The Jews who distance themselves from Israel

Perhaps, the most bewildering of all the visual images, broadcast by the media, following the events of October 7th, were the ultra-Orthodox Jews who stood side by side with avowed Jew-haters. Together, they waved Palestinian flags, even wearing the checkered keffiyeh, both symbols of proponents who claim Jewish oppressors stole Palestinian land.

For non-Jews, unfamiliar with the dynamics of the many sects within Orthodox Judaism, they, undoubtedly, scratch their heads, wondering how in the world any Jew, especially the ultra-Orthodox, could support the same people calling for the eradication of those who share their ethnicity?

The short answer is that a number of these groups believe that the establishment of a Jewish homeland can only be legitimate when the Messiah will come and personally bring about such an era. For them, the State, which came into existence 77 years ago, is neither recognized nor accepted, as it represents a perversion.

Of course, it’s insanity to stand in unity with someone who would wish harm and even death upon Jews, both within the State of Israel and outside of it. These ultra-Orthodox, who are part of the Neturei Karta and Satmar Hasidim identify themselves as anti-Zionist – those who oppose a Jewish homeland through human efforts. 

While these groups represent a very fringe element of the Jewish people, as a whole, they are not the only ones who loathe Israel and seek to distance themselves from the Jewish State.

Ever since the October 7th tragedy, a new growing sector of the Jewish people has emerged, a phenomenon, outlined in a recent article focusing on Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic candidate for Mayor of New York in the upcoming November, 2025 elections. In that piece, entitled, “If New York falls, the country follows,” author Mathilda Heller quotes Rabbi Dr. Hank Sheinkopf who opines about how the younger generation of Jews view their own identity.

Sheinkopf calls them, “the ‘if only’ generation” stating that “they think, if only we do this, they will love us more.” He attributes this strange paradox to a very misguided idea, wherein it’s believed that Jews can be better viewed “by distancing themselves from the Jewish State and Zionism in order to curry favor in the eyes of antisemites.”

Sheinkopf refers to such a crazy notion as “being a fantasy of history that Jews constantly create.” Towards that imaginary Utopia, which they hope to create, he says that “They give their souls to charismatic leadership in the hope that they will be saved, but ultimately the pendulum swings the other way.”

This is how Sheinkopf explains the odd and unexpected support by young Jews for candidate Mamdani, who has already received an undeserved amount of Jewish enthusiasm. Nonetheless, he remains unable to condemn the use of the term, “globalize the intifada” or roundly denounce such slogans as “From the river to the sea” or “Death to America” as heard by pro-Palestinian protestors.

It’s unimaginable that any Jew could think that aligning oneself with such an individual, would work well for their side in the end. Because, this is the “darling” of the Progressive Woke, an ideology which considers Jews to be white, oppressors and colonialists. 

Sadly, Sheinkopf goes on to describe such young people as being embarrassed by Israel. Just as the ultra-Orthodox, who view Israel as an entity that brings them shame, these young people are bolstering the highly antisemitic positions of Squad members Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, both of whom are not only anti-Israel advocates but also no lovers of the Jewish people.

Jewish history is filled with accounts of Jews who chose to adopt the Christian faith, during the era of the Roman Empire, the Crusades, the Spanish Inquisition and the Holocaust. While some did so out of personal conviction, others saw it as an act of survival. Nonetheless, it did not always save them from their doom.  

One example is recorded in the events which took place in the Netherlands, following the Nazi invasion of May, 1940 which took place there. Initially, a promise was made that “no ‘baptized Jews’ would be sent away.” Despite that guarantee, an initial onslaught against the church, resulted in about 113 Jewish Catholics being murdered.  Among them were Carmelite nuns Edith and Rosa Stein, as well as seven siblings, who were monks and nuns from a Jewish family.

Historian and author Kelvin Crombie, in his book, “Jewish Christians in the Netherlands during the Holocaust,” points out that these children had no Jewish upbringing at all.  He says that the lesson for today is to learn from that historic period.  

It was a time when “Jewish Christians in the Netherlands, as well as the tens of thousands of others in Poland, Germany Hungary and elsewhere, were persecuted and many were murdered not because of their belief that Jesus was the Messiah, but because of their bloodline. They were persecuted and murdered because they were Jewish even if they did not know or acknowledge their Jewish heritage.”

Somehow, being born Jewish is something which transcends religion, despite many Jews who mistakenly believe that the faith is what intrinsically makes a person Jewish.  History would prove otherwise. It is the bloodline which is the determining factor – one which cannot be overlooked by practicing a different religion. Nor was that disassociation with Judaism able to preserve their lives.

So, what makes young Jews think that in 2025, distancing themselves from the Jewish State, or all things Jewish, will endear them to those who, deep down, really despise them as a people? It must be the type of “fantasy of history” which Rabbi Sheinkopf attributes to their delusion, thinking that denying the ethnic connection will go well for them in the end. 

They would prefer to be on the side of Jew haters, whose goal is to destroy Israel through the brutal acts of barbaric terrorists rather than champion the country which has always sought to help preserve the lives of all – even their own enemies.  A case in point is Yahya Sinwar who, in 2004 and, again, in 2008, received needed brain surgery in an Israeli hospital. 

Self-preservation first begins by valuing the God-given heritage bestowed upon one at birth. Distancing oneself from their people is tantamount to refusing that great privilege, and, in this case, siding with those who want them all gone.