Warning to the reader. This article deals with a sensitive subject that may offend contemporary Western sensibilities. If you believe that criticism and debate are essential achievements and forms of emancipation, you will find little of interest in the story I propose and may be annoyed by it; therefore, I advise you to move on. To understand this world, it is necessary to suspend many categories of thought to which we are accustomed; only then will it be possible to see its beauty as it is, like an ancient rose.
The rabbi awaits us, standing and smiling; a small refreshment has been laid out on the large table, with chocolate sweets, mandarins, and peach juice. He thanks us for visiting; it is an honor for him to tell the truth according to the Torah. The very fact that you sought him out and came all the way here (to a residential area in New York State) is God’s will. I think the same thing to myself.
I want to offer Pressenza readers an accurate portrait of who you are, because there is a lot of confusion surrounding the Orthodox Jewish world. Can you explain it to me briefly?
We are Jews who have never strayed from the code of conduct imposed by God. We belong to the Haredi. Today we are a minority, but until about three hundred years ago, all Jews were like us. It was in Europe at that time that a process of reformism began that seduced many. Living a whole life following restrictions on food, clothing, hairstyle, relationships… is not easy, especially for women. Our entire life is dedicated to God, no ifs, ands, or buts.
We met at the last pro-Palestine demonstration in New York City, because you too defend the Palestinians, dream of a land free from occupation, and declare yourselves anti-Zionists. This is the position of the Orthodox Jews of Neturei Karta, right?
Yes. Neturei Karta is not an organization, it is more like a movement. It was founded in 1938 precisely to give voice to religious Jews who, based on the writings of the prophets, understood that the establishment of a Jewish state was a grave danger and therefore opposed the Zionist maneuvers that had long been pointing in that direction. After the destruction of the temple, we understood that God does not allow us to build a state ourselves and that we must consider that land to belong to others. We have a sacred respect for the land, wherever we are, to the point that we are forbidden to uproot trees. Zionism is the exact opposite of the Jewish religion; it is the result of a gradual slide into secularization and materialism. It is the degeneration of the reformism I mentioned earlier.
As he speaks, Rabbi Weiss leafs through books, reads passages, and shows photographs of Jews like himself being beaten, arrested, and humiliated in the old quarter of Jerusalem.
You see, here David Ben Gurion, Vladimir Zeev Jabotinsky, and others are celebrating the founding of Israel, and they don’t even have their heads covered. They didn’t care about religion at all; only later did they realize that our symbols would be useful for stirring up emotions and manipulating ordinary people. They appropriated them, and from then on they never stopped. Today they appoint rabbis as they see fit.
Can you give me the numbers of Jews who follow the Neturei Karta movement?
If we go by what our detractors write, we seem to be very few, but you who live in Brooklyn, have you ever seen an Israeli flag? You must have noticed that there are quite a few of us.
Yes, of course, I meet you regularly on the street, everywhere, I would say.
Here you are in a large Jewish community, you can take a walk around, you won’t find a single Israeli flag. In Jerusalem, the Zionists have found some bad apples among the Orthodox, and there are Haredim sitting in Parliament; at first they did it to protect themselves, but now they even receive money. I don’t approve of it, but most of us religious people, here as in Jerusalem, Istanbul, London, and everywhere else, are anti-Zionist. They often pretend nothing is wrong, they hide it, because if somebody finds out, you will suffer retaliation; you can lose your job, see your career blocked, anything.
So basically, you’re telling me that you are Jews persecuted by Jews who have embraced Zionism. Do you think they are watching you?
Of course. If I showed up in Jerusalem, they would arrest me. To finish with the question I asked earlier: we are not as few as they always take care of saying when they write, and awareness is growing.
(On anti-Zionism, the site reports a significant figure: 35% of the world’s population would declare themselves to be anti-Zionist).
New York City has elected a mayor who is uncomfortable for the elite, the Muslim socialist Zohran Mamdani. What do you expect from him?
I don’t know. We supported him enthusiastically, but politicians live under unimaginable psychological and political pressure, and at a certain point many change. It seemed that Obama could be something new, but instead he was nothing special. I once met Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez; shortly thereafter, I realized that the more I expressed God’s position, namely that Jews must remain in exile, the more embarrassed she became; it wasn’t fair, I didn’t like making her uncomfortable.
Do you collaborate with Jewish pacifist groups such as Jewish Voice for Peace?
I can’t say that we collaborate, we meet at demonstrations and march together, but our positions of principle are far apart. I’m sorry to disappoint you; from the outside it may seem frustrating, and perhaps at times I have felt that way, but I have chosen to put God before myself, and my first duty is to obey Him. I have nothing against them as people, but for me, as Jews, they are wrong, and I would like them to repent; at least they are not Zionists.
However, you too seek peace. Are you pacifists?
Yes, of course, as it has been for centuries. We get along very well with Arabs, who welcomed us into their countries when we were persecuted in Europe. Here in our neighborhood, there is a Palestinian family with whom we get along very well. We don’t ask ourselves whether we are pacifists. Since we have been in exile, we have accepted that we cannot use any kind of weapon, we cannot even carry a Swiss Army knife in our pockets; of course, if someone attacked me, I would know how to defend myself instinctively. We seek peace and dialogue because God wants it, this is the spirit with which we went to Iran, Lebanon, Gaza and many other places, and we have always had a great time. In 2005, I was ready to board the Marmara flotilla, which departed from Turkey. Then I received the verdict of our higher council: they said it was not appropriate, that it was too far removed from our policy and that I would be a perfect target. I obeyed.
A little while ago, he told me that he realized he had made Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez uncomfortable, but what am I doing now? I’m tormenting him with issues that are dear to me. I decide to skip the question about civil disobedience and nonviolent resistance techniques. I am reminded of conversations in Dharmananda Jain’s dusty cubicle (I lived for a few months in the Jain community in Delhi); I know the world of closed circles, of groups whose only interest is to safeguard and repeat their own canon without interruption. The world of yoga to which I belong is no exception. The point to reflect on is that these realities know very well how to communicate with each other, make agreements, and respect each other. It is with us that they clash.
More than three hours have passed and Rabbi Weiss is a raging river; He talks about his family, most of whom perished in the Holocaust, the Neturei Karta movement, the countless contradictions of the Zionists, the great suffering of the Palestinians, the kingdom of God that will not be reserved only for them. In fact, he is keen to tell me that, although he cannot explain how it will happen, the change will be metaphysical and we will all come together in divine joy.
It seems he doesn’t want to send us away: “I’m happy if you stay here until tonight, you can stay as long as you want,” he tells me.
How long has it been since I received such hospitality, such attention? Time dedicated to me, to my questions, without this gentleman ever looking at his watch, showing fatigue or annoyance at the silly things I may have asked? What authority, religious or secular, would receive me today and give me all their time? We who put a price on everything. And as an open, progressive, and evolved society, how much are we able to tolerate a closed system near us?
Today we are busy fighting against the Muslim hijab and we think that if you prefer to do it in the woods instead of in the toilet you need to see a psychiatrist, but when will we realize that even married Orthodox Jewish women have to cover their heads? That Orthodox Jews don’t send their children to public schools and keep them protected within the community? What civil battle will we invent? Rabbi Weiss knows full well that he is not safe, but above all he knows that he annoys Reform Jews, Zionists and non-Zionists alike, and he suffers for it. There will always be a Rabbi Weiss, cloaked in his austere, mourning attire, reminding them how they should live in exile. You can listen to him or ignore him, but you certainly cannot change him. He can never really hurt us. God has forbidden him political power and the army, and he can only speak. This is the function of Neturei Karta: to speak out loud. We say a warm goodbye and he gives me some sweets.
