Ask JTF For Motza'ei Tzom Asara BeTevet, Sunday, December 31.

[Tzvi Ben Roshel1]

Dear Chaim,

who is worse Hitler or the zionists?( and the whole haskala movement which tried and tries to destroy Judaism).
 my next question is-do you see the possibility of a full scale civil war going on in Israel? Why are the Haredim that dont serve in the army portrayed negativly? Dont you think that by serving and even voting in the state gives legitamicy to it. What I would like to see happen is that we stop the hate and devisions between all good and loyal to G-d Jews, and the bringing down of the evil eruv rav that occupies the Land of Israel.
 What is your position of Jews returning to Israel- should Jews first work on becoming religious outside the Land of Israel and then return, or should Jews both religious and completly secular quickly return to Israel and then work on keeping the mitzvot? Im asking becuase I have heard that in the Land of Israel the level of justice is much strickter then outside the land while at the same time when JEws keep mitzvot their, then their is a higher level of Compassion revealed to the Jews.
 would you support,encourage or want Jews who proclaim themselves as atheists to leave the Land Of Israel?

[Noahide]

Dear Chaim,

Happy New Year! I hope that you and yours are well. 

What do you think of the late economist Milton Friedman?  As far as I know, he was secular but not a self-hating Jew, and he urged the Israelis to adopt a free-market regime like that of Hong Kong.  In his essay called 'The Hong Kong Experiment' (c. 1990), Friedman pointed out that Israel and Hong Kong had roughly the same number of people.  Both are small places.  Israel's taxes were high and its regulations were complex.  Hong Kong's taxes were low and its regulations were few and simple.  In the 40-50 years after World War II, Hong Kong went from being much poorer than Israel to being much richer than Israel. 

Israel's natural resources and human resources are surely better than Hong Kong's.  Would you not agree that there is an important lesson to be learned from Friedman in that regard?

Asir Todah.

Regards as always from Noahide.

[takebackourtemple]

   A couple of weeks ago you described your healthy diet. Could you also describe what types of excercise you do to keep fit? I know a lot of sports are bad for the joints. Which ones are you for and which ones are you against?

[ItalianZionist]

Dear Chaim, Happy B'day. I never understood why Israel didn't get or liberate more land when the modern state of Israel first started in 1948. Israel has such little land today. Was it the annoying British that prevented them or just lack of foresight on the part of Israel.
Thanks
Have a prosperous New Year

[Yoel]

Dear Chaim,

I just want to correct something that you said in a previous program.

The Neturei Karta was founded by hardcore mitnagdim. Rabbi Katznellenbogen and others were from a mitnagdic background, descendants of the Gra's disciples who made aliya in the 1700's.

On the other hand, it is inaccurate to say that all Chassidim opposed Zionism. There were several Hassidic Rabbis in Eastern Europe who supported religious Zionism. They include: Rabbi Eliyahu Guttmacher of Greiditz, The Kotzk-Pilover Rebbe, The Sadigere Rebbe, The Bahushe Rebbe and other.