Rabbi speaks at Brazil Chamber of Deputies event Commemorating Nakba 77th Anniversary
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July 2, 2025 -
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Brazilian Pro-Palestine Movement -
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At a pivotal moment in modern Latin American political history, the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies held an unprecedented session on July 2,2025 to commemorate the 77th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba drawing a broad spectrum of political, diplomatic, and public participation.
The Nakba, which means “catastrophe” in Arabic, refers to the mass displacement and dispossession of Palestinians during the 1948 war. with the Zionist movement aiming to establish a state in Palestine
Among the invited speakers was Rabbi Yisroel Dovid Weiss, spokesman for Neturei Karta, the voice of Orthodox Jews who oppose Zionism on religious grounds.
In his speech before the Brazilian Parliament, Rabbi Weiss reiterated this crucial distinction, emphasizing that Jews lived peacefully for centuries in Palestine and throughout the Islamic world without the need for a “racist political entity” such as the Zionist State of Israel.
He stated clearly:
“We live the pain of the Palestinian people… We demonstrate, protest, and pray for a free Palestine from the river to the sea.”
In his address, Rabbi Weiss also recalled the historic stance of Rabbi Yosef Tzvi Dushinsky, one of the most respected rabbinic figures of his time, who stood before the United Nations in 1947 to voice his opposition to the creation of the State of Israel. Rabbi Dushinsky asserted that Zionism was a political movement — not a religious one — and represented only a minority of Jews.
Rabbi Weiss continued:
“We believe that this occupation will end, and that the Palestinians will return to their homes. This is not just our wish, but a prophecy we believe in and pray for daily.”
He further clarified that opposing Zionism does not equate to anti-Semitism, stressing that criticism of the Israeli state and its policies — including its treatment of Palestinians — is both legitimate and necessary.
During the event, Rabbi Weiss met with various parliamentary leaders and members, taking the opportunity to share the Jewish religious perspective on Zionism and what he described as its ongoing crimes against the Palestinian people.
His presence and remarks quickly became the talk of the town in Brazil, as Rabbi Weiss shattered the widespread stereotype that equates Judaism with Zionism.
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