17 Responses

1. It is important to note that he has always been associated with organizations that work with the Israeli government, and while he might not be a rabid zionist, he is certainly not anti-zionist. He is associated with a yeshiva that has cooperateed with the Israeli government and a political movement that participates in the zionist elections and sits in the zionist parliament.

   One would expect his remarks from the Eidah hareidos. It seems that the Natanyahu-Lapid-Bennett-Livni coalition seems to be hard at work at turning pro-Israel hareidim into anti-zionists. THis is a dubious accomplishment from their perspective.

2. Torah is maigin. May the Zchus of Limud Hatorah & acts of Chesed (Kimcha Di’Pischa) be a Shmira for Kllal Yisroel.

3. Akuperma – Chareidim are not Pro-Zionist they never were and probably never will be.

   The Chareidi position vis-a-vis the state is spelled out by R’Reuven Grozovsky in his work “Bayos Hazman” . His opinion and those of the mainstream Chareidi Gedolim and Rosh Hayeshiva has always been to vehemently oppose Zionism as an ideology yet at the same time to recognize that it is a reality.

   It is the reality of the exsistance of the state that allows them to partake in elections, but in no way did they ever promote or agree with the ideals, values, concepts, mission or cause of Political Zionism

4. #3
   Rav Shteinman was instrumental in creating the nachal chareidi unit despite strong opposition from other chareidi leaders. From among the other mainstream chareidi leaders he is definitely considered a moderate as far as idelogical opposition to zionism goes. Akuperma makes a good point.

5. Why did R”Y allow Nachal Chareidi. Now we need Rachamim?

6. #4
   Rav Shteinman had absolutely nothing to do with the creation of the so-called Nachal Chareidi.

   In fact, Rav Shteinman even opposes Chareidim joining tbe IDF even who are NOT LEARNING.

   See:

   http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/General+News/160906/Maran-R%2527-Shteinman-Tells-Yeshiva-Student-To-%2527Go-To-India%2527-Instead-Of-IDF.html

7. Good point – Rav Shteinman is a realist not a Zionist. He did not back Nachal Chareidi because he indentified with the principles of Zionism. He backed it because he realized that these kids need a way to get a job and earn a living. You would be hard pressed to find any statement of Rav Shteinman that even remotely alligns itself with the goals and aspirations of the Zionist movement.

8. #4 On top of that, Sephardi Hareidim are as Zionist as they come (Shas is a part of the WZO) and many Rebbeim from chassidus are very favorable to the state (particularly Belz, Ger, Sanz, Karlin Stolin and Boston). Throw in Chabad and swathes of Breslev and you could even say a plurality of Israeli hareidim are (or were) if not pro-Zionist then neutral to favorable.

   Akuperma is right on the money this time I’m afraid. Lapid and Bennett’s insistence on harassing the tzibur will accomplish nothing but further alienate us and strengthen the voice of the extremists.

   Porush and Deri etc are all saying the new government won’t last long, but I have to wonder…

9. #3 & #4
   Rav Chaim Shmulevitz, Rav SZ Auverbach, Rav Finkel, Rav Kahaneman, Rav Chadash ZT”L (& many others)…..were all parave.

10. #4 , actually #3 is correct that is the right way to go about things.. you don’t have to agree with the state to work with it.. and in fact if the anti zionist crowd would just vote that could have helped things.. even Brisk who is also vehemently anti zionist also insisted on people voting .. not voting is why we are in the situation we are in.

11. #8, Harassing the Chareidi tzibur?!? Are you serious? It is the Chareidim right to be in kollel forever on other unwilling people’s money and never be bothered about anything?

12. Rav Shteinman gave his full haskama to Nachal Chareidi at it’s creation. He even supposedely said (i heard from grandson of one of the people involved in it’s creation) that all charedi kids who are not learning and don’t enlist in the program have a din of a rodef on all the learning men. Though supposedely after seeing what it has become, Rav Shteinman is now against it.

13. Listen to the speech made by MK Porush when asked about ‘non learning bochurim and the army’. He states that when he finished learning the next day he went with his father to enlist in the IDF (non combat, 8 or 12 month program due to age) according to the SHITAH OF RAV SHACH of that time…….

14. In 1976, in Tradition Magazine! there was an article that stated that if not for the State of Israel, hundreds of millions would have gone to Jewish education, communal institutions and yeshivos…

    Knaves..

15. Rav Shteinman never supported the creation of nachal careidi and he opposes frum jews from serving in it (as someone linked above). He once told an OTD kid that he was better off joining the NC than to continue living on drugs andon the street.

16. Over the past decade, you can find many positive comments from Shteinman regarding the IDF and he has many times offered his baracha to the soldiers during times of national crisis. He obviously would prefer that kollel yungerleit continue with their learning rather than enlisting, he has disagreed with the rabbonim in the IDF on a variety of issues related ot kashruth, kol isha, etc. but overall, has shown himself as a pragmatic leader who is sensitive to the realities of EY and its national security.

17. The point is that Bennett and Lapid have managed to take many rabbanim who in the past were sympathetic to the medinah, and who encouraged non-learning Hareidim to serve – and has turned them into anti-zionists.

    Perhaps Neturei Karta did some secret mitsva, and HaShem sent “Bayit Yehudi” and “Yesh Atid” as a way to help Neturei Karta get new members?