Neturei Karta and Anti Zionist Jews

The Neturei Karta, a small and highly controversial sect of anti-Zionist ultra-Orthodox Jews, have gained an outsized reputation due to their extremist beliefs and actions against the State of Israel. Despite their limited numbers, they've managed to make headlines by associating with Palestinian extremists and groups that hate Israel and call for its destruction, like Hamas, Hezbollah, and even figures like Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Yasser Arafat. Their staunch opposition to Zionism and advocacy for the dismantling of the world's only Jewish state has left many in the Jewish community and beyond outraged and perplexed. What could possibly drive a Jewish group like the Neturei Karta to take such an extreme stance against their own self-determination, going as far as to endorse antisemitic groups and undermine the safety and security of the Jewish community? And in light of the dangers posed by the Neturei Karta, how should the wider Jewish community confront and counteract the influence of this anti-Zionist fringe group to protect the unity and well-being of the community as a whole?

Unraveling the ideology of the Neturei Karta and revealing their origins, beliefs, and motivations sheds light on how this group has managed to capture the attention of the global community and why their message is so dangerous and divisive. The Jewish community and others need to understand that the Neturei Karta are regarded by even the most extremist Jews who still remain within the range of accepted Jewish theology as belonging outside the broader Jewish community. This is because all Jews agree that selling out their fellow Jews, in the context of both the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as well as the harm they cause by giving credibility to antisemites worldwide, is never an acceptable Jewish ideological position.

Big Ideas

1. Not all Jews are Zionists.
2. There are many ways to express theological and ideological disagreements.
3. Extremist groups can cause damage to the unity of the broader group.

Essential Questions

1. Are Jewish and Zionist views always compatible? 
2. Is there a “right way” to express theological differences?
3. In what ways can extremism harm a broader group?