Anti-Zionists Criticized in Matzav Inbox

FULL DISCLOSURE:

I did NOT write this letter or any part of it.
I do NOT know who wrote this letter.
I just copied it from www (dot) matzav (dot) com.

==============

Dear Matzav Inbox,

I have absolutely no problem with anyone holding a shitah that is anti-Tzioni.
I understand fully the perspective of those who oppose the medinah.

Every individual and kehillah is entitled to their views on this matter,
and we should not forget that there are many legitimate reasons
to question or oppose the modern state of Israel and its government.

This is a topic that has many layers.
We must be able to have these discussions, respectfully and thoughtfully.

However, what I cannot tolerate, and what I am calling out in this long overdue letter,
is when this anti-Zionist stance ceases to be a viewpoint or a political position,
and instead becomes the very foundation of someone’s Yiddishkeit.

There is a great difference between holding an opinion about the medinah 
and allowing that opinion to consume and define your entire avodas Hashem.

When opposition to the medinah and the Israeli government transforms
into the entire essence of one’s Yiddishkeit, something is terribly amiss.

Then it is no longer simply about politics or ideology.
It actually becomes a warped form of Avodah Zarah,
where the focus is no longer on serving Hashem,
but on serving an anti-Tzioni agenda.

Yes, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

And for those who have fallen into this trap, how is it that every drasha,
every event, and every conversation somehow
revolves around the same refrain of anti-Tzioni sentiment? 

Is that your whole avodas Hashem?
How is it that every shmuess, every message,
and every teaching is framed through the lens of opposition to the medinah?

When one’s Yiddishkeit is entirely defined by this opposition,
we must ask: Are you still serving Hashem?

Or are you now serving your anti-Tzioni views,
as if they were the central aspect of our Torah observance?

Let me be clear:
When the agenda of opposition to the medinah infiltrates every aspect
of avodas Hashem, one is in danger of losing sight of what is truly important.

When you are teaching 5-year-olds this type of stuff
on an equal footing with Torah and mitzvos,
you have gone off the plantation.

It is no longer about serving Hashem through the Torah and mitzvos,
but about serving an ideological position.

And once that happens, one is no longer engaging in avodas Hashem 
as the Torah teaches us, but is rather caught up in a false religion,
one that elevates these views above the true avodah of a Yid.

I implore my fellow Yidden to call this out for what it is and what it has become.

Never lose sight of the fact that our true identity as Yidden 
is not defined by one specific ideology,
but by our connection to Hashem, His Torah, and His mitzvos.

Sincerely,
A Yid Who Has Had Enough

SOURCE: Matzav Inbox: “When Being Anti-Tzioni Becomes Your Avodah Zarah”
2024 December 24 www (dot) matzav (dot) com

==============

PERSONAL COMMENT:

In Brooklyn there is a yeshivah for Baalei Teshuvah where
the FIRST lesson the students learn is to HATE “The Zionists”.

Why should that be the FIRST lesson they learn?

I was once lectured about the evils of “The Zionists” by
a very new student from that yeshivah, who was so new
that he did not yet know how to recite Shma Yisrael.
When I tried to change the subject, he refused to stop.