Having read through some (not all) of the book I won’t debate the points and beliefs of the author despite my disagreement with most (not all) of them. Instead, I’ll share the general feeling the book left me with.
The Chazon Ish who he named the book after a conversation of his also said that you have to realize not to fight the wrong battle. (That was his reason for dropping the fight against the use of Modern Ivrit)
It is simply a shame that the author spent so much effort on it.
(One ironic haskific issue with the book is that the author engages in the same revisionist history that the militant atheistic anti religious crowd does in order to claim to Kochey V’Otzem Yodey was the reason for Israel’s military victories. Particularly in the six day war)
The book does not clearly define what “Zionism” is or who the “Zionists” are. As such one can be left with the impression that all of those who believe in the idea of a Jewish state or those who simply were born in Israel today to non-Charieidi parents are collectively responsible for the actions of a few people that were done without the knowledge of the majority.
Or that someone born in Israel today to none-Charieidi parents shares the same values, goals, motives, and beliefs as the people who fought for the Zionist movement before the state of Israel came into existence.
That simply isn’t true. There is an anti-religious element in Israel today (particularly in the media and court systems) but most of them aren’t motivated by Zionism but rather by the same beliefs that motivate the anti-religious secular Jews in the US. Most of them are actually post Zionist and anti-Zionist. (And some are motivated by the harassment they received from groups associated with Rabbi Shapiro’s viewpoint)
Rabbi Shapiro is a brilliant person with so much to offer the frum world. In times like today when Yiddishkeit is under attack from all sides, there is so much he could accomplish for the frum world and Torah.Had he written a 1300 page book against the CURRENT enemies of Torah and their ideologies he would be from the strongest spokesman for and defenders of Torah Judaism in our time. His former website, frumteens, was a lifesaver for some. Tragically he closed that website down and chose to use his talents and energy to fight people and ideals that are long dead.
Chaval Al davdon!