December 18, 2009 | 9:31 am

Rabbi Asher Lopatin’s Political Positions on Israel

Posted by Rabbi Asher Lopatin

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A Summary of Rabbi Asher Lopatin’s Political Views

1) Israel is the historic and eternal homeland of the Jewish People, and Zionism is the modern expression of that national, religious and moral expression of the Jews’ connection to the Land of Israel.  The State of Israel is a Jewish State, with all the moral, ethical, national and religious responsibilities that term calls for.
2) The State of Israel is the bulwark defending Jews in Israel and all over the world: its existence and security is critical to the survival of Jews everywhere.
3) No part of the historic Israel should be off limits for Jews; Jews should be allowed to live and build communities wherever feasible in the Land of Israel.
4) Jerusalem has been the political and spiritual capital of the Jewish people since the days of King David.  It has been reunited and restored as the Jewish capital and will, God willing, remain so for all time, under the sovereignty and protection of the State of Israel.
5) A strong Israel Defense Force, stationed everywhere Jews live or can live, is the best strategic guarantee of peace and security for all the inhabitants of Israel.
6) Zev Jabotinsky, the great Revisionist Zionist, laid out goals which are true and necessary today, and I adapt those goals to today’s situation:

a) The State of Israel needs to be a refuge open for Jews from all over the world and encouraging aliya
b) The State of Israel needs to maintain a Jewish majority – ideally built from gathering Jews from around the world
c) The Arabs living in the Land of Israel, and everywhere, need to know clearly that the Jews are in Israel to stay, that we intend to remain the majority and that the State of Israel will do whatever is necessary to provide for the security and continued existence of the Jews in Israel.
d) The needs -  social, economic and national -  of the indigenous Arabs of Israel must be addressed, but only within the framework of the security and continued existence of the Jews in the State of Israel.
7) The best thing for Judaism in Israel is to look into the separation of “church and State” which works so well in America to allow for passionate religion while maintaining religious diversity.  The free market of religion is a power engine to provide for people’s spiritual needs.
8) The free market in general, including free trade, is the bulwark of a strong, innovative and diverse economy.