To my dear uncle and leader of the Neturei Karta Rabbi Amram Blau z"l,

When I was young, I was a small soldier in your campaign. I would join the demonstrations you led - whether it was every Shabbat in demonstrations against Shabbat desecrations, or in the middle of the week against any other issue. For me, you were the epitome of the general, a leader and a fearless, uncompromising fighter for the principles of Judaism. I remember how we stood amazed each time anew as you received a beating from the police, or when you were arrested time after time.  We grew up with your stories of heroism, like the time you put your head in the Edison Cinema ticket window in Jerusalem to prevent desecration of the Shabbat, and you were beaten with clubs until you lost consciousness.

From you, we heard again and again about the great danger inherent in the Zionist state, to the extent that you would ask to cross the border to the protection of the Kingdom of Jordan. We heard about the decrees of annihilation of the Zionist regime, whose sole purpose was to rid the Jewish people of its religion and faith. We heard your warnings that within a few years there would be no remnant or refugee surviving from the people of Israel. You taught me about the importance of separating ourselves from everything that is part of the Zionist regime, not to take any money from the state, and that anyone who participates in the elections is effectively indulging in idol worship. I even remember you once telling me that the Zionists are the greatest haters in the world of the Jewish people, even worse than the Greeks who came to annihilate the people of Israel. You said in public forums that the Zionists were to blame for all the troubles of the people of Israel, including the Shoah itself.

As I grew older, motivated by the fervor of my belief in your way, I too became involved in organizing demonstrations and protests. I was arrested countless times, and my bones were crushed by the beatings of the "Zionist soldiers." But you taught us that every bruise from these blows is another level in the lofty ranks of "self-sacrifice," and therefore we too did not feel the pain.

Today, after 70 years of a Zionist state, I am pleased to inform you, my dear uncle, that your fears have been proven false: we have a wonderful, amazing Jewish-Zionist state that serves as a model for all the countries of the world. A state that is blossoming in almost every sphere - education, economy, health, immigrant absorption, and Judaism itself. About 7 million Jews - over fifty percent of the Jewish people - already live in the State of Israel, and in Jerusalem alone we are approaching one million residents, which probably was not the case even during the time of the Temple.

Who would have believed that, 73 years after the Shoah, when the people of Israel were almost annihilated and there was hardly any trace of Torah and Hasidism, we would have a Jewish state of our own. The State of Israel. A state in which the world of Torah would reach a level unparalleled in the history of the Jewish people. Since King Hezekiah, there has not been so much Torah study in the Land of Israel as it is today, and you will be surprised to hear who the greatest supporter of Torah education in the world is: the Zionist “regime”, which invests billions of shekels in the Torah world.

It is hard to believe that it was only 75 years ago that a Jew had no place to go. We were the lowest and most despised people, moving between the death camps and the forests of Europe like animals in a daily struggle for survival. At the end of that terrible war, every refugee returned to his home, but the Jews were the only ones in the world who had nowhere to go, neither home nor country. That is, until the establishment of the State of Israel. Thousands of generations of Jews dreamed of a state, and today, we have merited what so many did not. The State of Israel arose against all the odds.

My uncle, if you were able to open your eyes today, you would see that in the “Zionist state of destruction”, 73% light Chanukah candles, 78% fast on Yom Kippur, and over 200,000 people take part in Selichot prayers at the Western Wall. How hard you had to fight so that every road in the ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods would be closed on Shabbat. Today it is hard to believe that even Mea She'arim Street and Kikar Shabbat were closed only after countless demonstrations that you led. On the 70th anniversary of the Zionist state, there are seven cities led by Haredi representatives, where the roads are closed on Shabbat and holidays. In other cities, in neighborhoods where Haredim live, the roads on the Shabbat are closed for granted. You do not have to fight anymore.

The anthem of Neturei Karta, which we would sing loudly at demonstrations, said that "we do not believe in the rule of the infidels, and we do not follow their laws. We follow the path of Torah  to sanctify the divine name.” We were sure that our place in Heaven was guaranteed. Yet here, in the Zionist state, the degree of "devotion" reaches the highest level, the level of the very symbol of self-sacrifice, Rabbi Akiva. Nearly 24,000 IDF soldiers have been killed sanctifying God's name while defending the State of Israel and the Jewish people. 

If only you knew just how wonderful the youth is here. Several times a year, thousands of youngsters born and raised in the Zionist state gather near the remnant of our Temple, swearing their willingness to sacrifice their lives for the sanctification of God’s name in defending the homeland and the people of Israel. How many tears did I shed during this sacred ceremony when I saw two of my own sons enlist and take that oath, one in Golani and the other in the Paratroopers. No one forced it on them. They did so of their own free will.

My dear uncle, this "state of Sodom and Gomorrah," as you called it, today is the state with the largest number of charitable organizations; the first to offer help and assistance in every mass disaster around the world and to take unimaginable risks in operations such as Entebbe to rescue its people.  A state that is the embodiment of the concept of mutual responsibility. And not only that, but most of the great charitable organizations in the Zionist state were founded by Haredim: Yad Sarah, Ezer Mizion, ZAKA, United Hatzolah and more.

When there was fear of drought, the Minister of Agriculture organized a mass prayer at the Western Wall to pray for rain. This is a country in which 100 percent of its agricultural crops are grown in accordance with Jewish law and where famers who choose to observe shmita are given assistance.

Rest in peace, my dear uncle Rabbi Amram. There is no need to fight anymore. Although your generation may have rightly feared the Zionist state, 70 years later it has been proven that the State of Israel, with Gd’s help,  is the savior and protector of the people of Israel, and this is indeed the safest and best place to live as a Torah observant Jew.

This is taken from an article first published in Makor Rishon.

Yehuda Meshi-Zahav is the founder and chairman of ZAKA Search and Rescue, a UN -recognized international humanitarian volunteer organization with nearly 4,000 volunteers in Israel and around the world. Meshi-Zahav was chosen to light a beacon in the 2003 Independence Day celebrations.

The image of Meshi is taken from a news article that talks about Meshi (then the operations officer of the Eda Haredit)  holding his cousin Rabbi Uri Blau on his shoulders - the son of Rabbi Amram Blau. This was taken in the summer of 1987, when Rabbi Uri Blau was released from detention after violent demonstrations against Shabbat desecration.