Vårt Land: Orthodox Jews in New York Speak Out About Jewish Responsibility for Gaza Atrocities
An organization founded by Orthodox Jews is trying to initiate a dialogue about Zionism and the responsibility of the Jewish community.
By Minna Skau, Original Article from Vårt Land
NEW YORK: A mezuzah hangs on the door frame, and the bookshelves are full of books with Hebrew characters on the spines. The light switch in the bathroom is taped over, so no one accidentally turns off the light during the Sabbath.
In the living room of a private apartment on the Upper West Side in New York, 30 people are sitting, all from the neighborhood, so no one has had to go too far on a Saturday.
Everyone in the assembly sees themselves as Orthodox Jews. But tonight's debate is about something that goes against much of what is usually deeply rooted in the Jewish community: When Israel is at war, people stand together and support each other.
But as tonight's guest speaker, the American-born and now Israeli-based rabbi Zachery Truboff, puts it, there is no point in turning your eyes away from the difficult.
You can't just keep praying and doing good deeds. That would be running away from your responsibility.
It is not possible to take pictures or quote directly from tonight's debate, because it is Shabbat.
But Rabbi Truboff refers to Jewish holy scriptures and scholars in his often highly emotional remarks, in which he sets out what he sees as an existentially important debate about Judaism and Jewish nationalism, Zionism, seen in light of the war in Gaza and the Israeli government's harsh treatment of the Palestinians.
Smol Emuni
The grassroots movement HaSmol HaEmuni (The Religious Left) was established in Israel in 2023 by a mixed group of religious activists to provide a counterweight to the right-wing use of religion in the public debate about Israel, democracy, Zionism and the Palestinians.
Smol Emuni USA was founded in March 2025 by a group of Orthodox, practicing Jews in New York.
They have three areas of focus:
To create and nurture a community based on the perception of the right of all people to justice, equality and dignity.
To support the leaders of the Jewish community in synagogues and schools.
To participate in the public debate with contributions on the responsibility of Jews and on the relationship with the Israeli nation.
Rabbi Truboff says, among other things, that immediately after the terrorist attack on October 7, 2023, he himself supported the Israeli military's resolute action in Gaza.
But at the time, he also assumed that there would be certain moral red lines that the Jewish state would not cross.
He had never imagined that friends and neighbors could turn into what he calls killing machines.
A shared responsibility
Today he talks about illusions. Shattered illusions. And about responsibility. He emphasizes that even if one can justify an action to a certain extent, it does not exempt one from responsibility for the consequences.
He describes abdication of responsibility as “the original sin of Zionism,” and he says that challenging Zionism can in many ways be perceived as worse than doubting the existence of God.
He does not want to abolish Zionism and dismantle the Jewish state. But he sees a need to look at Zionism in a new light, as a result of the failure of its basic promise to protect Jews on October 7.
An elderly man in the audience notes that many of Rabbi Truboff’s points are based on the Jews’ perception of themselves as different.
That they are God’s chosen ones.
But, the man says, today’s reality shows that Israel, the Jewish state, is no different from so many other nations.
The elderly man speaks with weight.
He is Rabbi Ismar Schorsch, professor emeritus and former president of the Jewish Theological Seminary, New York’s conservative rabbinical school.
Schorsch draws what he calls “a painful parallel” to World War II, in which the Vatican did nothing to protect Jews in its own backyard and Protestants became Nazis.
He sees it as the American Jewish community’s task to prevent Judaism from being crushed by the Jewish nation-state.
Saturday's event does not aim to provide answers to such deep and painful dilemmas. It is the grassroots organization Smol Emuni's attempt to create an honest and enlightened conversation, which co-founder Esther Sperber has missed in the Jewish community.
A conversation about history, occupation, the Gaza war, Zionism and religion.
There have now been around 20 events with various guest speakers and 30–100 participants.
A full-day conference in March attracted 400 participants, and the organization has 50,000 monthly views on social media.
“We feel a real need to talk about how one can love Israel at the same time and at the same time look more critically at the current situation and the war in Gaza.
There is a feeling that, especially in the religious community, a very racist and militaristic language is used, which shows little empathy for other people. Especially for people in Gaza”, says Esther Sperber.
Different attitudes in Jewish New York
The meetings in Smol Emuni are just one small corner of the heated debate that is now stirring in the Jewish community in New York. The city is home to nearly a quarter of the estimated 7.5 million Jews in the United States.
In recent months, major universities have been the arena for the aforementioned demonstrations. A small group of ultra-Orthodox men are marching against Israel and for a free Palestine, while several weekends in a row have focused on the approximately 50 Israeli hostages still being held in Gaza.
Every Sunday morning, hundreds of people march through Central Park, with pictures of the hostages, Israeli flags and chants such as "Bring them home" and "Never again is now". Among them, tourists, joggers and cyclists pass by, amidst the crowd.
Real estate agent Shaun Kennard is confident that the Israeli army is doing everything it can to avoid civilian casualties and ensure the distribution of relief in Gaza.
“Hamas is lying and seizing relief supplies. Hamas terrorists want dead people. Dead Gazans are a kind of war currency for them,” says Kennard.
Susan Levy also participates in the demonstration. She describes the situation in Gaza as terrible, but points out that Israel's critics often overlook the almost 1,200 people who were killed in Hamas' attack on October 7, 2023.
"The left-wing media is trying to fit everything into simple boxes, portraying Israel as a powerful oppressor against poor, helpless people with dark skin. It's a total distortion of reality. Sympathy for Israel is almost nonexistent in this country now," says Levy, who as a Zionist often feels unwelcome in progressive circles.
“This is not how Jews are”
Finance tycoon Jeff Wiesenfeld, a former adviser to New York’s Democratic mayor Ed Koch and the state’s Republican governor George Pataki, sees no reason to criticize Israel’s government or military.
“Many left-wing Jews are picking up on the slander of the Jewish people and accusing us of doing things we simply don’t do. They talk about genocide and other crimes. If you know a little bit about history, you know that Jews don’t do that,” says Wiesenfeld.
Esther Sperber doesn’t know Wiesenfeld, but she herself is careful not to express her opinion about the situation in Gaza too strongly. Because of the history of the Jews, it can be difficult to have an open and unprejudiced debate when words like “genocide” and “ethnic cleansing” are used, she explains.
“We try to approach the debate from a religious, rather than a legal, perspective. But I can say without hesitation that what is happening is wrong. Genocide is a legal term, and for many Jews it's difficult to use because we immediately associate it with the Holocaust. I don't think Israel is doing it, but they are doing something terrible - and it has to be stopped," says Sperber.
Jewish commentator Ezra Klein recently wrote in The New York Times that the common understanding that has held American Jews together for generations is now crumbling. His point: "What is good for Israel is good for the Jews. Anti-Zionism is a form of anti-Semitism. Soon there will be a two-state solution that unites Zionism and liberalism."
A compassionate Jewish voice
Sperber emphasizes that Smol Emuni is neither anti-Zionist, anti-Israeli, nor automatically against the Netanyahu government. She also felt personally attacked on October 7, but believes the war has now passed a turning point and become more brutal than she can defend.
“I look at Israel with love and concern, and there is a limit to unconditional support. When Netanyahu talks about conquering the entire Gaza Strip, I have to say that it will be terrible – not only for the Palestinians, but also for Israel and for Jews all over the world,” she says.
The idea of Jews as God’s chosen people can be interpreted in several ways. It can be seen as a responsibility to act better than others, but Sperber also meets people who interpret it as Jews being more valuable than others.
Through its involvement, Smol Emuni wants to show that there are other voices in the Jewish community in the United States. The goal is also to build a community that gives Jewish leaders the courage and support to speak out in synagogues, community centers and schools.
“It is easy to find the extreme voices, but there is also a strong rabbinic tradition of humanity. Zionism was not about dominating others. Our group is therefore not only political; we try to nurture a strong, courageous and compassionate Jewish voice with deep roots in our tradition,” says Sperber.
