ZIONISM / ANTI-----the army

A "very frum" friend of mine in Eretz Yisroel said that a very choshuv (she told me who)Rosh Yeshiva there said that we are supposed to hate the Israeli soldiers, that they're apikorsim. Therefore, when I commented how sad it is that young 18 year old boys are now dying she immediately answered about how yeah but they're totally doing the wrong thing anyway fighting for Israel and that's the real tragedy.

This just seems very messed up. Not once today on Tisha B'av did I hear any Rabbanim in New York say anything other than how sorry we must feel for them and how much we must daven for them. I am deeply disturbed by my friend's attitude, especially when she told me how her husband was rude to an Israeli soldier "because he's a Zionist". She views all these soldiers, especially the non-frum ones as apikorsum!! How can this be the right approach?!

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For the record, being a soldier in the Israeli army does not mean you have any particular Hashkafa. An apikores is someone with a heretical Hashkafa, which one can have whether in the army or not. In fact, Belz, very Torahdik and anti-Zionist in their Hashkofos, (Rav Yisochor Dov ZTL was one of the leading fighters against Zionism and Zionists) is well reprsented in the Israeli army. While it is true, I imagine, in general that Zionists by virtue of their Hashkafa would serve in the Israli army, the converse is not true, that all peple who serve in the Israeli army are Zionists.

What you heard on Tisha Bav is correct. And your frum friend is horribly misguided. We must pray for Hashem's protection for the Israeli soldiers, together with all acheinu bnei yisroel hanesunim batzarah. And we must do what is in our power to protect them, whether it be donating bullet proof vests, or praying, or whatever, to protect them. On the contrary, it is a terrible thing the Zionists did by creating a situation where we have to have Jewish Neshomos put in danger to fight wars.

When Ben Gurion sr"y asked the Chazon Ish, if you were the Prime Minister of Israel, would you arm our soldiers with guns or Gemoras, the Chazon Ish answered that if not for the Zionists, we would’nt need guns.

However, there are Zionists who believe, in their twisted thinking, that it is worth it for Jewish lives to be spilled in order for there to be a State of Israel. This is terrible cruelty. Even if the State of Israel would not be a terrible violation of the ratzon hashem, even if it would be a positive thing, it would not be worth even one Jewish life. The discounting of Jewish blood by Zionists in this way is unforgivable.

Rabbi Aryeh Ginsberg, a rabbi in New York, related how he saw Rav Shach go through an operation on his foot without anethesia, because he did not want to be groggy when he gave shiur afterwards. He endured the entire operation without one hint of the pain he was going through. Such was his control.

Yet, the same rabbi, a short while later, was present when Rav Shach received news of the fatal crash of an Israeli Army helicopter.

Rav Shach broke down, crying hysterically.

That is how a true Torah Jew views things.