Rabbi: ‘Extreme voices’ in Louis Theroux settler doc ‘unrepresentative of religious Zionism’
United Synagogue’s Rabbi Michael Laitner says BBC’s The Settlers ignores core ideals of religious Zionism
The United Synagogue’s Director of Education has accused Louis Theroux: The Settlers of platforming extreme voices that misrepresent religious Zionism in its “purest form”.
Speaking in a short educational shiur responding to the recent BBC documentary, Rabbi Michael Laitner said: “Some of the extreme voices in the Louis Theroux programme are ones I personally disagree with very acutely, but I understand, at least in some ways, where they are coming from, even though they do not represent religious Zionism in its purest form.”
The rabbi acknowledged the complexity of the issue raised, saying they are ones he has “been thinking about and grappling with for many years, both when I was growing up as a child and for the years I spent living in Israel”.
The Settlers, which aired on BBC Two in April, sees Theroux travel across Israeli settlements in the West Bank, speaking to hardline settlers, including former Kach activist Daniella Weiss. The film explores the religious and ideological motivations behind settlement activity and includes Palestinian voices affected by its expansion.
In the 30-minute session, recorded from Highgate United Synagogue, Laitner gave a religious-historical overview of Zionism, its biblical roots, and the ideals of early religious Zionist thinkers like Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook.
He argued that “Zionism is not a political movement that began in the 19th century out of nothing… It actually represented a fundamental Judaism.”
Quoting Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, he added, “The Jewish connection with the land and its people is not political… It’s an identification with the land itself, where the patriarchs and matriarchs lived, the prophets taught, and with the Jewish people linked in a covenantal bond of mutual responsibility.”
Rabbi Laitner stressed that while there is a religious obligation to settle the land of Israel, it must be approached ethically and sensitively. He cited prominent halachic voices like Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, who held that “settling the land itself is not the supreme fulfilment” and must be weighed against other Jewish values.
He concluded with a prayer for peace and the return of the hostages still held in Gaza, adding, “We hope and pray the Messianic visions of peace… will be fulfilled for us and for all of the world very soon.”
Watch Rabbi Michael Laitner’s full shiur here.
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