Tag: Geulah

Reflecting on Yom Ha’atzmaut-Two Lines of Inquiry from the Digital Deluge

As I reflect on this day, two distinct lines of thought emerged from the stream of digital correspondence that continually floods our lives.

Lubavitcher Communal Rabbis

Chabad, unlike the mainstream Charedi community in Israel, does not fit the typical mold. Its members contribute to society, hold jobs, and serve in the army. They are a source of uplift and encouragement to Israeli soldiers and wield significant influence. While I could do without the proliferation of Meshichist signage plastered across Israel, it’s important to recognise that Chabad is not part of the Charedi sector that refuses army service—let alone the faction that declares it would “rather die than enlist” or prefers to “leave the country in order to remain in Kollel.” In Melbourne, Chabad is integral to many Shules and has a rich, foundational history.
The Lubavitcher Rebbes, especially from the time of the Rashab onwards, have been staunchly opposed to secular Zionism. Their rhetoric has often paralleled that of the anti-Zionist Hungarian Satmar movement. This should not come as a surprise. It is entirely possible to be deeply supportive of Jewish life in Eretz Yisrael—note that Lubavitchers will typically avoid the term State of Israel—while still rejecting the idea of a secular Jewish state as a legitimate component of the Jewish worldview (Weltanschauung).

The last Lubavitcher Rebbe had at least two notable interactions regarding Yom Ha’atzmaut:

  • When Rav Moshe Tzvi Neriah, a prominent Rosh Yeshiva of the Mizrachi movement, asked the Rebbe why he did not celebrate Yom Ha’atzmaut, the Rebbe replied with a rhetorical question: “Perhaps you should ask why I don’t fast on Yom Ha’atzmaut.”
  • The Shulsinger brothers of New York, well-known printers of Jewish texts and calendars, once submitted a draft of a Chabad calendar that included Yom Ha’atzmaut on the 5th of Iyar. Rabbi Hodakov, the Rebbe’s executive secretary, struck it from the draft. When the brothers challenged the decision, arguing that the day at least deserved recognition as one of salvation, they were granted an audience with the Rebbe. In a reportedly heated exchange—audible even outside the Rebbe’s office—the Rebbe is said to have responded: not only was the founding of the State not the beginning of the Redemption, but in fact, it was delaying the Redemption.

Now, to many, none of the above is new. To others it may be surprising. My question though is to the Communal Chabad Rabbis and the members of the communities in which they lead.

“Rabbi X, do you believe that the existence of the State of Israel is an impediment to the Geulah—the Redemption—or, in Chabad preferred terminology, ‘the coming of Moshiach’?

This is not a theoretical question. Chabad Rabbis lead the following prominent Melbourne congregations: Caulfield Shule, St. Kilda Shule, Central Shule, South Caulfield Shule, two minyanim at Mizrachi Shule, Melbourne (Toorak) Shule, East Melbourne Shule, Moorabbin Shule, the Ark Centre, and Hamerkaz Shelanu. (I have not included various Chabad Houses or the Yeshivah Centre, though Hamerkaz Shelanu may well qualify as a Chabad House.)


Ask your Rabbi. I’m genuinely interested in their response.
Are we to believe that newly unfolding historical realities are irrelevant? I’ve been deeply influenced by Rav Soloveitchik, who famously parted ways with his grandfather, Reb Chaim Brisker—who shared the Rashab’s view—on this issue. Rav Soloveitchik declared:

“History has paskened against Reb Chaim”

A Rabbi Who Champions Interfaith Dialogue: Reflecting on Rabbi Ralph Genende’s Recent Statement

Rabbi Ralph Genende, formerly of Caulfield Shule, has long been a sincere advocate for interfaith harmony and respectful dialogue. His deep appreciation for Indigenous Australians is evident both in his words and in his actions. In this week’s edition of The Australian Jewish News, he wrote:

The Jewish people have a long love affair with Israel. It’s probably one of the most extended loves for a land and for a place, bar our First Peoples of Australia.

This poetic statement raises several theological questions. I want to emphasise at the outset that these questions are not meant to diminish, dispute, or relativise the deep connection that Indigenous Australians have with their land. Rather, the questions are directed at understanding how Rabbi Genende reconciles this comparison with traditional Jewish theological perspectives

  1. When did the First Peoples inhabit Australia in relation to biblical chronology?According to Jewish tradition, Adam was the first human, and ten generations later, the world was destroyed by the Flood during Noah’s time. The Midrash speaks of previous worlds created and destroyed before ours, but these are generally understood as metaphorical or spiritual realms. Is Rabbi Genende suggesting that Indigenous Australians predate or parallel the post-Adam narrative? Or does he interpret these timelines differently?
  2. Was Australia included in the Flood? The Torah (Bereishit/Genesis) describes a global flood that spared only Noah and those aboard the Ark, with the notable exception—according to some commentaries—of the Land of Israel. Would Rabbi Genende argue that Australia was also spared? Or is he aligned with those who read these descriptions allegorically?
  3. Were the First Peoples already in Australia at the time of Abraham? God’s command to Abraham to traverse the land of Israel—“for I will give it to you and your descendants”—marks a foundational moment in Jewish history. Does Rabbi Genende hold that the Indigenous connection to Australia stretches back tens of thousands of years prior to this event, and if so, how does he theologically frame that in relation to the Jewish covenantal connection to Israel?
  4. Is this view shaped by historical trends in Jewish thought? Throughout the Jewish diaspora, various ideological movements—such as the Bund and segments of Reform/Progressive Judaism—have at times been anti-Zionist, promoting ideas like Doikayt (hereness), which emphasises Jewish life wherever Jews find themselves. Could Rabbi Genende’s comparison reflect a parallel sentiment—that the Indigenous connection to Australia represents a form of “Doikayt” unmediated by exile or diaspora?
  5. How does this compare to the Orthodox Jewish perspective? Orthodox Jews pray three times a day for a return to Zion and see the Land of Israel as the eternal homeland of the Jewish people. Almost all Jews exclaim “Next Year in Jerusalem” on Pesach. I presume Rabbi Genende, even in framing his statement poetically, would acknowledge the profound and enduring depth of this bond to be at least as great as the First Nations attachment to Australia?