How reading ‘Besheva’ reminded me of the old joke about Jewish power

The widely distributed free weekly Besheva, identified with Israel’s so-called Hardal (Haredi-nationalist) community, reminds me of the joke about the Jew who made a point of reading antisemitic publications describing our immense power, so he could reassure himself that the situation was not as bad as it seemed.

The June 25 issue offered two long interviews which were particularly striking: one with Rabbi Dov Lior, who is associated with Itamar Ben-Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit party, and another with Energy Minister Eli Cohen, formerly Israel’s foreign minister. Together, the two interviews provide an uplifting and reassuring picture.

If anyone believes Israel’s strategic position has reached a low point and that the country has lost its freedom of action, Cohen argues precisely the opposite. According to him, while President Trump is a great friend of Israel, if American demands contradict Israel’s needs, Israel will simply ignore them. As though Israel has not been quick to obey, including turning back planes which had already set out on a mission.

In Cohen’s telling, it is now obvious to the entire world which country is the strongest power in the Middle East and no, he does not mean Iran or Turkey. As proof of Israel’s standing, he noted that before October 7, Israel was afraid to remove a Hezbollah tent erected inside its territory, whereas today the whole world is calling us in panic, trying to restrain us.

Who exactly was “afraid” to remove that tent? Was it not the current leadership? As for the reported panic, might it stem not from respect and awe, but rather from concern that Israel exercises its overwhelming military power without defining achievable political objectives, thus risking uncalled-for escalation? Hinting that the U.S. military’s performance in the conflict with Iran had been disappointing, Cohen declared that Israel and the United States have made the world a safer place – they have stopped the nuclear arms race. Oh ye of little faith, read and rejoice!

Throughout the interview with Cohen, there was no mention of Israel’s deteriorating standing in international public opinion or of growing concerns over sanctions – in the world inhabited by Cohen and his interviewer, these threats appear not to exist. Nor did such earthly concerns appear in the six pages devoted to the 92-year-old Rabbi Lior.

Lior was among the rabbis who debated whether the Jewish legal concept of din rodef (“law of the pursuer”) applied to Yitzhak Rabin. He praised Baruch Goldstein’s willingness to sacrifice himself, endorsed the controversial book Torat HaMelech, which discusses the killing of non-Jews during wartime, and ruled that it was permissible to drive on Shabbat to the Kerem Shalom crossing in order to prevent humanitarian aid from entering Gaza.

In his view, there is no peace because the Temple Mount was abandoned to the enemy; there is no division within Israeli society, only a camp that is fighting against the Torah; the signing of political agreements are forbidden; and Divine Providence provides strength.

I did not see a word about the cost of living, personal security, or the crisis in Israel’s education system. There is, however, plenty about the judiciary, the media, and Israel’s place in the world. The editor-in-chief argues that Israel has no choice but to stand firm against pressure from the Trump administration regarding Lebanon. In his view, Trump may be capricious, blunt and coercive; he may criticize Israel or even impose sanctions. But once he sees that Israel is determined, he will respect that, and perhaps return to being Israel’s best friend. and perhaps not?

An article on Lebanon quotes Brig. Gen. (res.) Erez Wiener as urging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stand up to the Americans, just as he did over Rafah. Wiener apparently forgot that, at the time, the occupant of the White House was the courteous Joe Biden, whom “Mr. America” repeatedly criticized. Along the same lines, MK Yitzhak Kroizer of Otzma Yehudit cites “Behold, a people that shall dwell alone” from the week’s Torah portion and concludes that Israel’s fate will be decided in Jerusalem, not in Washington.

The overall message is unmistakable: everything is in our hands. Every weekend, hundreds of thousands of Besheva readers are exposed to a worldview which posits that Israel is stronger than ever, constrained by no external limitations, and free to do whatever it wishes. All it needs is the will.

Who then are we, sour defeatists whose understanding of reality is shaped by alarmist and poisonous media outlets at home and abroad, to argue with such comforting optimism?