Zephaniah’s Cry: Don’t Rely on America!
BY RABBI ELIE MISCHEL
On March 25, 1955, a joyous wedding took place in Patish, a Jewish community in southern Israel near the Gaza border. The celebration, however, didn’t last long. A group of fedayeen Arab terrorists from Gaza stormed the wedding, hurling grenades and opening fire on the guests. The attack left 19 people wounded, and 22-year-old Varda Friedman, who had come to Patish to help as a social worker, was killed.
Arriving two days later to express support for the community, David Ben-Gurion, then serving as Defense Minister after a year-long retirement from politics, was dismayed to see residents preparing to abandon their homes due to safety concerns. Several days later, he forcefully advocated for a plan he deemed the most logical solution: Israeli occupation of the Gaza Strip. Prime Minister Moshe Sharett vehemently opposed the plan, fearing it would invite severe international backlash.
Ben-Gurion persisted. A month later, at an IDF parade, he gave a speech that is remembered in Israel to this day: “As a member of the Jewish people I say: With all due respect to the institutions of the United Nations and its members, until Yishayahu’s prophecy that ‘nation shall not lift up sword against nation’ is fulfilled, and as long as our neighbors plot to destroy us, we won’t have security unless it’s through our own strength… In our region, acts of murder and sabotage, robbery and trespassing by our neighbors are becoming more and more frequent, and we must put an end to it – even if no one else wants to or is able to do so.”
Sixty years later, Israelis are still debating whether Israel should rely on other nations in its battle against Islamic terror. Should Israel put its faith in America and defer to its wishes?
The prophet Zephaniah describes a fundamental change that will take place in Israel at the end of days – a shift that must occur for Israel to achieve its mission. “On that day you shall not be ashamed of all your deeds with which you rebelled against Me… And I will leave over in your midst a humble and poor people, and they shall take shelter in the name of the L-rd… For they shall graze and lie down, with no one to cause them to shudder” (Zephaniah 3:11–13). Zephaniah prophesies that Israel will learn true humility, and because of that, she will no longer have to be afraid. But how, exactly, will this change come about?
Malbim explains: “In earlier times… Israel established alliances with other powerful nations, asking them for military assistance. Because they relied on these powerful nations, they learned from their evil ways. But at the end of days, when all of the nations recognize G-d and serve Him, Israel will no longer sin, because ‘no one will cause them to shudder,’ and they will no longer learn from those nations’ [false] ideologies and [evil] deeds.”
Zephaniah places the blame for Israel’s suffering squarely on its dependence on powerful nations – nations like the United States. Ever since October 7, Israel’s complex relationship with America has impeded the course of its righteous war against Hamas and Hezbollah. Though America supplies Israel with much of its weaponry and ammunition, this largesse comes at a very steep cost. At any moment, the United States can withhold military aid, leaving Israel in a dangerously vulnerable position.
But as Malbim argues, Israel’s reliance on the United States extends beyond military dependency. Israel’s unhealthy reliance on the US makes it uniquely vulnerable to damaging cultural influences from America. Far too many Israelis place the US on a pedestal, hungrily absorbing American movies, music and ideologies. America’s role as Israel’s influential “big brother” means that its woke culture and moral confusion have an outsized influence on Israel’s own culture. “The voice is the voice of Ya’akov, but the hands are the hands of Eisav” (Bereishit 27:22). Ya’akov is distinguished by his voice, his words and ideas, while Eisav is distinguished by his hands, his physical power. But today, because Ya’akov’s descendants rely upon Eisav for physical support, they also revere the “voice of Eisav,” which corrupts and cheapens Israeli culture.
This is not a condemnation of America. Throughout its history, the US has been a nation of extraordinary kindness, rebuilding Europe after World War II and intervening in humanitarian crises overseas. For hundreds of years, it offered a safe haven to persecuted Jews all over the world. The problem is not that America is Israel’s greatest ally, but that Israel places its trust in America.
Israel’s strength lies not in being a superpower, but in its potential as a moral and spiritual guide for the world. “I will make you a light of nations, so that My salvation shall be until the end of the earth” (Yishayahu 49:6). Our mission is to shape global culture, not to be shaped by it. When we learn to place our trust solely in G-d, we will become the light unto the nations we are destined to be. “From Zion will come forth Torah, and the word of G-d from Jerusalem” (Yishayahu 2:2).
Rabbi Elie Mischel is the Editor of HaMizrachi magazine and the author of The War Against the Bible: Ishmael, Esau and Israel at the End Times (2024).