CG, while I agree with you that whatever it is, the Eidah and its allies are something more than microscopic, I must take issue with you on a number of levels. First, you talk of “typical Zionism”. Do you really think that there is no difference between the Zionism of yeshiva bochrim at Mercaz Harav and chiloni kibbutzniks in the Galil? Or between the Zionism of Orthodox officers like Palsar Nachal platoon commander Daniel Mandel HYD who gave his life capturing an Al Aksa terrorist in 2003 and the Zionism of the bartender at Mike’s Place in Tel Aviv? There is tremendous difference even though there are some commonalities.
One of those commonalities, and one that they share with millions of Jews around the world, frum and not frum, Zionist and not Zionist is not that they see the Edah as microscopic – it’s that they see the Edah as irrelevant to mainstream Jewish life and mainstream frum life except when they are seeking headlines by stoning cars, Police, and buses, or dressing their children up in stripes and yellow stars, or, occasionally, when they come to Diaspora cities as meshulochim. One cannot build a society and a reputation on cutting themselves off from the tzibur and then expect the tzibur to listen to them or be beholden to them. But they don’t seem to understand that. I spoke with one meshuloch who told me he can’t understand why he has fewer and fewer consistent givers in chutz laaretz, among the whole spectrum of the community, even from the very frum, even after being told that there is blowback from the actions of the Edah.