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Rabbi Menachem Froman’s Unique Perspective and Enduring Commentary on the Israeli-Palestinian Crisis
Rabbi Menachem Froman (1945-2013) was an Israeli Orthodox rabbi, social critic, and teacher of Jewish mysticism, who served as the chief rabbi of Tekoa in the West Bank.
A former paratrooper in the IDF, and a veteran of the Six-Day War, he became a founding member of Gush Emunim, the movement that spearheaded the settlement of territories that Israel inherited in that conflict. And yet, throughout his public life, he was a prominent and often provocative advocate for peace, who maintained close contact and met with Palestinian civil and religious leaders whose politics were radically different from his own.
In some ways, Froman placed faith over politics, seeking similarities between Jews and Muslims, and emphasizing their mutual belief in one God. He also acknowledged that the Arabs also have ties to the Land of Israel, and accepted the reality that they live in it — and then asked: now what? They were not going anywhere, and neither were the Jews. Instead, they would have to find a way to understand and accommodate each other, and eventually, find a path to peace through their beliefs.
Though Froman was controversial to some, others praised his approach.
Davidi Perl, former head of the Gush Etzion Regional Council, said that Froman was “a huge scholar, with a great soul, who loved people and brought them closer to the Torah.”
A newly published book from Rabbi Froman called Chasidim Just Laugh (Deuteronomy Press), shows that his views on politics and the Israeli-Arab conflict emerged from a much deeper and broader system of thought.
The book contains Froman’s ideas on marriage and relationships, Israeli society, faith, doubt, joy, religion, and ritual.
Translated from the Hebrew original — and featuring a new foreword by Yossi Klein Halevi — the book presents Froman in his own words; through a series of deep reflections, thought-provoking aphorisms, and inspired teachings; along with accompanying commentary and stories about the rabbi. Extensive footnotes also allow the reader to trace the influences he cites on his thought, from classical rabbinic texts, to the Chasidic masters of Breslov and Izhbitz, to French existentialism.
As Chasidim Just Laugh makes clear, in the 11 years since his untimely death, Rabbi Froman’s ideas have become no less original, thoughtful, confrontational, radical, and especially vital in the post-October 7 world.
In the forward to the book, Klein Halevi writes, “I believe [Rabbi Froman] would have been furious at the near-total moral failure of the Muslim world to unequivocally condemn Hamas’ atrocities [on Oct. 7]. And he would have said so from every platform available to him. At the same time, he would no doubt affirm the ongoing urgency of finding Palestinian partners, since neither side is going to disappear from the land. And he would intensify his search for allies in the Muslim world, convinced that we had no choice but to find our place in the region. I imagine he would be earning frequent flier points from trips to Saudi Arabia.”
The following are some of Rabbi Froman’s profound, and at times surprising, thoughts on Israel, Judaism, living with Arab neighbors while sticking to Jewish values — and never giving up the hope for peace.
To Leap and to Dance
When I lived in the Old City of Jerusalem, there was a picture sold in all the shops that was meant to symbolize the Arabs’ national struggle: a schlepper hauling the Al-Aqsa Mosque on his back. When I saw this, I immediately understood why the Jewish people don’t unanimously support the settlement project. We took something so sweet—the mitzvah of settling of the Land of Israel — and turned it into a heavy burden. If that’s how it is, better to schlep just half the Land. Rebbe Nachman offers an alternative to schlepping—to leap, to dance! And for that, you need the spirit.
Settling in the Land to Achieve Peace
People can’t grasp the idea that a call to freedom can be a religious matter. Although our Sages teach that “No one is truly free save for the one who engages in Torah,” [M Avot 6:11] most religious Jews were taught to give up their freedom for the sake of religion.
We see this in many realms. For example, in the political sphere: Most settlers think that the settlements interfere with peace, but they prefer the settlements to peace. They are incapable of believing that the settlements can be for the sake of peace.
Likewise, between man and woman—people think that being free means being single, that getting married means giving up on your freedom for the sake of a wife, marriage, children, a home, etc.
But for me, freedom is the essence of being religious, and my wife is my freedom. It’s like the song: “With you I know, that only with you am I free.”[i]
And with this, he began to sing and cry.
The settlements are the fingers of the hand extended in peace, and are safeguarding the peace.
Here he showed, with his hand, that when people shake hands, each person’s fingers are placed in the palm of the other.
So too the settlements are placed in the heart of the Palestinian community.
There’s No Peace Without Justice
Of all the Biblical judges, Samson the Mighty doesn’t seem like much of a judge. But it is this figure specifically that so fascinated Ze’ev Jabotinsky. This is because Samson expresses the essence of Jabotinsky’s political philosophy. In the novel that Jabotinsky wrote about Samson, he describes how two people came before him seeking justice. Samson tells them, “You have complaints? Scream, fight, get everything off your chest!” Afterwards, they left him, reconciled and whole.
It is precisely when we strive for the penetrating truth that peace becomes possible. I used to always tell Palestinians that there’s no “Salaam” [peace] without “Alaam,” justice. Otherwise, your “Salaam” is just a hello, just a greeting. If we don’t address questions of justice, the most piercing disagreements — we’ll never reach peace. The Palestinian governor of Bethlehem really loves this saying.
I can’t recommend this book highly enough, and I think you’ll find it as relevant now as it ever will be.
Kylie Ora Lobell is a writer and president of KOL Digital Marketing, where she does ghostwriting, marketing, and publicity for clients like authors, brands, and influencers. She has been published in The Washington Post, New York Magazine, Los Angeles Times, The Jewish Journal, and Aish.
The post Rabbi Menachem Froman’s Unique Perspective and Enduring Commentary on the Israeli-Palestinian Crisis first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Bryan Singer Secretly Filmed Period Drama With Jon Voight Critical of Israel for Lebanon War: Report
Jon Voight at the opening night of the 2023 Beverly Hills Film Festival held at TCL Chinese 6 Theatres in Hollywood, California, on April 19, 2023. Photo: FS//AdMedia/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect
Jewish-American filmmaker Bryan Singer has returned to the director’s chair after a long hiatus with a film starring Oscar winner Jon Voight that is set in the Middle East and critical of Israel, Variety revealed on Wednesday.
Singer secretly filmed the period drama and one source who saw the final cut, but is not involved with the production, thinks the feature is “going to be a huge hotbed of controversy” because of its attention on the Middle East. “It makes Israel look really bad and could be polarizing,” the insider told Variety.
The source said the film is set in late 1970s or early 1980s. On June 6, 1982, Israel launched the First Lebanon War against Palestinian terrorists based in southern Lebanon following the attempted assassination of Israeli Ambassador to the United Kingdom Shlomo Argov by a terrorist cell.
The “Superman Returns” director shot the new film in Greece in 2023, and it focuses on the relationship between a father and son, Variety added. Israeli filmmaker Yariv Horovoitz is also reportedly collaborating on the project. There are no details about a release date.
Voight is a longtime supporter of Israel and said in 2018 that he feels an obligation to combat antisemitism. Last year, he was critical of his daughter, actress and filmmaker Angelina Jolie, when she slammed Israel’s defensive military campaign against Hamas in Gaza following the Palestinian terrorist group’s Oct. 7, 2023, invasion of and massacre across southern Israel.
Singer – who was raised Jewish in suburban New Jersey – has not directed in mainstream Hollywood since he was infamously fired by 20th Century Fox from “Bohemian Rhapsody” in 2017 and replaced during shooting, after several absences during the film’s production. He was signed on to direct a remake of the action film “Red Sonja,” but was reportedly fired from the project amid allegations in 2019 of sexual misconduct involving minors, which he denied.
The director’s past credits include four films in the “X-Men” franchise, “Valkyrie,” and the Oscar-winning film “The Usual Suspects.”
Singer faced sexual misconduct allegations starting in 1997, when two teenage boys claimed the director ordered them to strip naked for a scene in his film “Apt Pupil.” The filmmaker has never faced criminal charges for the sexual misconduct allegations made against him in 1997 or in later years.
Singer has been living in Israel for several years and Variety reported in 2023 that he was looking to make a comeback into the mainstream Hollywood film industry with features set in and around Israel.
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Italian Law Professor Faces Backlash Over Viral Antisemitic Social Media Posts
An Italian law professor is facing mounting backlash after past antisemitic social media posts went viral, sparking outrage among the local Jewish community and public officials.
Professor Luca Nivarra, who teaches in the Faculty of Law at the University of Palermo in Sicily, has come under scrutiny after several of his social media posts went viral, spreading antisemitic and hateful content.
“I don’t want to meddle in matters that don’t concern me directly, but, having very few tools at our disposal to oppose the Palestinian Holocaust, a signal, however modest, could be to unfriend your Jewish ‘friends’ on Facebook, even the ‘good’ ones, who declare themselves disgusted by what the Israeli government and the IDF are doing,” Nivarra wrote in one of his posts.
“They lie, and with their lies, they help cover up the horror: it’s a small, tiny thing, but let’s start making them feel alone, face to face with the monstrosity to which they are complicit,” he continued.
On Tuesday, the university issued a public statement distancing itself from Nivarra’s antisemitic remarks. Despite mounting public outrage, Nivarra has not faced any disciplinary action yet.
Massimo Midiri, Dean of the University of Palermo, condemned such hateful rhetoric, calling it “a personal and culturally dangerous initiative, far removed from our academic principles.”
“Nivarra’s statements risk fueling the very dynamics he claims to oppose. Complex issues like the Middle East conflict require dialogue and critical engagement, not exclusion or ideological censorship,” Midiri said in a statement.
Italy’s Minister of University and Research, Anna Maria Bernini, also denounced Nivarra’s remarks, saying they “not only offend the Jewish people but also all who uphold the values of respect and civil coexistence.”
“Conflicts are overcome through dialogue, not isolation and it is only through this path that an authentic journey toward peace can be built, an objective to which Italy and the international community continue to dedicate their efforts,” the Italian diplomat wrote in a post on X.
This is not the first time Nivarra has made public antisemitic statements and spread anti-Jewish hateful rhetoric. In his previous Facebook posts, he also wrote that “there are no good Israelis” and that “Israeli society is morally rotten.”
Nivarra also compared the Israeli Defense Forces’ defensive campaign against the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas to the actions of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann during the Holocaust.
“The only difference between Adolf Eichmann and the IDF is that Eichmann defended himself by saying he was following orders, while Israeli soldiers happily do what they do,” he wrote in another social media post.
Since his posts went viral, Nivarra has faced mounting criticism on social media, but he has denied any accusations of antisemitism.
“You can call me an anti-Semite when I am not one at all. There is an insurmountable distance between me and the perpetrators of these horrors,” he wrote on his Facebook page.
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‘Six Million Not Enough’: Minneapolis School Shooter Scrawled Antisemitic, Anti-Israel Messages on Guns
Law enforcement officers set up barriers after a shooting at Annunciation Church, which is also home to an elementary school, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, US, Aug. 27, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Ben Brewer
The lone suspect in Wednesday’s mass shooting at a Catholic school in Minneapolis, Minnesota, scrawled antisemitic and anti-Israel messages across his weapons and allegedly shared his desire to kill “filthy Zionist Jews” in a notebook before unleashing a barrage of gunfire on students and parishioners.
Law enforcement officials identified the shooter as Robin Westman, 23, who died by suicide at the scene. According to police, Westman opened fire during morning Mass in the school’s adjoining church, killing two children (aged 8 and 10) and injuring 17 others.
Witnesses said the church erupted in chaos as stained-glass windows shattered and gunfire ripped through pews filled with children. Teachers and staff rushed to shield students, with some ushering them outside the building.
The shooting is being investigated as both a domestic terrorism case and a hate crime against Catholics, according to FBI Director Kash Patel.
However, the assailant also appeared to endorse antisemitic conspiracies and express a desire to kill Jews and Israelis.
Researchers at the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) reported they found videos believed to be from Westman showing firearms and ammunition magazines marked with the antisemitic messages. Investigators are also reviewing the now-deleted YouTube channel allegedly linked to Westman that featured disturbing videos uploaded before the attack.
“Israel must fall and “Burn Israel” were among the writings on the weapons, as seen in the video. In addition, the messages on the guns included “6 million wasn’t enough” — an apparent reference to the 6 million Jews killed during the Holocaust, and “Burn HIAS” — an apparent reference to a Jewish organization which helps settle refugees.
Westman also allegedly wrote “kill Donald Trump” on a gun magazine as well as anti-black and anti-Latino racist messaging.
The videos also included images of a notebook with writing in the Cyrillic alphabet.
“If I will carry out a racially motivated attack, it would be most likely against filthy Zionist jews,” the notebook said, according to a translation by the New York Post. Westman also allegedly wrote slogans such as “Free Palestine.”
Images of the content has been widely circulated on social media.
Robin Westman, the suspected shooter in today’s mass shooting at the Annunciation Catholic Church and School in Minneapolis, Minnesota, appears to have had a YouTube Channel named “Robin W” which has since been deleted, that contained several video consisting of guns, a manifesto… pic.twitter.com/B3JJUOIGJp
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) August 27, 2025
Shocking antisemitic messages spotted on the Minneapolis shooter’s gun including:
– “Israel must fall,”
– “Burn Israel”
– “6 million wasn’t enough.”
– “ Burn HIAS (originally a Jewish resettlement org for refugees)Via our colleague @RealSaavedra pic.twitter.com/NFUnkRNlDs
— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) August 27, 2025
An analysis of the shooter’s apparent manifesto by the ADL found no singular political motive. The assailant “scrawled numerous references and symbols on their weapons linked to a broad range of mass attackers, mimicking the 2019 Christchurch, 2022 Buffalo, and 2025 Antioch shooters, among others, who marked their weapons before launching their attacks,” the ADL wrote.
“The references found on the attacker’s weapons do not suggest a deep knowledge of white supremacy. Instead, the references point to a broader fixation on mass violence,” the group concluded.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, who is Jewish, spoke with raw emotion after visiting the scene. “There are no words that can capture the horror and the evil of this unspeakable act,” he said.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said the students “were met with evil and horror and death.”
“We often come to these and say these unspeakable tragedies or there’s no words for this. There shouldn’t be words for these types of incidents because they should not happen and there’s no words that are going to ease the pain of the families today,” Walz added.
The suspect was reportedly a transgender woman who changed her name from Robert to Robin in 2020. Westman’s mother worked as a secretary at Annunciation until 2021, according to news reports, and authorities are still examining whether that connection influenced the target.
The tragedy adds to a growing list of school and faith-based shootings in the United States this year. Experts warn that antisemitic conspiracy theories, spread widely online, can inspire such violent attacks.
The tragedy came a week after the ADL released a new report highlighting how extremist online spaces are fueling not only school shootings but also a broader rise in antisemitism across the US. According to the report, many websites containing violent and gruesome material have pulled young people into white supremacist propaganda and conspiracy theories, inspiring them to commit deadly attacks.