- ‘A person who can justify genocide, a person who can commit genocide, I can't count him as a Jew. People (who) justify genocide, they are more Nazis than Jews,’ Orthodox Rabbi Elhanan Beck tells Anadolu

- ’75 years of killing. Still, Jews live in the Muslim world peacefully. Take the example, in Morocco, in Tunisia, in Algeria, in Iran, in Türkiye, in Yemen,’ says Beck, a leading Rabbi of the anti-Zionist Neturei Karta movement

- On Oct. 7 attacks, Beck explains: ‘Oct. 7 didn't start on Oct. 7. It started in 1948 on May 15. It was started by the Nakba for the Palestinians. This happened and they want to cover up their killings, the genocide, with more genocide, with more killings’

LONDON

Israel has long claimed to be a safe haven for the Jewish people, an assertion that has been widely affirmed by Israeli officials for decades, as well as by key legislation and policy allowing Jews all over the world to settle within its borders.

But according to one of Britain’s well-known Jewish figures, far from providing the safety and security it claims, Israel since its inception has brought little more than “bloodshed after bloodshed” for the Jewish people.

“Today, where is the most dangerous place for Jewish people?” asked Elhanan Beck, an Orthodox Jewish rabbi, speaking to Anadolu in an interview.

“Go all around the world, all the world. You will come to one point, the middle of the world, the state of Israel. That is the most dangerous place for Jewish people,” said the Rabbi, who has lived for decades in the UK, which he suggested was much safer for Jews than Israel.

“I’ve lived in England for 36 years. I don't know how an English soldier looks like. I never saw them. I don't know the uniform, how it looks like … This means a safe country,” he said, adding: “Jews have a good life today in England, in the USA.”

Orthodox Jews have long been one of the strongest non-Muslim voices against Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories as they have repeatedly expressed their wishes for the “peaceful dismantlement of the state of Israel.”

Members of the community rose to prominence once again since Israel launched its latest campaign against the Gaza Strip, ongoing for more than two-and-a-half months. Members of the anti-Zionist Neturei Karta (Guardians of the City) movement have been vocal participants of massive pro-Palestinian demonstrations in London.

Beck, a leading Rabbi from that movement and community, spoke to Anadolu at the group's main building on Stamford Hill in north London, home to thousands of Orthodox Jews.

During the interview, he asserted that Zionism was in "total opposition" with the Jewish faith, saying that Orthodox Jews were against the foundation of Israel from the very emergence of the idea of Zionism.

Elaborating, Beck said Zionism was not only non-religious but also a "rebellion against God," as it sought to create a land for Jewish people despite Jews’ belief that they are “in exile” by God.

Israel will come to an end ‘sooner or later'

“Zionism is basically built upon mistrusting God, don't believe in God, don't trust God. From the other side, Judaism is built upon trust in God,” Beck explained.

“The state of Israel is a rebellion against God and will not succeed. They will come to an end sooner or later, but they will come to an end,” said Beck, adding that in its 75 years of existence, Israel has failed to achieve peace.

“How many countries have been established in these 75 years? Fifty? Sixty? Many counties. Everybody has peace. The only place where there is no peace for a single day, that is the state of Israel,” he said.

According to Beck, most Orthodox Jews “are strongly opposing the state of Israel,” and are “waiting for the dismantlement of the state of Israel.”

“Of course, we’re looking for a peaceful dismantlement. Nobody looks for bloodshed, but they’re looking for the end of this state of Israel.”

Muslims give us golden place to live

Underlining that Jewish people live in peace outside of Israel, Beck said this was true for Muslim countries as well, contrary to “completely false” claims he said Zionists have made to justify the occupation of Palestine.

“Zionists try to claim (this) every time … It’s: 'The Muslims want to kill all the Jews. The Muslims want to throw all the Jews into the sea. So, even if you are against us, you have to side with us. If not, you will be killed.’

“It's completely false. Everybody who knows a bit of history, they know we have a golden life in the Muslim countries. We were persecuted in many places in the world. And the Muslims saved us. They gave us a golden place to live, there,” he said.

Rejecting accusations of antisemitism against Muslims, he highlighted that even after 75 years of Israel occupying Palestinian lands, Jewish people continue to live peacefully across the Muslim world.

"Seventy-five years of killing. Still, Jews live in the Muslim world peacefully. Take the example, in Morocco, in Tunisia, in Algeria, in Iran, in Türkiye, in Yemen. Everywhere there are large Jewish communities and they have a beautiful life there,” he emphasized.

How can I count him as Jew?

Criticizing Israel’s Prime Minister for his role in the “genocide” Israel is committing in Gaza, Beck said he did not see Benjamin Netanyahu as a Jew.

“A person who can justify genocide, a person who can commit genocide, I can't count him as a Jew. People (who) justify genocide, they are more Nazis than Jews.”

Beck added that he referred to Netanyahu as the “prime minister of rebellion people, people who are rebelling against God, he is the head of them.”

He also asserted that Netanyahu himself sought to demonstrate his secularity, acting in ways that violate day-to-day requirements of the Jewish faith, including dietary rules.

The rabbi pointed out that Netanyahu, during his most recent visit to the UK, ate at a non-kosher restaurant, which serves food or beverage that Jews are not permitted to eat according to their traditional religious dietary law due to the way they are sold, cooked, or eaten.

Netanyahu did this to show his secular stance, Beck said, adding: “So, how we can count him as a Jew? I don't count him as a Jew at all.”

Corbyn a ‘good friend of Jewish people’

Beck also took issue with Israel’s claim to be working to “save Jewish people from antisemitism,” saying that antisemitism had declined as a threat since the Holocaust.

On antisemitism in politics, he said that any politician who utters a statement that even appears to be “against Jews,” are “wiped off the map.”

“Look what they're doing to Jeremy Corbyn,” he said, referring to a former leader of the UK’s Labour Party who grappled with accusations of antisemitism throughout his tenure in 2015-2020.

“I know Jeremy Corbyn personally. He’s a good friend of Jewish people. He’s doing many favors for Jewish people,” said Beck, adding that Corbyn had no problem with Jews and only opposed Israel’s occupation of Palestine.

“It’s not an issue of antisemitism at all. Zionists labeled him as antisemitism, wiped him off the map.”

Beck said that today, Zionism was a major contributor to antisemitism, reiterating that it only brought bloodshed.

Calling Israel’s attacks on Gaza the “real means of genocide,” Beck said it was “very painful” to see what was happening in the besieged enclave, where over 21,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 2 million displaced since Oct. 7.

It did not start on Oct. 7

On his thoughts about the cross-border attacks by the Gaza-based group Hamas on Oct. 7, Beck said the conflict did not originate on that day.

“Oct. 7 didn't start on Oct. 7. It started in 1948 on the May 15. It was started by the Nakba for the Palestinians. This happened and they want to cover up their killings, the genocide, with more genocide, with more killings,” he said.

Beck underlined that what happened on Oct. 7 was “the outcome” of Israeli policy, urging world leaders to “open their eyes” to understand that “helping Israel is not in favor for the Jewish people.”

“We understand they want to help Israel because they want to help Jewish people … they feel guilty of what’s happened in the Second World War. Six million Jews have been killed and they want to help Jews. However, the things they’re doing is completely mistaken.”

Calling on leaders to do the “right thing,” the rabbi said killing and occupation could not justify more of the same and “another genocide.”

From the river to the sea, Palestine should be free

Reiterating that, according to Orthodox Jewish belief, Jews are not permitted to rule “even one inch of land,” he said they did not support a two-state solution.

“When we are speaking about the end of the state of Israel, (this) means from the river to the sea, Palestine should be free, should go back to the Palestinians,” Beck said.

He added that this did not mean that Jews must be killed or expelled, but that they could continue to live their lives as Jews do in other Muslim countries.

Noting that he had previously visited Palestine, including the Gaza Strip, and met with Palestinian leaders, Beck said they conveyed “directly” that they had no problem with Jews for being Jewish, but that their problem was with the “occupiers.”

“If there is a will, there is a way,” Beck said.