Orthodox Jews aren’t all created alike. There are some who are strongly anti-Zionist, and who recognize that modern-day Israel’s origins (in the terrorist violence of the
Stern Gang and
Irgun), and its exceptionalist myth of being a lone and persecuted bastion democracy in the Middle East, just aren’t kosher. This gentleman (whose name is, unfortunately, not mentioned) is one of them. He may seem like an odd duck to some, but his points are well taken, and their theological basis is sound: If you are true to the Torah, you stand up for human rights for everyone. You cannot, in good conscience, approve the displacement of Palestinian families from their homes, much less the barricading and starving-out of those in Gaza and the West Bank. It is your duty to stand up against such things. This is not a “rights for me, but none for thee” situation. To save a life, no matter whose, is to save a world.



