Aletho News

The False Hope of Jewish Anti-Zionism

By David Miller | July 27, 2025

Some well-meaning people (as below) are keen to point to ‘anti-Zionism’ in Haredi communities in occupied Palestine. The hope is that they might help to dismantle the Jewish state from within. But we should beware the false hope that this brings.

The anti-Zionism which was almost universally shared by Hasidic groups in 1947 has been subject to considerable dilution and indeed reversals. Some groups like the Bobov maintain a refusal to serve in the IDF and appear to have been more militant in this than the other large Hasidic sects.

On the other hand, the three largest Hasidic courts: Ger, Belz, and Viznitz, have, in July 2024 “instructed their members to continue” to “report at the enlistment centers after receiving pre-draft evaluation orders.” All four of these sects have adherents who live in illegal settlements. There is even a Bobov cluster in the illegal settlement of Beitar Illit, and the Bobov Rebbe has recently made a “triumphant visit to Israel”.

In addition Ger, Belz and Viznitz are closely associated with two ultra-orthodox parties the Agudat Yisrael, which is half of a coalition known as United Torah Judaism, which is, in turn, part of the current Netanyahu regime. We can safely conclude that all of these notionally anti-Zionist sects are Jewish supremacists.

Meanwhile one of the largest groups known as Chabad, has shifted from an anti-Zionist position in the 1920s to become an ultra-Zionist sect which has enthusiastically taken part in the genocide in Gaza. This sect, has over 5,000 branches worldwide, and more than 150 outposts in the UK.

But surely there are ‘genuine’ Anti-Zionist Hasidim?

Well, the main candidate for that accolade is the Satmar.

Satmar is the largest Hasidic sect that still professes to be anti-Zionist. However, after the launch of Al Aqsa Flood one of the leaders (there are two rival factions) of Satmar condemned the participation of the anti-Zionist group Neturei Karta in demonstrations in solidarity with the Palestinians. Neturei Karta appears to take some inspiration from the previous Satmar Rebbe, but there are apparently some contradictions within the Satmar camp. Among the rebukes from Rabbi Yekusiel Yehuda Teitelbaum, one of the two Satmar Rebbes, based in Williamsburg, New York, was: “Unfortunately, we see how far they have strayed from the path… They are walking around the world together with the Arabs, with those who shout without any shame and support the murders, they walk with them in broad daylight with the Shtreimel and the gown and shout together with the haters of Israel and murderers of souls. This is a terrible desecration of the name of heaven, to strengthen murderers in the name of the Holy Torah and in the name of heaven.” Obviously, the anti-Zionism of this strand of Satmar, at least, does not extend to supporting the liberation of Palestine or support for Palestinian resistance.

July 28, 2025 - Posted by aletho | Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism, Supremacism, Social Darwinism, Timeless or most popular | Israel, Palestine, Zionism