Customer Reviews

The Politics of Torah: The Jewish Political Tradition and the Founding of Agudat Israel

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A book that is glatt kosher for Orthodox Jewish readers. Alan L. Mittleman, although a college professor, is very respectful of the religious in this fine scholarly work. He delves into events and trends at the beginning of the 20th century, examining causes from within (the altering of communal associations by Reform and other non-Orthodox Jews) and without (increasing intrusions by secular state governments) the Jewish community. Mittleman's research centers on Germany although heroes of the Lithuanian yeshiva world such as Rav Chaim Brisker and Rav Eliezer Telzer get brief mention. The words about "disenchantment" should be studied at length and meditated on by all people considering mixing religion and politics.
For a future work, Prof. Mittleman might want to examine how Agudas Israel could do more for Judaism in the Land of Israel by getting out of coalition politics. Currently, the Agudah joins itself to a block of "religious" parties whose major interest seems to be funneling money to their schools via government taxation. This is a major source of tension in the Holy Land since the Israeli government, like those of other countries, overtaxes its citizens. The final pages of "The Politics of Torah" leaves us with the average Agudah member largely turning his back on secular politics (wisely looking to family and synagogue to realize our most important values) and Israelis looking for something substantive to fill the post-Zionist void. The next logical and glorious step would be for Agudas Israel the organization to return to its non-coercive roots and withdraw from the pollution of statecraft (taking the high road paved by great institutions such as the Brisk Yeshiva in refusing government subsidies). That type of mesiras nefesh (self-sacrifice) could start a revolution of the spirit in Israel.