telshe Yeshiva, Cleveland Ohio

Rabbi Mordechai Gifter, Dean of Telshe Yeshiva, Cleveland Ohio

TRANSLATION OF SPEECH OF RABBI MORDECHAI GIFTER ON ZIONISM

Things have been happening lately concerning Jews. We have to know about this and we have to know how to look at these events. We have to look at them with a Jewish look - with a Jewish eye, and not the way the non-Jews look at such things. But there are some Jews who look at them the way the non-Jewish people do, and understand them the way they do. This is one of the greatest tragedies in Jewish history.

The Torah says,

"Remember the past of the world, and understand each annal of the past for the future." If you want to understand the annals of the past, the changes from one generation to another - what is happening, to understand what it means - you have to look with another eye. You can't just look at the thing alone, but you have to go back all the way to the earlier times. You have to look back to the six days of Creation. You have to have a Creation view. If you give it thought and believe that G-d created the world, that HE is the supervisor over all the worlds, that HE doesn't leave the world for even one minute - if this is clear to you, and with this belief you look at today's world - it can lead to understanding each annal of the past for the future. Then you will look at these things and understand them, like a Jew should understand them. But if you don't know from remembering the past, then you are influenced from what you see today, and you don't look at it like a Jew should.

There is, today, an outburst of anti-Semitism in the world: an anti-Semitism that was never before equaled in the world, that was never so sophisticated. It is comprised not of plain, empty wild words, but rather on such a high standard that it should be called 'politics'. This has never happened before.

It is axiomatic that Esau hates Jacob. But such an anti-Semitism that appears nowadays is different. It means that something is happening here. Of course, if you are a Jew, it hurts, and you start to scream and protest and you make meetings about democracy. But idiots! What democracy? When democracy? It is hatred! It has nothing to do with democracy!! And a Jew who is silly and gets excited about it shows that he doesn't think like a Jew should think and it is a pity on him. Remember the annals of history! If we look back, where a Jew is to look, we see that the question is posed, where do we get the name 'Sinai'? From there came forth hated ('sinnah'). We received the Torah and therefore, others hate us. One is not allowed to get excited, because it can't be otherwise. But there are things happening which obligate us to stop and examine how they could occur. We know that Jews are hated, but to say that Jews are Nazis is not pure hatred. A person must speak with sense. He should be ashamed to say such words. It is just the opposite: We could feel that with our hands. To say that Jews are Nazis, Jews are racists - that is already another thing. Everybody had something to say. Hitler wrote a full-length book, in which he put forth reasons why to hate Jews. It had reasons, from his viewpoint, why it had to be that way. But to say about the most oppressed people in history - the Jews - and nobody has suffered as much as the Jews - that they are Nazis and racists means that we are involved in a situation involving a notorious hate unto death. Today, this is in the form of "United Nations", where everybody sits and everybody can speak and they accept resolutions. And this U.N. has passed a resolution that Jewish people are racist.

But herein lies one other thing: The "language" from today's hatred is completely new, and this is a phenomenon to which we have to devote thought and which we must take into account. Today's language proclaims that it is not the Jews who are bad - it is only Zionism which is a curse on the world. Our villifiers don't say "anti-Jews", only "anti-Zionism". We know that they mean Jews, but the language is not Jews, only Zionists. And this is a clear and novel approach which, since the time there were Jews and there was anti-Semitism, was never before used as a method of bringing out the hatred. It means that we have to think about it, and when a Jew thinks and looks at the annals of the past, he has much to learn.

We know the truth. The truth is that Zionism is a curse, and that's the way it is. Zionism is murder! And that's what it really is, because it is true! Who threw the Jews into the ocean when they wanted to travel to Eretz Yisroel in 1941? Who sank the boat (called the 'Patria') with about 1000 Jews on it? Who? The Nazis? Zionists did it! Yes, the Zionists! What is that? Is it not murder? Murderers!! Because of Zionism, one is allowed to kill Jews? Didn't these murderers say that the Jews of Europe are the "sacrifices" which we have to bring to have a Jewish "state" in Eretz Yisroel (G-d forbid)? Didn't they say this? Don't they have printed black and white statements which everybody can read? Didn't this man with the name, "Yitzchok Greenbaum" say in Warsaw that all religious Jews should be thrown into the ocean? And all this because of Zionism! And he wasn't ashamed of these words! I ask you: Is this right? Is this being nice? Is this grace? This is MURDER! Without any excuse, it is murder! G-d comes and punishes us, and He says to us that if we brought up in our midst such and Esau - one who is against Torah, against religion, against everything a Jew is - then we suggest a hint to the world, and it calls us Racists, Murderers, Terrorists! We are called murderers, who kill women and children. The Gentiles say this and it makes an impression on us, and we scream. How terrible! How can they speak this way about the Jewish people?

But it's interesting. They don't say that Jews are murderers. Only Zionists are murderers. This is an awesome thing. That repeats itself thousands of times and it doesn't stop. Some make protests. They write articles in the newspapers. They go to Washington to explain to the President of the United States what Zionism means - and that G-d forbid it's not this way - but we know the truth: Zionism says and Zionism actually does with its own hands the killing of Jews for an "Ideal"! Is it right that one Jew should kill another for an "ideal"? What right do they have to do this - to sink them in the ocean? Did you ever hear such stories as those that Jews forget and don't want to know? Yet this is what is being spoken from the mouths of the evil ones. They go and tell these stories to the U.N., for the whole world. But, in reality, this is being spoken to us from Heaven. G-d speaks to us, and wants to awaken us, and speaks to us through their mouths. A new language has begun: Therefore, a Jew has to decide why others speak to us in this way. It is only because we are being called into account in Heaven.

Here is another interesting story: When the business began in the U.N., it started through a man who has been called the President of Uganda: 'Idi Amin'. He started using these words, and now it has continued much further along. Day after day, the world has been talking about this. It is a wonder: Uganda? Uganda cares for the world? Why is it this way? We could understand what is happening here if one has only a little bit of common sense. Who established Zionism? Was it we religious people who love Eretz Yisroel? Was it we, who say, "for the sake of Zion I shall not be silent"? No! Zionism was established by a certain man who was a journalist in Austria: Theodore Herzl. He made Zionism! And he didn't believe in G-d! He lived with a non-Jewess! He had Gentile children - and he was the one who established Zionism! He wanted to "save" Jews, who, during those times, experiences many difficulties. Do you know how he said he wanted to save the Jews? Let me tell you some history:

He said that Jews should go to "Uganda" in Africa, and establish there a "Jewish State". That is what he said, and that is what is meant by him: Jews, Zion and Jerusalem. But he saw that that suggestion was no good. Jews didn't want to go to Uganda. So he decided to speak a different language. He would tell them to go to Eretz Yisroel, to the Holy Land, and make it an old-new land (alt-neuland). That meant that the old land would become a new land. What does it mean: "a new land"? It would look like Austria like Germany and like France. We had to establish a Jewish state with the system of all modern countries in Europe. That was the idea of an old-new land. That is why it is no different if it was Uganda or in another land: If not in Uganda, we would make a Uganda in Jerusalem! That was the whole idea, and he wrote that clearly in his book - and from this, the state was established.

Today we see that this Uganda, which was supposed to be a "Jewish State", has been screaming that Zionism is racism. This is not a natural occurrence. We are being shown from heaven that we should come to our senses and understand what we are doing. Are we Jews or are we non-Jews? Are we to be like all other nations, G-d forbid? This is what Herzl writes there in his book. It doesn't contain even a hint about religion, as there is by all other nations of the world. This is because a "Jewish State" has to look like a civilized country in Europe - a nation like all other nations.

Our Rabbis have a good sixth sense. They sense things and they immediately came out with an alarm: that this is dangerous for the Jewish people and for Judaism. The world will get rid of Judaism this way. There will be a new form of Judaism. The French have a land. The Greeks have a land. The Americans have a land. The Germans have a land: They all have a land; so we also need a land. This is "Jewish Nationalism:, and some will put all their strength into this undertaking so that the Jewish state should be a nation like all nations. The Jews don't need a Torah or a faith - they only need a state. Our great rabbis of almost 100 years ago warned us and saw that from this a great and terrifying destruction would result for the Jewish people. They saw that there would be a big tragedy coming to the Jewish people, because the Zionists put within their credo one iota of truth. A lie cannot stand on its own, so they put in a little bit of truth, which is called "Love of Zion" - you have to love Eretz Yisroel. But you also have to keep all 613 Mitzvos. So they put in this one iota of truth in order to change the complete lie. Jews became caught in this, and they didn't even feel they were being pulled into hell. Hundreds of thousands of Jews were lost because of this; they became atheists and secularists, totally devoid of Judaism. Along came today's world, in which was started a now form of anti-Semitism. It is called "anti-Zionism", and it has a reason. Truthfully, the nations of the world are speaking to us. We have to consider what form this message is taking, and that is something new, because it is made especially for us. We are being shown how much the epidemic took from Klal Yisroel. We have to awaken ourselves to the fact that Eretz Yisroel belongs to G-d. Eretz Yisroel is for Torah and Mitzvos, and not for a state. It can be a state sometime, but only when it will be to prepare the world for the Kingdom of G-d through the coming of Moshiach.

Such a state the Torah does want, and then the complete hatred of the Jews will go away. It will be as the prophet says - "and all the nations will flow unto you" - but till then, we are not allowed a state. The Torah does not want it. It is contrary to the Torah and contrary to our faith. It is completely incomprehensible how anyone can be so silly as to perform a holy dance in front of such an idol, and not to feel that with this, we are taking upon ourselves the goal of being like all the nations. Even, they themselves, can't judge where they stand in this world, thought they have a land and they have independence! And what does this independence mean? It is only as much as the President of America says they may have, and if they have a little bit too much, be presses his button, sends his messenger the apostate, to say STOP: enough with it. If so, why are they making themselves so silly? Why do they yell? It is really nothing. It is only because Jews have no sense, and they say that we must believe in such things. So the world started speaking a language that would take Jews away from this mistake, because the Jews are sleeping. They don't know where they are at, and they don't know that they have to repent and free themselves from this epidemic.