It’s the eve of Tisha B’Av. Tisha B’Av, the solemn and mournful day when our Holy Temples were destroyed. The sacred place where Hashem’s Holy Shechina reigned. Tisha B’Av, the Jewish Day of Mourning, represents the very opposite of Zionism. In the heart of every Jew, there’s a beating heart, hoping, waiting, and steadfastly believing that it will all be restored: אני מאמין באמונה שלמה בביאת המשיח, ואף על פי שיתמהמה, עם כל זה אחכה לו בכל יום שיבוא Now, Zionists, if the coming of Moshiach is merely a physical return to the Holy Land, then why, oh why, do we still cry, fast, and lament? The answer is simple. Zionism is not only a cynical exploitation of our sacred yearnings, but also an outright denial of it. The Jewish people’s belief in Moshiach has zero connection with a physical or national “redemption.” But rather, the very essence of our being yearns for our once spiritual greatness to be realized again when GD returns His Holy Shechina in the Holy Land. ותחזינה עינינו בשובך לציון ברחמים We pray to bask once again in the ultimate pleasure and auspicious glory of Kirvas Hashem, closeness to GD. The sublime gift we once called our own. And for that, we mourn, we cry, and we pray. Dear friends, it’s not a matter of opinion, but the fact remains that Zionism is the very opposite of our essence as Jews. The history of our people is our greatest testimony. Since the time of the Temples’ destruction, the Jewish people never, ever tried to gain sovereignty of the Holy Land. It is forbidden in Judaism. At most, there were isolated events of great people relocating to the Holy Land merely to live in the sanctity of its holiness and in peace with its inhabitants. But never, oh never, did Jews try to nationalize or politicize GD’s Holy Land. And for this, we cry. We cry how Zionists desecrate Hashem’s Holy Name, the name of the Jewish people, all to promote a destructive ideology that goes against our very existence. But Nachmi, Nachmi Ami, GD will console, the evil will be banished, peace will reign again, and harmony will dwell again around the world and in the Holy Land. השיבנו ה’ אליך ונשובה; חדש ימינו כקדם