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Yosef Blau

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May 15, 2026, 3:48 PM

‘Jewish terrorism’ isn’t Jewish

Footage shows masked Jews storming the West Bank village of Asira al-Qibliya during an attack on April 17, 2026. (Screen capture/ X)

Wielding power for violence is antithetical to Judaism, so why don't religious Zionist leaders censure the Jews who attack their Arab neighbors?

Aug 21, 2025, 3:17 PM

Violence in Judea and Samaria (aka the West Bank)

Footage filmed by Awdag Hathaleen, who was killed in a confrontation with a settler, moments before his death. The suspected shooter, Yinon Levy, can be seen confronting Palestinians. July 28, 2025. (B’Tselem)

Just as we condemn Arab terror attacks against Jews, we must be fervent in our condemnation of Jews terrorizing Palestinians

Aug 11, 2025, 4:07 PM

What outweighs the need to destroy Hamas?

Palestinians rush to collect humanitarian aid airdropped by parachutes into Gaza City, northern Gaza Strip, August 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

The terror organization is evil, but I have questions about Israel's moral responsibility in Gaza

Aug 16, 2024, 3:21 PM

When rabbis say nothing in the face of abuse

Israeli soldiers and police clash with far-right protesters, after they broke into the Beit Lid army base over the detention for questioning of military reservists who are suspected of abuse of a Palestinian terror suspect detained there, on July 29, 2024. (Oren Ziv / AFP)

We rabbis must condemn all immoral behavior: Legitimate anger against Hamas does not justify attacking imprisoned alleged terrorists

May 27, 2024, 4:07 PM

The extremists in Israel’s government have to go

Likud leader MK Benjamin Netanyahu with Otzma Yehudit party head Itamar Ben Gvir at a vote in the assembly hall of the Knesset on December 28, 2022. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)

When the Israeli mainstream is in thrall to the ultranationalist religious fringe, the religious world at large must take a stand to rebalance the country

Jul 28, 2023, 1:46 PM

American Jewry faces a quandary, but does it know it?

President Isaac Herzog addresses a Joint Session of Congress at the US Capitol in Washington, July 19, 2023. (Saul Loeb/AFP)

Young US Jews don't prioritize Israel the way their parents did, nor do young Israelis like US democracy as a model. With the gap is growing, now what?

Apr 5, 2023, 5:43 PM

Religious Zionism and compromise on judicial reform

The hardline approach of many religious Zionists must be understood, for it reflects a real shift in the community’s sense of its role in Israeli society

Feb 23, 2023, 12:02 PM

The future of religious Zionism

The critical shift of voters in the last Israeli election was the growth of the “Religious Zionist party.” An amalgam of three parties, uniting after intervention by Benjamin Netanyahu, emerged as the third largest party in the Knesset. Polling...

Jan 2, 2023, 3:15 PM

The coalition is throwing mental health professionalism to the winds

UTJ chairman Rabbi Yitzchak Goldknopf arrives to the coalition talks at a hotel in Jerusalem on November 9, 2022. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)

UTJ's agreement to eliminate the standard of qualifications for therapists puts the psychological health of the country at risk. It must be stopped

Oct 30, 2022, 3:02 PM

Govern the Jewish state with righteousness

The Western Wall, with the Dome of the Rock behind it. (iStock)

To live up to what it means to a religious Zionist state, Israel must protect the marginalized and vulnerable, and not only those in power

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About Me

Rabbi Yosef Blau resides in Jerusalem, having retired from 48 years as Mashgiach Ruchani at Yeshiva University.