True Torah Jews' Statement on Jerusalem

    NEW YORK, Nov. 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following statement is
 being issued by True Torah Jews.
 
     In anticipation of the American-sponsored peace conference next month
 between the State of Israel and the Palestinian Authority, certain Modern
 Orthodox Jewish groups, including the Orthodox Union, the National
 Conference of Young Israel and the Rabbinical Council of America, have
 joined forces to protest against any potential Israeli concessions on
 Jerusalem. They "respectfully remind the American sponsors that Jerusalem
 is not merely a piece of territory. Since Biblical times Jerusalem has been
 and remains central to Jewish faith and practice." Rabbi Pesach Lerner of
 Young Israel stated that "world Jewry opposes Israeli negotiations which
 would include any discussion of ceding sovereignty over part or all of
 Jerusalem."
 
     This militant Zionist position does unfortunately represent Modern
 Orthodoxy, a movement that is characterized by Jews bending Jewish law to
 fit their modern agenda. However, it is inaccurate to say that it
 represents world Jewry. World Jewry includes hundreds of thousands of more
 traditionally Orthodox Jews who do not see any inherent value in Jewish
 sovereignty over Jerusalem or any other place. Most of these Jews, in fact,
 see the Zionist occupation of the Holy Land as a terrible sin and a
 misfortune.
 
     Rabbi Hersh Lowenthal, spokesman for True Torah Jews, explained the
 traditional Jewish position. "Jews recite in their prayers, 'Because of our
 sins we were exiled from our land, and we are unable to ascend, appear and
 bow before You in the Temple.' We affirm that the exile was a Divine
 decree, and that during exile we have no right to sovereignty over the
 ancient Jewish holy sites. The Talmud (Kesubos 111a) forbids Jews to wage
 wars or take over the Holy Land; we must only wait for the Messianic era,
 when G-d will bring peace to all humanity. These principles, which were
 once clear to all Jews, have apparently been forgotten by the Modern
 Orthodox movement."
 
     Torah Jews praise the efforts of President Bush and his administration
 to bring about peace in the Middle East. The Torah teaches that Jews must
 maintain a peaceful relationship with all nations among whom they live. To
 use the Jewish religion as a reason to oppose peace is nothing less than a
 falsification of Judaism.
 
     We continue to pray for the safety and security of all Jews and
 non-Jews in the Holy Land.
 
     Additional information concerning the position of the anti-Zionist
 Orthodox Jews may be found at http://www.truetorahjews.org.
 
 
 
 

SOURCE True Torah Jews