Israel flag protest against Neturei Karta
Israel flag protest against Neturei KartaIsrael news photo: Hezki Ezra

A pro-Israel protester waved an Israel flag in a demonstration aimed against Neturei Karta anti-Zionist protesters at the White House Monday.  

Ari Briggs, a member of the Israeli nationalist Regavim organization, said he came to Washington to attend the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) convention. He was walking to the convention center when he saw the Jewish anti-Zionists protesting with a Palestinian flag. "I said it is not possible that we have 13,000 pro-Israel activists in the conference and not one Israeli activist standing outside the White House to counter Neturei Karta," he explains.

The small but vocal Neturei Karta sect bases its claims against modern Zionism on a passage in the Talmud that, according to Neturei Karta's interpretation, “teaches that Jews shall not use human initiative to bring about the establishment of a Jewish state before the coming of the universally accepted Moshiach (Messiah, descended from the House of David)”, which is to be an obvious miracle. 

Briggs said he asked passersby to bring him an Israeli flag to “show the colors of Israel with our Prime Minister in the White House.”

As for the Neturei Karta sect, Briggs said, “They are crazy people. In every people there are crazies, and Israel and the Jewish people’s crazies are down here at the moment. They are absolutely not representative of us.”