Chaim87:
More Zionist Kool-Aid. After the war, the Zionists pushed the survivors to serve as fodder for their “State”-to-be, branding them as “traitors” if they went instead to America, which many did. The sick irony of that is that those same Zionists lobbied governments against allowing in those very same Jews into their countries which meant that those survivors and their dead relatives were sent to Hitler’s ovens and camps instead.
Here are some fun facts: almost all gedolim leveled extremely harsh criticism against Rabbi Kook – either personally or his works. Both Rav Elchonon Wasserman (Kovetz Maamarim) and the Satmar Rav called Rabbi Kook a “rasha gamur”. The Satmar Rav called him a lot more than that, too. As did Rav Yosef Yedid in Shearis Yosef, who titled the piece “Regarding an Apikores about whom we must protest”. The Chofetz Chaim also did not hold of Rabbi Kook, as any Brisker (and others) can tell you.
Regardless, Rabbi Kook never permitted war, and he died well before the Zionists fought their first “real” war (as opposed to their prior acts of terror and mischief) in 1948.
Regarding the shevuos, both the Brisker and Satmar Rabbanim stated that the State violated not only the shevuos but “kol haTorah kulah”. Practically speaking, they were obviously gravely concerned about its assault on Torah and Jews. But that in no way diminishes all the other halachic problems with that “State”.
Regarding today, of course they look to shmad. Zionism is shmad and they are promoting Zionism. They’re not “tinokos sheNishbu” in their “am chafshi” paradise which happens to have shuls, yeshivas and even “Religious Zionist” institutions, all over the country. That’s really not a tenable argument.