JTA — For 48 years, till he moved to Israel earlier this 12 months, Rabbi Yosef Blau was the “mashgiach ruchani” at Yeshiva College, a revered determine who served as a kind of non secular steering counselor to college students at Trendy Orthodoxy’s flagship seminary.
In that position, he stated this week in an interview, his job was to be “accessible to assist college students on points that trouble them, slightly than points that trouble me.”
Final week, he informed the world what was bothering him, and the world took discover. Blau, 86, is the writer of “A Name for Ethical Readability, Duty, and a Jewish Orthodox Response within the Face of the Gaza Humanitarian Disaster,” an open letter signed by 80 Orthodox rabbis. The letter forthrightly condemned Hamas, however took the Israeli authorities to job for its halting response to what many of the world sees as a starvation disaster in Gaza.
“Hamas’s sins and crimes don’t relieve the federal government of Israel of its obligations to make no matter efforts are crucial to forestall mass hunger,” the letter reads.
The letter additionally decried extremist voices in Israel, the hardening of sentiments about Palestinians, and the explosion of settler violence within the West Financial institution. However not like the rising variety of related statements launched by non-Orthodox denominations and different Jewish teams, the letter was written by and for an viewers of Trendy Orthodox Jews, on stability the staunchest defenders of Israel among the many main Jewish actions.
“This second calls for a special voice — one grounded in our deepest Jewish values and knowledgeable by our traumatic historical past of being victims of persecution,” the letter reads. “Orthodox Jewry, as a few of Israel’s most devoted supporters, bears a novel ethical duty.”
The media handled the letter as a tipping level within the inside Jewish dismay over the warfare in Gaza — Blau stated he was “shocked” that The New York Times wrote about it. The letter additionally sparked a passionate, typically indignant debate amongst Blau’s fellow Orthodox Jews, particularly those that are likely to determine with the “spiritual Zionist” camp that weds spiritual piety with a deeply nationalist view of Israel.
Illustrative photograph of Yeshiva College college students learning within the faculty’s library in New York, Thursday, December 12, 2019. (AP Photograph/Luis Andres Henao)
Whereas the letter was cheered by teams like Smol Emuni US, which represents Orthodox and in any other case observant liberal Zionists, and by particular person Orthodox and non-Orthodox Zionists who’ve been vital of the Israeli authorities, the critics have been vocal. They accused the writer and the signers of representing a fringe inside Orthodoxy, aping the criticism of NGOs and governments hostile to Israel, and providing aid, comfort and talking points to Israel’s enemies.
This week Blau was again in his workplace at Yeshiva College’s Higher Manhattan campus, the place he nonetheless has a volunteer position counseling college students when he isn’t at his new house in Jerusalem. In a current dialog with the Jewish Telegraphic Company, he responded to his critics, defined why he wrote the letter and talked about his lifetime attachment to non secular Zionism and the place he thinks the motion has gone incorrect.
Raised in Borough Park, Brooklyn, in a non-Hasidic Orthodox household, Blau attended the Yeshiva College Excessive College for Boys when it was positioned in Brooklyn. He acquired his bachelor’s diploma from Yeshiva Faculty and his rabbinic ordination from its Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary. In 1977, he was appointed mashgiach ruchani by Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik, maybe crucial Trendy Orthodox determine of his period, and Rabbi Norman Lamm, Yeshiva College’s longtime president.
Rabbi Yosef Blau (YouTube screenshot)
From 2005 to 2017, Blau served as president of the Spiritual Zionists of America.
The dialog was edited for size and readability.
Inform me in regards to the timing of the letter. What compelled you to put in writing it, and what have been you hoping and nonetheless hope its affect could be?
It’s been on my thoughts for a while. I had [moved to Israel] about 4 or 5 months in the past. I didn’t need to write issues as quickly as I received to Israel, and needed to get extra of a taste of issues. Somebody, I’m not going to say his title, contacted me and a bunch of rabbaim [rabbis], and he was involved, I feel precisely, that the impression was that the Orthodox neighborhood, particularly the Orthodox rabbinate, was the exception to the priority in regards to the starvation in Gaza. He needed to collect collectively the totally different rabbis that he knew who felt in another way. I picked up the problem and wrote up a press release.
One criticism of the letter says that by urging Israel to “make no matter efforts are crucial to forestall mass hunger,” you have been accepting the judgment of NGOs or Hamas that there was the truth is hunger in Gaza and contradicting the Israeli authorities. What made you assured of the details on the bottom to speak about Israel’s “ethical duty” on this regard?
Sure, you don’t belief Hamas, however Israel doesn’t permit reporters in to offer an alternate view. Each bit of data that I’ve been in a position to verify, and I learn various things, and I take heed to experiences from docs, is that it’s a disaster. How profound is the disaster? I don’t actually know, however definitely it’s a disaster, and the truth that Israel selected to struggle in a fashion that concerned destroying 70% of the houses in Gaza, destroying all of the hospitals, whether or not it was crucial or not, has an affect on the flexibility of individuals to feed themselves. They don’t have their houses, they don’t have entry to treatment and to docs. There’s no economic system, so objectively to say that there’s starvation makes excellent sense. It’s onerous to think about that there isn’t. And in response you have got all these statements popping out, and never from the Orthodox neighborhood.
Palestinian girls and women prolong their empty pots to obtain cooked rice from a charity kitchen in Gaza Metropolis on August 23, 2025. (Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)
Some critics additionally cost, regardless that the signatories embody the chief rabbis of Denmark and Poland and quite a lot of revered Trendy Orthodox thinkers and students, that the signers embody fringe figures and few pulpit rabbis, and in consequence the letter doesn’t symbolize the bulk or mainstream views. As one critic put it, “I don’t fairly see their signatures on this letter as compelling or consultant of a genuinely Orthodox place.” How do you reply?
Two issues. Primary, it’s true. Tactically, it may have been completed in another way, and it has lots of people who’re on the left fringe of Orthodoxy. However there are lots of rabbis who agree, however who can’t signal, as a result of it’s controversial of their congregations.
However we by no means claimed to talk for everyone. I imply, that’s an odd criticism, proper? These are the individuals who signed. You say that they symbolize solely a fraction — OK, so perhaps they replicate a fraction. We by no means stated we’re talking on behalf of all people else. So it’s a criticism of one thing that was by no means claimed within the first place.
These are the individuals who signed. You say that they symbolize solely a fraction — OK, so perhaps they replicate a fraction. We by no means stated we’re talking on behalf of all people else
The criticism that I feel I’ve seen essentially the most is that this: that by becoming a member of in criticism of the Israeli authorities, it’s giving succor, help and luxury to Israel’s enemies, and undermining Israeli morale. What do you say to such criticism?
I’m dwelling in Israel. There are demonstrations in Israel each day towards the federal government, proper? It’s the energy of Israel that it’s a democratic nation, that individuals have totally different views, not an indication of weak point. There’s nothing within the letter that’s greater than folks say in Israel on a regular basis, and [are found in] many different letters which have already gone out. I discover that one disingenuous, as a result of this is happening anyway.
Quantity two, I feel it strengthens Israel, and I’ll let you know precisely why. Israel’s picture on this planet has suffered dramatically on this warfare, and I’m not speaking in regards to the open antisemites. I’m not speaking in regards to the supporters of Hamas. I’m speaking in regards to the broader Western world. I’m speaking about all of the research that present Individuals underneath a sure age are not sympathetic to Israel. And what I personally suspect, although I don’t say so with the identical degree of certainty, is that this [decline in support for Israel] is occurring inside the Jewish world by way of the age hole, and starting to occur within the Orthodox world.
I feel it’s vital that individuals who self-identify as Zionists say, “We’re Zionists. We help the State of Israel. We’re sad about sure issues happening in Israel now.” We expect that strengthens the tie with Israel, slightly than weakens it.
Let me go one step additional. There are goal causes to consider that the middle of Jewish life has shifted to Israel, not solely by way of the variety of Jews, however within the nature of how Judaism is being perceived on this planet. It’s affecting the way forward for Judaism. I take a look at Israel right this moment, and I say, if I’m a younger Israeli, “I’m not coming from the spiritual world. And I take a look at spiritual Jewry in Israel. I see them within the political course of. I see the Haredim not serving within the military and taking cash from the federal government. I see the spiritual Zionists being the extremists within the authorities. So what do I feel Judaism stands for — our exclusivity? I don’t see a Judaism that stands for ethical values that I can determine with.”
And that’s what issues me, maybe greater than the rapid scenario. And due to this fact, I need to make certain that Judaism a minimum of presents a special mannequin, even when it’s a minority mannequin at this level. We’ve got to current what I feel is a mannequin of Judaism that different folks can determine with.
Your letter not solely talks in regards to the starvation disaster in Gaza, however additionally the explosion of settler violence within the West Financial institution. You’ve got beforehand been vocal in regards to the scenario there, and that Israel too seldom punishes the perpetrators. Did you have got qualms about particularly calling out fellow spiritual Zionists?
Masked settlers filmed throughout an assault on the Palestinian village of Qawawis within the southern West Financial institution on August 26, 2025. (Display seize/X)
It’s coming from inside the spiritual Zionist world. What significantly issues me is the position of the rabbinate within the spiritual Zionist world. Now, with regards to Jewish violence, there have been individuals who have spoken out, distinguished folks, however definitely it’s not the principle thrust. In actual fact, strikingly, after I wrote a blog in the Times of Israel about the violence, I received a response from a prominent rabbi who was part of the Chief Rabbinate attacking me by name.
He was among the many critics who stated that the violent settlers are a tiny minority of the motion as a complete, and that the letter tarred the Orthodox majority with the novel actions of some. How deep do you assume this radicalism goes inside the spiritual Zionist mainstream?
It’s coming from an excessive aspect. There’s little question it’s not coming from all of the settlers. Nonetheless, it’s a rising phenomenon, and it’s moved from revenge for particular Palestinian terrorist assaults to the place the initiative comes from teams working to drive Palestinians to run away, to go away their villages. And it’s not a authorities coverage, it’s not accepted by the federal government, however the components within the authorities which might be most sympathetic to it, once more, come from spiritual Zionism. It’s [Itamar] Ben Gvir and [Bezalel] Smotrich which might be the weather that look the opposite approach. [Ben Gvir is the minister of national security from the far-right nationalist Jewish Power party, and Smotrich, the finance minister, heads a party called Religious Zionists; both are considered members of the religious Zionist camp.]
So I felt it was necessary to talk up on that as effectively, and that’s why the 2 components received included within the assertion.
Ben Gvir represents a non secular Zionism that could be very totally different from the one which I consider in. They’ve captured the spiritual Zionist world, a minimum of politically, and it issues me significantly that their mentality has been the intense within the authorities.
Nationwide Safety Minister Itamar Ben Gvir visits the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Outdated Metropolis, April 2, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
How so?
One is by way of how we reply to the noncombatant inhabitants in Gaza. To me, the ethical perspective is that you simply do minimal injury to noncombatants. And if there’s a world customary, we do higher than the world customary. That’s what Israel stands for. And due to this fact, when there’s a battle about offering humanitarian help, and if there’s a query about, effectively, how a lot hunger is happening, we do higher than merely deny it.
They’ve additionally explicitly stated that Palestinians ought to starve as a result of they’re all Hamas. [In July, Ben Gvir denied a real hunger crisis in Gaza and posted on X, “I support starving Hamas in Gaza.”]
So this, to me, is a battle that must be fought, even when I’m going to lose, it must be fought. However we have now to watch out right here. I’m speaking about officers. There are spiritual Zionists who aren’t within the Knesset and span the political spectrum.
To me, the ethical perspective is that you simply do minimal injury to noncombatants. And if there’s a world customary, we do higher than the world customary. That’s what Israel stands for
Nonetheless, you see a motion that as a complete has shifted effectively to the best, right?
Very a lot it shifted. It goes again to proper after the Six Day Warfare, to after the Yom Kippur Warfare, and the emergence of Gush Emunim [the vanguard of the religious settlement movement]. It’s a non secular Zionism primarily based on an understanding of Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook [the first Ashkenazi chief rabbi of pre-state Palestine] as interpreted by his son [Zvi Yehuda Kook, the dean of the Mercaz HaRav yeshiva], with a really sturdy nationalistic motif, with the universalism of the unique Rav Kook performed down, and really messianic.
Actually the spiritual Zionists in America revered Rav Kook, however we come from a special mentality, a very totally different mentality, a a lot much less mystical, far more rationalistic Judaism. I spent a few years as a pupil of Rabbi [Joseph] Soloveitchik, and whereas I don’t like quoting anybody who’s not alive and might’t contradict you, his mentality was not seeing Israel in messianic phrases, however in very sensible phrases, and being very involved about what it means to be the facility and the hazards of energy to Jewish life.
Once I was president of the RZA, I knew I used to be to the left of many of the different folks within the group that I used to be president of. I’m sufficiently old to recollect and have identified Meir Kahane [founder of the Jewish Defense League]. He was my age. I’m very conversant in the mentality of Meir Kahane, and we all the time rejected it. It was rejected as excessive.
Why do you assume spiritual Zionism made that rightward lurch?
The Bible says, within the Messianic interval, we’re going to return to the total territory of Israel, and due to this fact it’s very territorial. That’s the important thing to it. Should you’re messianic, you then’re not alleged to have the Arabs there.
In distinction, you have got the writings of Rabbi [Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog, the Ashkenazi chief rabbi of the British Mandate of Palestine and of Israel after its creation in 1948]. And he writes from a halachic [Jewish legal] perspective why we have now to permit full minority rights — which, by the way in which, is way simpler with Muslims than with Christians, from a halachic perspective, as a result of the Muslims are monotheists, and conventional Christianity has the Trinity. We’ve got to just accept that as actuality. We’ve got to discover a way of life with the Palestinians. The notion of expelling them is horrendous. It shouldn’t even be in our vocabulary — that’s my feeling. I can’t clarify why different folks have gone in several instructions.
We’ve got to discover a way of life with the Palestinians. The notion of expelling them is horrendous. It shouldn’t even be in our vocabulary
I need to ask about your position as mashgiach ruchani at Yeshiva College, which we normally translate as “non secular adviser.” How do you outline that position?
I interpret the job as somebody who is on the market to assist college students with points that trouble them, slightly than points that trouble me. Primarily they’ve spiritual, theological, private points on their thoughts, they usually need to discuss them. I attempted to make myself accessible to them with out attempting to drive concepts upon them. I don’t discuss politics, right here or in Israel.
To me, a significant life means a life with values. We discuss to our college students about how they behave within the office, for instance, as a result of what they do displays on Judaism, and I really feel very strongly about that. I need to work with the scholars to assist them with this. My explicit strategy is to not lecture them. That is uncommon for me, to put in writing statements.
A pedestrian on the campus of Yeshiva College in New York Metropolis on August 30, 2022. (Spencer Platt/Getty Pictures)
What has been most stunning to you in regards to the response to the letter? Has something particularly disenchanted you?
What has stunned me has been the extent of media curiosity. I used to be shocked by the New York Occasions article. I used to be referred to as to be on a podcast with Ha’aretz. Somebody from Reshet Guess [a popular Israeli radio channel] referred to as me this morning to reply. I agreed to talk Saturday evening on a radio broadcast [“Talkline” with Zev Brenner] the place I do know the viewers goes to be hostile. I’m open to this dialogue.
I’ve had different folks say, as we mentioned, that I made a tactical mistake by being related to folks on the perimeter of Orthodoxy, which might be right tactically.
In any other case, the non-public feedback I’ve gotten have been basically optimistic. My spouse had one in all our neighbors in Jerusalem within the condominium on Friday, simply after I left for the US and my spouse wasn’t in a position to go along with me due to some sickness within the household. The neighbor got here downstairs to offer her flowers as a result of she’s so enthusiastic about what I wrote.
Is there something you needed so as to add that we haven’t touched on?
You recognize, there are two benefits of being my age. One, for those who’re retired, nobody can fireplace you.
And secondly, hopefully I’ve been round lengthy sufficient that individuals know who I’m, in order that they take what I say within the context of what they find out about me. If I have been 25 years outdated and I made a press release, there could be no context, proper? If you’re 86 and also you make a press release, there’s a context.
The views and opinions expressed on this article are these of the writer and don’t essentially replicate the views of JTA or its mum or dad firm, 70 Faces Media.
