Yitzchak B.
Dear Yitzchak,
I’ve consulted with one of our rabbinic advisors, Rabbi Efraim Hersh Smilowitz, about your question, and this is what he said:
As long as they continue to say this prayer every Shabbos, you should not pray in the shul, even on a weekday. The reason is that by davening in the building, you are affirming that their shul represents a valid form of Judaism. It would be better to daven alone than to daven in such a shul.
He said that this is what the Satmar Rebbe, Rabbi Yoel Teitelbaum zt”l, used to tell his talmidim when they visited a place where all the shuls were Zionist.
If it’s a small community, perhaps they will notice your absence and ask you about it, and when the rabbis realize that their Zionism is turning people off, maybe they will change. Or perhaps nine other people will agree with you and you’ll make a separate minyan. Let’s hope things change for the better.
Q&A from Natrina
It’s always praiseworthy to go beyond the halacha and act with kanaus in order to make a statement. Some tzaddikim of past generations, such as the Kalashitzer Rebbe, wouldn’t even go into a house if they had a star of david on the wall, even not one made as a Zionist symbol. They used to remove them from the paroches and the aron kodesh in shul.
Here’s the story I’m referring to:
Here’s a quote from the 5th Lubavitcher rebbe about using Judaism to promote Zionism
Whoever twists the meaning of the Torah and finds proofs to Zionism from the Torah, and especially from the Hidden Torah, is like one who places an idol in the Temple. G-d will not forgive him. May G-d in His great mercy remove this accursed doctrine from among the Jewish people, and inspire their hearts to repent to Him in truth. (Igros Kodesh)
I think I’ve made my point