While numerous Jewish institutions and leaders issued statements in response to the recent Hamas attacks on Israel, those from the Haredi community carried a different flavor. The range of comments – issued from Satmar, Chabad-Lubavitch and others – reveal not only a multitude of ways Haredim relate to Israel, but also the “variety of political opinions in the Haredi community, from more dovish to more classic right-wing,” said Dr. Shayna Weiss, Associate Director of the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies at Brandeis University.

Haredi communities have complicated relationships with the State of Israel, and many disregard or ignore the existence of the Israeli government. Some are openly opposed to a Jewish state. It is common for Haredim in Israel to avoid military service. The reasons for this vary, from concerns about the Israeli government’s secular orientation, to a belief that the Jewish people should wait for the arrival of the Messiah before establishing a Jewish government.

Even so, Weiss said the Israeli and American Haredi communities are close. “The Haredi community in America has really strong affective” – or emotional – “ties with Israel,” she said, distinguishing between how Haredim relate to the people of Israel, and how they relate to the government. “Even for more anti-Zionist groups like Satmar, they visit Israel with high frequency, attend weddings in Israel, arrange shidduchim [arranged marriages] with Israelis, have yeshivas in Israel, and support institutions in Israel.”

The same goes for Agudath Israel of America, an organization that represents Haredim domestically, Weiss said. Agudah released a statement supporting “the people of Israel,” but not mentioning the Israeli government.

“The Agudah has often tried to thread a line between supporting the people of Israel and the official state mechanism, because Agudah is a non-Zionist organization,” Weiss said.

The Chabad-Lubavitch community, on the other hand, has a closer relationship to the State of Israel, and Chabad-Lubavitch Headquarters specifically expressed support for the Israeli military in its statement about the attacks. “I wouldn’t call it Zionist in the classic sense, but it’s much closer,” Weiss said. “Chabad beliefs are popular among Israeli soldiers.”

Here is a sampling of what Haredi leaders have said about the conflict in the Middle East:

Agudath Israel of America expressed support for “the people of Israel”:

Chabad-Lubavitch Headquarters voiced support for the Israeli Defense Forces:

“We pray for the definitive, resounding and swift success of the Israel Defense Forces and for the safety of its soldiers and the people of Israel” said Chabad-Lubavitch rabbi Yehuda Krinsky. See Krinsy’s full statement on the Chabad-Lubavitch news site COLlive.

Rabbi Aaron Teitelbaum, one of the Satmar Hasidic community’s two grand rabbis, lamented the loss of Jewish lives:

Footsteps, an organization supporting people who leave the Haredi lifestyle, deleted posts:

Footsteps removed social media posts that referred to the tragedy in “Israel and Palestine,” as opposed to just Israel.

“We at Footsteps want to express support for our community as we navigate the shocking tragedies that unfolded over the weekend in Israel and Palestine,” the organization wrote in posts on Facebook and Instagram that have since been deleted.

New York State Assemblymember Simcha Eichenstein, who represents Haredi community in Boro Park in the state legislature, expressed support for the people of Israel:

New York City Council member Kalman Yeger, who represents Boro Park, accused colleagues of antisemitism:

In the days since the Israel-Gaza war began, Yeger has sparred with other politicians on X, formerly known as Twitter. Yeger accused other politicians of antisemitism when they released statements expressing sympathy with the Palestinian struggle against Israeli occupation.

“Only the most heinous of antisemites are doing ‘both-sidesisms’ today.” Yeger wrote on the platform.

In 2019, Yeger was removed from the council’s immigration committee after claiming multiple times that “Palestine does not exist.”

Boro Park Jewish Community Council, a social services organization, expressed shock and horror:

Meyer Tauber, leader of the Monsey Haredi community activist group Mareches, called for “no negotiations”: