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Neturei Karta (Hebrew: נטורי קרתא; Aramaic: "Guardians of the City") is a group of Haredi (Ultra-Orthodox) Jews who reject all forms of Zionism and actively oppose the State of Israel. They number under 5,000 and are concentrated in Jerusalem. Other small groups associated with Neturei Karta but not members of the group, can be found in Israel, London, New York City, and other parts of New York state.

Other Orthodox Jewish communities, including some who oppose Zionism, have denounced Neturei Karta's activities; according to The Guardian, "ven among Charedi, or ultra-Orthodox circles, the Neturei Karta are regarded as a wild fringe". Neturei Karta holds that the mass media deliberately downplays their viewpoint and makes them out to be just a few, while there are a large number of Jews with the same or similar beliefs.

Ideology

Adherents of Neturei Karta stress those portions in rabbinic literature which state that the Jewish people were first sent into exile from the land of Israel for their sins. Additionally, they maintain the view that any form of forceful recapture of Israel is a violation of divine will (Babylonian Talmud, tractate Ketuboth 111). They believe that the true Commonwealth of Israel can only be reestablished with the coming of the Messiah.

Neturei Karta teaches that Jews must wait for God to end the exile of the Jews, and that human attempts to do so are sinful. In their view, Zionism is a presumptuous affront against God. Their websites claim that the Zionists deliberately condemned thousands of Jews to die in Nazi gas chambers, rather than allow them to emigrate to destinations other than Palestine, in order for the Zionists to claim a Zionist State. Some leaders of the movement have speculated that the Holocaust was divine punishment for the sins of secular Jews, and that it was, in part, a spiritual punishment for Zionism.

In recent years, Neturei Karta has aligned itself with Yasser Arafat, the Palestine Liberation Organization and later, the Palestinian Authority. Other Jewish groups have criticized this alignment, describing it as condoning or even abetting Palestinian terrorism.

In 2002, during Israel's "Operation Defensive Shield", the Israeli military claimed to have captured numerous documents from the headquarters of Arafat which proved that Rabbi Moshe Hirsch was on Arafat's payroll. Rabbi Hirsch's son, however, denied that any payment was accepted.

In 2005, the Neturei Karta met with Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and expressed soldiarity with the Iranian position of anti-zionism and his calls' for the destruction of the Israeli state until the coming of the Messiah.

History

Early history

For the most part, the members of Neturei Karta are descended from Hungarian Jews that settled in Jerusalem's Old City in the early nineteenth century, and from Lithuanian Jews who were students of the Gaon of Vilna, who had settled earlier. In the late nineteenth century, they participated in the creation of new neighborhoods outside the city walls to alleviate overcrowding in the Old City, and most are now concentrated in the neighborhood of Batei Ungarin and the larger Meah Shearim neighborhood.

At the time, they were vocal opponents to the new political ideology of Zionism that was attempting to assert Jewish sovereignty in Ottoman-controlled Palestine. They resented the new arrivals, who were predominantly secular, and claimed that Jewish redemption could only be brought about by the Jewish messiah.

Among the proofs they brought for this argument was a Talmudic statement that God, the Jewish people, and the nations of the world made a divine pact, when the Jews were sent into exile by the Roman Empire. One provision of the pact was (1) that the Jews would not rebel against the non-Jewish world that gave them sanctuary; a second was (2) that they would not immigrate en masse to the Land of Israel. In return, the legend states, the (3) gentile nations promised not to persecute the Jews too harshly. By rebelling against this pact, they argued, the Jewish People were engaging in open rebellion against God. Some have argued that by transgressing (3), the gentiles broke their part of the pact. Others argue that the 1947 UN decision awarding a Jewish homeland in the Land of Israel constitutes the gentiles' permition to immigrate en masse to the Land of Israel and therefore waives their part of the pact. This position was held by the bulk of the Orthodox world before and even after World War II.

Before the partition of Palestine

Tensions were at their highest between the Zionist and non-Zionist Jewish communities in Palestine in the 1920s, following the assassination of Jacob Israël de Haan, a Dutch poet, former Zionist, and spokesman for Agudat Israel against the creation of a Jewish State. De Haan was assassinated by the Haganah, the Zionist paramilitary group operating in the country. In November 1970 (and eventually rebroadcast November 21, 1971), a program on Israel radio "zarkor" broadcast a program, that had Yehuda Slutski, editor of Kitsur Toldoth ha-Haganah, Avraham Tehomi, and police officer discussing their foreknowledge and role in the assassination. Slutski wrote:

"... he old yishuv refused to surrender and submit to secular domination... when they broke away and formed an independent community... no one disturbed them. Were it not for De Haan, they would have organized their small community devoid of any communal or political significance. De Haan used his connections to move the struggle into the realm of international politics. He aspired to establish a political organization to rival the Zionist movement, which was still then in its infancy and not yet fully established-- this was the danger of de Haan... Yosef Hecht, commander of the Haganah received instructions to eliminate the traitor. He relayed orders to Zechariah Urieli, Haganah commander of Jerusalem, .....I do not want to enter into details, it is extremely unpleasant, but this was an order--- they could not allow him to remain."

Avraham Tehomi said: "This was not Hecht's decision alone. Someone very important in the country was involved in this... this was a very high level decision ( I hope this does not appear in the broadcast...) He received permission....the time has still not come to reveal the truth...". At which point, interviewer Chaninah Amotz, the producer, piped in "Who ordered this? Can't it be told after 50 years?" Tehomi said, "I do not want to say".

Later in the broadcast police officer David Tidhar said: "I regret I was not chosen to liquidate him, my job was to protect those who did..." I moved into the area and waited for the shots... Naturally I appeared on the scene immediately. Since I knew in which direction the gunman had to escape... I directed the police to pursue them ..."

The struggle between secular Zionist and religious non-Zionist Jewish communities was gradually won by the secular forces.

1947 - 1967

The small faction of Orthodox Zionists were the most prominent representatives of Jewish religious communities when the United Nations voted to partition Palestine on November 29 - 1947. However, representatives of another Orthodox party, Agudath Israel, actually asked the General Assembly to vote against partition.

Nevertheless, Agudath Israel reevaluated its position upon the establishment of Israel and has been a participant in most governments since that time (though it still will not accept a ministerial portfolio as a result).

This switch of allegiance by Agudath Israel caused a radical shift in the ideology of Neturei Karta, which felt betrayed by their Orthodox allies.

Their opposition to Israel and Zionism became all the more extreme, especially under the leadership of Rabbi Amram Blau and his wife, a convert and former member of the French Resistance, who had rescued Blau during the Holocaust.

The community became more insular, while forming alliances with other sects that rejected the support given by Agudat Israel to Israel's secular government after independence. Among their allies were the large and affluent Hasidic group Satmar, under the leadership of Rabbi Joel Teitelbaum, formerly of Hungary and later of New York City, as well as other Hasidic groups, some in Israel and others in the Diaspora.

With their help, Neturei Karta was able to withstand paying taxes to the state that they did not recognize and conversely, to avoid obtaining any benefits from that state by revitalizing the halukah distribution of funds that characterized earlier generations. As such they became a self-contained community within Israel with few formal ties to the surrounding political infrastructure.

Some elements of their rejection make clear the depth of their opposition - most will not touch paper money or coins with pictures of Zionists on them - Einstein and Montefiore are acceptable, Herzl and Weizmann are not. They view these items as heretical, and in some cases the men make their wives use these items when their usage is unavoidable. They will not approach the Western Wall of the Temple in Jerusalem, feeling it has been befouled by secular interests and those professing Zionism, which they see as an abomination.

1967 - present

While many in Neturei Karta chose to simply ignore the State of Israel, this became more difficult as Jerusalem began to be dominated by Zionist concerns and debates.

A fringe element took proactive steps to condemn Israel and bring about its eventual dismantling until the coming of the Messiah. Chief among these is Rabbi Moshe Hirsch, Neturei Karta's self-proclaimed "Foreign Minister", author of the popular prayer book Siddur Vilna, who served in Yasser Arafat's cabinet as Minister for Jewish Affairs. Hirsch and his followers oppose Israel on religious grounds. Devoutly committed to their faith, they reject Jews who promote the agenda of Zionism and the State of Israel as heretics. They also maintain that an Orthodox community of Jews can and should be a viable minority in an Arab-controlled Palestinian state.

Hirsch notes that there is a striking accord between the views of Neturei Karta and those of Fatah, which is the dominant party in the present Palestinian Authority: both seek to distinguish Judaism from Zionism, both favour a secular and non sectarian government in Palestine. He has also sought refugee status at the UN for Neturei Karta; There is in his view no difference between a people that was "pushed out of its land and one like ourselves whose land is being wrenched from under it by the Zionists."

In America, the Neturei Karta are lead by Rabbi Moshe Ber Beck, in Monsey, NY, a well known political and charity activist who gained fame by meeting with Nation of Islam leader Minister Louis Farrakhan, at a time when Farrakhan had been widely condemned by American Jewish organizations for Anti-Semitic remarks such as calling Judaism, "a gutter religion."

Neturei Karta leaders have also made the headlines in Europe. In Vienna, Rabbi Moishe Aryeh Friedman allied himself with Neo-Nazi politicians such as John Gudenus who has engaged in Holocaust denial and Ewald Stadler. The Neturei Karta and the Austrian far right have a common cause, that of dismantling the official Jewish community in Austria. Rightists need positive publicity

In the UK, Rabbi Yosef Goldstein testified on behalf of England's most notorious terrorist, Abu Hamza of the Finsbury Park Mosque, known colloquially as Captain Hook, who in recordings had called for the murder of Jews and infidels. Rabbi Goldstein testified that he and Abu Hamza had a, "friendly and cordial relationship." Rabbi and Vicar back Abu Hamza

Neturei Karta members have recently paid a visit to Iran where they praised the Iranian President and endorsed his statements on Israel and the Holocaust.

Condemnation

Because members of Neturei Karta participated in a prayer vigil for Yasser Arafat outside the Percy Military Hospital in Paris, France, where he lay on his death bed, the group was condemned by many Orthodox and Hasidic Jewish organizations, including, but not limited to:

Anshei Sfard; Satmar; Bobov; Emunas Yisroel; Ger; Belz; Bnei Yehuda, Nitra; Vizhnitz; Munkacz; Vien; Klausenberg; Torah Vodaas; Novominsk; Torah Temimah; Chasam Sofer; Kiryas Joel - Monroe; Puppa; Young Israel of Brooklyn; Cong. Shomrei Shabbos; United Lubavitch Organizations of Crown Heights; Kamenitz; Agudath Israel 14th Avenue; United Jewish Organizations of Williamsburg; Boro Park Jewish Council; Debrecin; US Friends of the Eida Charedis; Lakewood Yeshiva.

In their joint press release, the critics stated:

Their joining in vigils and 'prayers' for the arch-terrorist Yasser Arafat with Jew-haters of all manner, is an outrage that we cannot ignore and will not forgive. We again demand that rabbis and community leaders of all communities ensure that members of this group are refused entry to all houses of prayer.

These nefarious associates of Jewry's enemies have unfortunately again succeeded in their crazed hunger for publicity and are being depicted in local and international media — outfitted in their religious attire — bewailing the impending demise of a mass-murderer — side-by-side with Palestinian Jew-haters. The shame and embarrassment to decent religious Jews worldwide is unbearable.

Although there has been previous criticism from Orthodox circles, this was one of the most forceful condemnations. Particularly notable was the condemnation by the much larger Satmar Hasidic movement, which had been allied with Neturei Karta, as there were ideological parallels in their beliefs vis à vis Zionism.

Notes

• Photocopies of documents and receipts
• Amir Rappaport. Arafat transferred funds to Neturei Karta: Captured PA documents reveal that $55,000 given to leader of the anti-Zionist sect. Maariv International, 2 April 2004.

External links

• Neturei Karta official home page
• Jews not Zionists FAQ's, ten questions
• Jews Against Zionism
• Jewish Anti-Zionism
• Mitchell Kaidy. Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. "Neturei Karta, Shunned by Media, Makes Jewish Anti-Zionism Known"
• In a state over Israel, The Guardian.
• "The unorthodox orthodox", The Guardian.
• Neturei Karta - Jews against Zionism

• Orthodox Judaism