Neturei Karta

Neturei Karta (Jewish Babylonian Aramaic: ‫ נ ָטוֹר ֵי קַר ְתָּא‬nāṭōrē

qarṯā, literally "Guardians of the City") is a religious group of Haredi Neturei Karta
Jews, formally created in Jerusalem, British Mandate of Palestine, in ‫נטורי קרתא‬
1938, splitting off from Agudas Yisrael. Neturei Karta opposes
Zionism and calls for a "peaceful dismantling" of the State of Israel, in
the belief that Jews are forbidden to have their own state until the
coming of the Jewish Messiah and that the state of Israel is a rebellion
against God.[2][3] While the Neturei Karta describe themselves as true
traditional Jews, the more secular US-based Jewish Anti-Defamation
League has described them as "the farthest fringes of Judaism".[4]

In Israel some members also pray at affiliated beit midrash, in Neturei Karta members at a rally in
Jerusalem's Meah Shearim neighborhood and in Ramat Beit Shemesh support of Palestine
Bet. Neturei Karta states that no official count of the number of
Formation 1938 (83 years ago)
members exists.[5] The Jewish Virtual Library puts their numbers at
5,000,[6] while the Anti-Defamation League estimates that fewer than Type INGO
100 members of the community take part in anti-Israel activism.[4] Purpose Haredi Judaism, Anti-
According to the Anti-Defamation League, members of Neturei Karta Zionist activism
have a long history of "extremist statements" and support for notable
Key Moshe Ber Beck (d.
anti-Zionists and Islamists.[4] people 2021),[1] Yisroel Dovid
According to the US branch of Neturei Karta: Weiss

The name Neturei Karta is a name usually given to those

people who regularly pray in the Neturei Karta
synagogues (Torah Ve'Yirah Jerusalem, Torah U'Tefillah
London, Torah U'Tefillah NY, Beis Yehudi Upstate NY,
etc.), study in or send their children to educational
institutions run by Neturei Karta, or actively participate in
activities, assemblies or demonstrations called by the
Neturei Karta.[7]

Contents
Origin of the name
History
Neturei Karta synagogue and study
Beliefs hall in Jerusalem
Factionalism
Relations with the Palestinians
Relations with Iran and President Mahmoud
Ahmedinejad
Tehran Holocaust Conference
 2008 Mumbai attack on Nariman House
Sikrikim
See also
References
Further reading
External links

Origin of the name

Originally the organization was called Chevrat HaChayim (Society of Life); however this name was quickly
supplanted in favor of the name Neturei Karta.

The name Neturei Karta literally means "Guardians of the City" in Aramaic and is derived from a narrative on
page 76c of Tractate Hagigah in the Jerusalem Talmud. There it is related that Rabbi Judah haNasi sent two
rabbis on a tour of inspection:

In one town they asked to see the "guardians of the city" and the city guard was paraded before
them. They said that these were not the guardians of the city but its destroyers, which prompted
the citizens to ask who, then, could be considered the guardians. The rabbis answered, "The
scribes and the scholars," referring them to Tehillim (Psalms) Chapter 127.[7]

It is this role that Neturei Karta see themselves as fulfilling by defending what they believe is "the position of
the Torah and authentic unadulterated Judaism."[7]

History
Generally, members of Neturei Karta are descendants of Hungarian Jews and Lithuanian Jews who were
students of the Gaon of Vilna (known as Perushim) who had settled in Jerusalem in the early nineteenth
century. In the late nineteenth century, their ancestors participated in the creation of new neighborhoods
outside the city walls to alleviate overcrowding in the Old City, and most are now concentrated in the
neighborhood of Batei Ungarin and the larger Meah Shearim neighborhood.

At the time, they were vocal opponents to the new political ideology of Zionism that was attempting to assert
Jewish sovereignty in Ottoman-controlled Palestine. They resented the new arrivals, who were predominantly
non-religious, while they asserted that Jewish redemption could be brought about only by the Jewish messiah.

Neturei Karta was founded by Rabbi Amram Blau and Rabbi Aharon Katzenelbogen. Rabbi Blau was a
native of Meah Shearim in Jerusalem and was active in the Agudat Israel during the British Mandate era.[8]
However, by the 1930s, the Aguda began to adopt a more compromising and accommodationist approach to
the Zionist movement. This caused Rabbi Blau to split with the Aguda in 1937 and cofound Chevrat
HaChayim (with Rabbi Katzenelbogen), which was soon to be known thereafter as Neturei Karta.[9]

Other Orthodox Jewish movements, including some who oppose Zionism, have denounced the activities of
the radical branch of Neturei Karta. According to The Guardian, "[e]ven among Haredi, or ultra-Orthodox
circles, the Neturei Karta are regarded as a wild fringe".[10] Neturei Karta is sometimes confused with Satmar,
due to both being anti-Zionist; however, they are separate groups and have had disagreements. For example,
Satmar criticized Neturei Karta for attending a 2006 holocaust revisionist conference in Iran.[11] Neturei Karta
asserts that the mass media deliberately downplays their viewpoint
and makes them out to be few in number. Their protests in America
are usually attended by, at most, a few dozen people. In Israel, the
group's protests typically attract several hundred participants,
depending on the nature of the protest and its location.[12]

In July 2013, the Shin Bet arrested a 46-year-old member of Neturei

Karta for allegedly attempting to spy on Israel for Iran. As part of a
plea deal, the man was sentenced to 41 ⁄2 years in prison.[13] Neturei
Karta has denied that he had ever been a member of their group.[14] Members of Neturei Karta at the
Quds Day protests in Berlin 2014
Neturei Karta's website states that its members "frequently
participate[s] in public burning of the Israeli flag." On the Jewish
holiday of Purim, Neturei Karta members have routinely burned
Israeli flags in celebrations in cities such as London, Brooklyn and Jerusalem.[15][16][17][18][19]

While many in Neturei Karta chose to simply ignore the State of Israel, this has become more difficult. Some
took steps to condemn Israel and bring about its eventual dismantling until the coming of the Messiah. Chief
among these was Moshe Hirsch, leader of an activist branch of Neturei Karta, who served in Yasser Arafat's
cabinet as Minister for Jewish Affairs.[20]

Beliefs
Neturei Karta stress what is said in the mussaf Shemona Esrei ("The
Standing Prayer") of Yom Tov, that because of their sins, the Jewish
people went into exile from the Land of Israel ("umipnei chatoeinu
golinu meiartzeinu "). Additionally, they maintain the view – based on
the Babylonian Talmud[21] – that any form of forceful recapture of the
Land of Israel is a violation of divine will. They believe that the
restoration of the Land of Israel to the Jews should happen only with
the coming of the Messiah, not by self-determination.

Neturei Karta believe that the exile of the Jews can end only with the Neturei Karta members at an event
arrival of the Messiah, and that human attempts to establish Jewish in Boston, Massachusetts
sovereignty over the Land of Israel are sinful. In Neturei Karta's view,
Zionism is a presumptuous affront against God. Chief among their
arguments against Zionism is the Talmudic concept of the so-called Three Oaths, extracted from the discussion
of certain portions of the Bible. It states that a pact consisting of three oaths was made between God, the
Jewish people, and the nations of the world, when the Jews were sent into exile. One provision of the pact was
that the Jews would not rebel against the non-Jewish world that gave them sanctuary; a second was that they
would not immigrate en masse to the Land of Israel. In return, the gentile nations promised not to persecute the
Jews. By rebelling against this pact, they argued, the Jewish people were engaging in rebellion against God.

The Neturei Karta synagogues follow the customs of the Gaon of Vilna, due to Neturei Karta's origin within
the Lithuanian rather than Hasidic branch of ultra-Orthodox Judaism. Neturei Karta is not a Hasidic but a
Litvish group; they are often mistaken for Hasidim because their style of dress (including a shtreimel on
Shabbos) is very similar to that of Hasidim. This style of dress is not unique to Neturei Karta, but is also the
style of other Jerusalem Litvaks, such as Rabbi Yosef Sholom Eliashiv and his followers. Furthermore,
Shomer Emunim, a Hasidic group with a similar anti-Zionist ideology, is often bundled together with Neturei
Karta. Typically, the Jerusalem Neturei Karta will keep the customs of the "Old Yishuv " of the city of
Jerusalem even when living outside of Jerusalem or even when living abroad, as a demonstration of their love
for and connection to the Holy Land.
Factionalism
In the United States, the Neturei Karta were led by Moshe Ber Beck
of Monsey, New York until his death in 2021. They affiliate with the
radical branch that was led by Moshe Hirsch. Beck had courted
controversy by meeting with Nation of Islam leader Minister Louis
Farrakhan,[22][11] who has been accused of inciting antisemitism and
of describing Judaism as a "gutter religion" (although Farrakhan
insists his words were misinterpreted).[23] In addition, after meeting
with the representatives from Neturei Karta, Farrakhan indicated he
would be more cautious in his choice of words in the future.[24]

Relations with the Palestinians

After two men associated with the radical branch of Neturei Karta
participated in a 2004 prayer vigil for Yasser Arafat outside the Percy
Military Hospital in Paris, France, where he lay on his death bed,[25]
the radical branch of Neturei Karta was widely condemned by other Condemnation poster, or pashkvil
Orthodox Jewish organizations, including many other anti-Zionist
Haredi organizations both in New York and Jerusalem. Moshe
Hirsch, and what Hirsch's faction described as an "impressive
contingent" of other members, attended Arafat's funeral in Ramallah.

Almost a year after the Gaza War a group of Neturei Karta members
crossed into Gaza as part of the Gaza Freedom March to celebrate
Jewish Shabbos to show support for Palestinians in the Hamas ruled
enclave.[26][27]

Relations with Iran and President Mahmoud

Ahmedinejad

In October 2005, Neturei Karta leader Rabbi Yisroel Dovid Weiss On September 7, 2006 in Trafalgar
issued a statement criticising Jewish attacks on Iranian President Square, London
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Weiss wrote that Ahmadinejad's statements
were not "indicative of anti-Jewish sentiments", but rather, "a
yearning for a better, more peaceful world", and "re-stating the beliefs and statements of Ayatollah Khomeini,
who always emphasized and practiced the respect and protection of Jews and Judaism."[28]

In March 2006, several members of a Neturei Karta's faction visited Iran where they met with Iranian leaders,
including the Vice-President, and praised Ahmadinejad for calling for the Zionist regime occupying Jerusalem
to vanish from the pages of time. The spokesmen commented that they shared Ahmadinejad's aspiration for "a
disintegration of the Israeli government".[29] In an interview with Iranian television reporters, Rabbi Weiss
remarked: "The Zionists use the Holocaust issue to their benefit. We, Jews who perished in the Holocaust, do
not use it to advance our interests. We stress that there are hundreds of thousands Jews around the world who
identify with our opposition to the Zionist ideology and who feel that Zionism is not Jewish, but a political
agenda. ... What we want is not a withdrawal to the '67 borders, but to everything included in it, so the country
can go back to the Palestinians and we could live with them ..."[30]

Tehran Holocaust Conference

In December 2006, members of Neturei Karta, including Yisroel Dovid Weiss, attended the International
Conference to Review the Global Vision of the Holocaust, a controversial conference being held in Tehran,
Iran that attracted a number of high-profile Holocaust deniers.[31]

In his speech, Weiss explained that the occurrence of the Nazi Holocaust was irrefutable and spoke about the
murder of his own grandparents at Auschwitz, but claimed that Zionists had "collaborated with the Nazis" and
"thwarted...efforts to save...Jews" and expressed solidarity with the Iranian position of anti-Zionism.[32] Rabbi
Yonah Metzger, the Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi of Israel, immediately called for those who went to Tehran to be
put into 'cherem', a form of excommunication.[33] Subsequently, the Satmar Hassidism court called on Jews
"to keep away from them and condemn their actions".[34]

On 21 December, the Edah HaChareidis rabbinical council of Jerusalem also released a statement calling on
the public to distance itself from those who went to Iran. The Edah's statement followed, in major lines, the
Satmar statement released a few days earlier.[35] In January 2007, a group of protesters stood outside the
radical Neturei Karta synagogue in Monsey, New York, demanding that they leave Monsey and move to Iran.
Neturei Karta and their sympathisers from Monsey's Orthodox community responded with a counter-
protest.[36]

2008 Mumbai attack on Nariman House

One of the targets of the 2008 Mumbai attacks was the Nariman House, which was operated by the Jewish
Chabad movement. Neturei Karta subsequently issued a leaflet criticising the Chabad movement for its
relations with "the filthy, deplorable traitors – the cursed Zionists that are your friends." It added that the
Chabad movement has been imbued with "false national sentiment" and criticised the organisation for
allowing all Jews to stay in its centres, without differentiating "between good and evil, right and wrong, pure
and impure, a Jew and a person who joins another religion, a believer and a heretic." The leaflet also criticised
the invitation of Israeli state officials to the funerals of the victims, claiming that they "uttered words of heresy
and blasphemy." The leaflet concluded that "the road [Chabad] have taken is the road of death and it leads to
doom, assimilation and the uprooting of the Torah."[37][38]

Sikrikim

A radical breakaway faction[39] called Sikrikim is based in Israel, mainly in Jerusalem and Beit Shemesh. The
group's engagement in acts of vandalism, "mafia-like intimidation" and violent protests caused several people,
including authority figures, to push for officially labeling them as a terrorist group, along with Neturei
Karta.[40][41]

See also
Moshe Ber Beck
Yisroel Dovid Weiss
Jacob Israël de Haan
Yossele Schumacher affair

References
1. Editor, Y. W. (16 April 2021). "Neturei Karta Leader Moshe Ber Beck Dies In Monsey" (https://w
ww.theyeshivaworld.com/news/featured/1965320/neturei-karta-leader-moshe-ber-beck-dies-in-
monsey.html). The Yeshiva World. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
 2. Neturei Karta (https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/nk.html) at Jewish Virtual
Library
3. www.nkusa.org, Judaism is not Zionism (http://www.nkusa.org/AboutUs/Zionism/judaism_isnot
_zionism.cfm) Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20070415203350/http://www.nkusa.org/A
boutUs/Zionism/judaism_isnot_zionism.cfm) 2007-04-15 at the Wayback Machine
4. "Neturei Karta: What is it?" (https://web.archive.org/web/20121029025033/http://www.adl.org/ex
tremism/karta/). Anti-Defamation League. December 14, 2006. Archived from the original (http://
www.adl.org/extremism/karta/) on 2012-10-29.
5. Odenheimer, Micha (Spring 2006). "We Will Not Obey. We Will Not Follow" (https://web.archiv
e.org/web/20110711133036/http://www.guiltandpleasure.com/index.php?site=rebootgp&page=
gp_article&id=17). Guilt & Pleasure. 2: 71–77. Archived from the original (http://www.guiltandpl
easure.com/index.php?site=rebootgp&page=gp_article&id=17) on July 11, 2011. Retrieved
May 7, 2010.
6. Neturei Karta (https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/nk.html)
7. What is the Neturei Karta? (http://www.nkusa.org/aboutus/index.cfm) (NKUSA) Accessed:
December 24, 2006
8. Zimmer, Uriel. "The Guardians of the City" (http://www.nkusa.org/Books/Publications/guardian
s.cfm). Neturei Karta International. Retrieved 2007-01-22.
9. Rabbi Amram Blau Founder of the Neturei Karta Movement: An Abridged Biography. Motti
Inbari, Hebrew Union College Annual, Vol. 81 (2010), pp. 11-12.
10. In a state over Israel (https://www.theguardian.com/religion/Story/0,2763,846993,00.html) by
Simon Rocker (The Guardian) November 25, 2002
11. Alan T. Levenson (12 March 2012). The Wiley-Blackwell History of Jews and Judaism (https://b
ooks.google.com/books?id=KgJtcvs7ObAC&pg=PT455). John Wiley & Sons. p. 455.
ISBN 978-1-118-23293-4. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
12. Connections Magazine "In 'Honor' of Yom Haatzmaut: A Few RBS Haredim Wore Sackcloth
and Hung Palestinian Flags" Temura, 1 May 2006
13. "Israeli Neturei Karta member sentenced for spying for Iran" (http://www.jta.org/2014/01/28/new
s-opinion/israel-middle-east/israeli-neturei-karta-member-sentenced-for-spying-for-iran).
Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 28 January 2014. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
14. http://nkusa.org/articles/slander.cfm
15. Public burning of the Israeli flag (http://www.nkusa.org/activities/demonstrations/israeliflag.cfm)
at NKI International website.
16. neturei karta photos (http://mediagallery.usatoday.com/Neturei+Karta) by Sebastian Scheiner,
Associated Press, November 20, 2007, available at USA Today Photos.
17. Neturei Karta burn Israeli flags in Jerusalem (http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-38562
90,00.html) by Kobi Nahshoni, Ynet news, March 2, 2010.
18. Conference of Presidents: Time to cut off Neturei Karta (http://www.timesofisrael.com/conferenc
e-of-presidents-time-to-cut-off-neturei-karta/) by Ron Friedman, Times of Israel, April 4, 2012.
19. Neturei Karta Spy for Iran Sentenced to Four Years in Jail (http://www.jewishpress.com/news/ht
tpwww-jewishpress-comwp-adminmedia-new-php/2014/01/28/) by Tzvi Ben-Gedalyahu,
Jewish Press, January 28, 2014.
20. J. Gordon Melton; Martin Baumann (21 September 2010). Religions of the World, Second
Edition: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices (https://books.google.com/bo
oks?id=v2yiyLLOj88C&pg=PA2066). ABC-CLIO. p. 2066. ISBN 978-1-59884-204-3. Retrieved
7 January 2013.
21. Talmud, Tractate Kesubos, 111a
22. Third meeting held between Nation of Islam and rabbis (http://www.finalcall.com/national/noi_r
abbis1-11-2000.htm) by Saeed Shabazz (Final Call) January 11, 2000.
23. "Minister Farrakhan rebuts fraudulent "Judaism is a Gutter Religion" canard" (http://www.noi.or
g/statements/rift/Wanniski12-22-1997.htm). The Nation of Islam. December 22, 1997.
24. Exile and Redemption: The Torah Approach (http://www.nkusa.org/Books/Publications/exilean
dredemption.cfm) Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20060906100523/http://www.nkusa.or
g/Books/Publications/exileandredemption.cfm) 2006-09-06 at the Wayback Machine by a
Friend of Neturei Karta (NKUSA) February, 2000.
25. Elaine Sciolino (November 11, 2004). "Arafat's Followers Kept Solemn Vigil Outside Hospital
in France" (https://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/11/international/europe/11vigil.html?_r=0). New
York Times. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
26. "Anti-Zionist ultra-Orthodox Jews celebrate Sabbath in Gaza" (http://www.haaretz.com/news/an
ti-zionist-ultra-orthodox-jews-celebrate-sabbath-in-gaza-1.265558). Haaretz. January 1, 2010.
27. "Ultra-Orthodox Jews make rare visit to Gaza," (http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-382
8351,00.html) Associated Press, Published: 01.01.10, www.ynetnews.com
28. The Orthodox Jewish response to the criticism of the Iranian President (statement for Al Q'uds
Day) (http://www.nkusa.org/activities/Statements/2005Oct28Iran.cfm) (NKUSA) October 28,
2005.
29. Freund, Michael (March 6, 2006). "Neturei Karta Sect Pays Visit to Iran" (https://www.jpost.com/
Jewish-World/Jewish-News/Neturei-Karta-sect-pays-visit-to-Iran). The Jerusalem Post.
Retrieved January 4, 2019.
30. Neturei Karta in Iran: Zionists use Holocaust (http://www.ynetnews.com/Ext/Comp/ArticleLayou
t/CdaArticlePrintPreview/1,2506,L-3226600,00.html) by Roee Nahmias (YNetNews) March 12,
2006
31. Why are Jews at the 'Holocaust denial' conference? (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/maga
zine/6171503.stm) December 12, BBC 2006
32. Weiss, Yisroel (12 December 2006). "Speech by Rabbi Y. D. Weiss, Tehran Conference" (http://
www.nkusa.org/activities/speeches/2006iran-weissspeech.cfm). Neturei Karta International.
Retrieved 2018-09-05.
33. Rabbi Metzger: Boycott Neturei Karta participants of Iran conference (http://www.ynetnews.co
m/articles/0,7340,L-3340082,00.html) (YNetNews) December 14, 2006.
34. Satmar court slams Neturei Karta (http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3340592,00.htm
l) (YNetNews) December 15, 2006
35. Black Eye For Black Hats After Tehran Hate Fest (http://www.thejewishweek.com/news/newsco
ntent.php3?artid=13452) Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20110517025621/http://www.th
ejewishweek.com/news/newscontent.php3?artid=13452) 2011-05-17 at the Wayback Machine
(The Jewish Week) December 22, 2006
36. "Anti Neturei Karta protest" (http://www.nkusa.org/activities/demonstrations/20070107.cfm).
Neturei Karta International.
37. Neturei Karta: Chabad punished for alliance with Zionists (http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,
7340,L-3638621,00.html) by Kobi Nahshoni, Ynet News, December 15, 2008.
38. Leaflet: Mumbai Chabad attack ‘God’s punishment’ (http://jta.org/news/article/2008/12/15/1001
549/leaflet-mumbai-chabad-attack-gods-punishment), Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA),
December 15, 2008.
39. Browne, Luke (September 19, 2011). "Jerusalem bookshop targeted by 'mafia-like' extremists"
(https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/sep/19/jerusalem-bookshop-targeted-extremists).
The Guardian. Retrieved January 18, 2013.
40. Galahar, Ari (March 10, 2010). "MK wants Neturei Karta classified as terrorists" (http://www.ynet
news.com/articles/0,7340,L-3960241,00.html). Ynetnews. Retrieved January 18, 2013.
41. "ZAKA founder slams haredi violence" (http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4181802,0
0.html). Ynetnews. March 3, 2012. Retrieved January 18, 2013.
Further reading
Yakov M. Rabkin, A Threat from Within: A Century of Jewish Opposition to Zionism. (Zed
Books/Palgrave Macmillan, 2006) ISBN 1-84277-699-1
Menashe Darash, Neturei Karta Of Meah Shearim. Atnata 2010 ISBN 978-965-91505-0-2
(Hebrew language)

External links
Neturei Karta International (http://www.nkusa.org/)
INDC Protests: ANSWER, MASSF and Jews United Against Zionism (http://www.indcjournal.c
om/archives/000276.html)
Neturei Karta vs the Zionists (http://www.abc.net.au/rn/talks/8.30/relrpt/stories/s546322.htm)
ABC Radio National

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