Why Orthodox Jews Protested Itamar Ben-Gvir’s U.S. Visit w/ Rabbi Yaakov Shapiro

On this edition of Parallax Views, Orthodox Rabbi Yaakov Shapiro — author of The Empty Wagon: Zionism’s Journey from Identity Crisis to Identity Theft — returns to unpack the theological foundations of Jewish anti-Zionism and non-Zionism. Fresh off his participation in a protest against Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's recent U.S. visit, Rabbi Shapiro explains why he believes Zionism is not only a political nationalist ideology distinct from Judaism, but one that misrepresents the Jewish people on the global stage.

We explore the historical opposition of traditional Orthodox communities to Zionist projects, tracing the evolution of Zionism from the Revisionist movement of Ze’ev Jabotinsky to the early Religious Zionism of Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook, and ultimately to the far-right nationalism of figures like Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich. We also distinguish Rabbi Shapiro’s critique from that of Orthodox anti-Zionist groups like Neturei Karta; Rabbi Shapiro's argument is based in the question of Jewish identity rather than anything eschatalogical.

Along the way, we discuss Meir Kahane and how his violent ideology culminated in his assassination; Rabbi Shapiro’s personal encounters with Kahanists in 1970s Brooklyn; and his message to left-wing Zionists — namely, his belief that left Zionism inevitably paves the way for the far right. A must-listen for anyone interested in theology, nationalism, and the contested meanings of Jewish identity.