Top Rabbi Attacks State Founders, Zionism, Religious Zionists

A rare recording has revealed sharp criticism from Rabbi Dov Lando, a senior leader of the Lithuanian ultra-Orthodox community, directed at the founders of the State of Israel, Zionism, and the Religious Zionist movement. The 96-year-old rabbi, whose opinions hold significant sway within the United Torah Judaism and Shas parties, and whom Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seeks to maintain coalition support from, made these controversial remarks during a private discussion in his Bnei Brak home amidst the ongoing conflict.

Rabbi Lando, head of the Slabodka Yeshiva, addressed the dilemma faced by many young ultra-Orthodox men who see Religious Zionist soldiers studying Torah and fighting on the front lines. He dismissed the notion that Religious Zionists are fighting for God, stating instead that "those who go and are killed are killed because we are not learning enough. It is possible to save even more. They are killed because their rabbis teach them distorted Torah. And they also do many of their actions not for salvation, but for the honor of the state. Killing people for honor."

He further expressed that it would have been preferable for the UN or Arabs to rule the land, asserting that Zionism brought "material disasters" and increased Arab animosity. "I don't know what would have happened if at first there was no state and the UN ruled here, it would have been an excellent situation," Rabbi Lando stated. He also described the current relationship between the ultra-Orthodox public and the state as being "among thieves who save us," expressing a deep disconnect.

Additionally, the rabbi criticized contemporary secular Israelis, contrasting them with secular people he remembered from his youth. He lamented their lack of connection to Judaism, calling the establishment of a secular state by the Jewish people a "great desecration of God's name."