A Shocking Omission From the Zionist Press

Another unfortunate example of the all-too-prevalent censorship

On the virulently anti-Zionist website, Torah True Jews, there appears the following revealing letter from Rabbi Chaim Chizkiyahu Medini, author of the Sdei Chemed:

Rabbi Chaim Chizkiyahu Medini, author of the Sdei Chemed, was also contacted by the compilers of Ohr Layesharim, and he responded with a letter against Zionism. But his letter reached Kovna too late to be included in the book. It was later discovered and published a hundred years later. Here is what he wrote:

"As far as the essence of this philosophy, I am completely opposed to it, for this false philosophy has brought physical and spiritual harm to the Jewish people. Physically, because it has caused the Jews to lose their rights to immigrate to the Holy Land. And spiritually – woe! This philosophy negates in all its followers all the hopes and promises made to the Jewish people, who wait for the coming of the true redeemer, the righteous redeemer, a spiritual redeemer, far from earthliness, who will bring us a miraculous, not natural, redemption."

It is inconceivable for such a story to be reported in the Zionist press in at least the last seventy years, or for them to claim that Zionism is a “false philosophy.” So what changed? Would Rav Medini not have said such a thing in his later years, or would it just not be reported? And if the former, would this be because he innately changed, or did he just change the kind of things he would say to people? And if the latter, would this be because Zionism has something against Rav Medini personally, or simply because Zionists censor anti-Zionist positions, an example of the phenomenon we discussed?

None of this should be taken to indicate that I or any of the other authors of Irrationalist Modoxism are anti-Zionist. This comment sums up a common chareidi position on the matter.