Israeli Leaders: Must Follow Rebbe's Security Doctrine

A high-profile gathering at Chabad headquarters in Kfar Chabad brought together Israel's political and security leadership for the launch of a new book documenting the Lubavitcher Rebbe's security doctrine, with speaker after speaker declaring that recent events have vindicated his warnings against territorial concessions.

The book, titled "Making Peace" and authored by Rabbi Elisha Perl, compiles the Rebbe's consistent positions over decades on ceasefires, territorial withdrawals, the imperative of deterrence, and the Jewish people's right to their land. The event took place at the replica of 770 Eastern Parkway, the Rebbe's headquarters in Brooklyn.

According to the book, the Rebbe repeatedly argued across multiple Israeli administrations that any territorial concession not grounded in pure security considerations invites further aggression rather than preventing it. He maintained that international guarantees and UN forces cannot substitute actual Israeli security presence on the ground.

Rabbi Meir Ashkenazi, chief rabbi of Kfar Chabad, opened the proceedings by emphasizing that "when we all act according to the Rebbe's consciousness, the consciousness of Torah and the Almighty, we act from faith in the righteousness of our path." He noted that while the Rebbe encouraged confidence that Israel would prevail in war, he simultaneously opposed, in accordance with halacha, any political process involving territorial concessions. "Today we see much more clearly how right the Rebbe's path was," Rabbi Ashkenazi said.

The "Making Peace" book launch event at Chabad headquarters (Photo: Mendy Toito)

Rabbi Menachem Mendel Gluchovsky, deputy secretary of the Chabad rabbinical court, shared that he had heard many talks from the Rebbe, "but the talks on matters of Eretz Yisrael were delivered in a different tone, you could see it touched his heart." He recounted meetings with Israeli prime ministers and their acknowledgment of the Rebbe's guidance, concluding with the Rebbe's warning to Yitzhak Rabin "to remember that we are a people that dwells alone," and Rabin's own declaration to the Knesset after signing the Oslo Accords: "The era of 'a people that dwells alone' is over... What has happened since, we all know."

Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Aharonov, chairman of Agudas Chassidei Chabad in Israel, emphasized that "there is no doubt that the Rebbe's words reflected remarkable foresight, and things said decades ago have been proven over time in their full force. When matters are anchored in Torah, they are not dependent on time. Reality changes, countries change and circumstances change, but the words of Torah stand forever... There is no need to update the Rebbe's words each time reality changes. On the contrary, reality is what illuminates anew the depth and truth of what the Rebbe said back then."

Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana led the political speakers, declaring that "the Rebbe's conception must continue to guide Israel's security doctrine," including the boldness expressed in the Rebbe's question of why the conquest wasn't completed all the way to Damascus.

Justice Minister Yariv Levin said that today, more than ever, it is becoming clear how right the Rebbe was, including in his opposition to the withdrawal from Sinai, as evidenced by the October 7 massacre that originated, in his words, from Gaza's connection to Egypt. "This book is not just a summary of what was philosophically correct in the past, but has important meaning for the present and future," the minister concluded.

Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi noted that "today everyone knows we should have adhered from the start to the Rebbe's positions and not been captive to the conception, until we were jolted awake three years ago by the terrible massacre."

Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli said "the Rebbe never blinked on the issue of Eretz Yisrael," expressing hope that the book would serve as a guide for many "so they won't compromise, because this approach led to the greatest catastrophes of the Jewish people."

Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu called for spreading the Rebbe's positions on the people of Israel, the Torah of Israel and the Land of Israel: "We need everyone to be Chabadniks."

Minister Ze'ev Elkin said that "the Rebbe's words, which seemed like utopia disconnected from reality, are proving to be the correct reality."

MK Meir Porush read from a letter by the Rebbe calling not to vote for parties conducting negotiations to return territories of Eretz Yisrael to the enemy, thereby causing mortal danger to the Jewish people.

MK Yoav Ben Tzur called it an important book that should be read from beginning to end "to internalize the importance of the Rebbe's teachings."

Finance Committee Chairman MK Hanoch Milvetsky, along with MKs Amit Halevi and Moshe Saada, former MK Moshe Feiglin, Major General (ret.) Uzi Dayan, Brigadier General (ret.) Amir Avivi of the Habithonistim movement, Colonel (ret.) Hezi Nehama of the Forum of Commanders and Fighters, and Oren Hanig, CEO of the Yechin Center, all emphasized in their remarks the importance of the Rebbe's security policies and the need to act according to them today, as reality has proven the truth of his holy words.

Author Rabbi Elisha Perl summarized the essence of the work in one sentence: "There is one point that runs through all of the Rebbe's teachings, the fascinating combination of strategic vision with the directives of Torah."

Rabbi Shmuel Avtzon, director of Sichos in English, recounted that on Simchat Torah, when the first reports of the terrible massacre reached the United States, after the heartbreak came the question of how Chabad chassidim allowed the disaster to happen. "I told Rabbi Elisha Perl that he must stop everything and change the discourse," he said. "The book came out first in English and brought the desired result, thank G-d."

Rabbi Ariel Lamberg, secretary-general of Agudas Chassidei Chabad, who moderated the event, noted that "we saw how even non-Jews honored the Rebbe's firm position and awarded him the highest decoration, the Gold Medal, despite his firm stance that one must not consider extraneous considerations in determining policy for safeguarding Israel's security."

Professor Moshe Koppel, founder of the Kohelet Forum, said that "the Rebbe is the leader of the generation, and everything written in this book is absolute truth, and we must walk in the Rebbe's path and heed his voice."

Dvir Schwartz of Sela Meir Publishers said the goal in publishing the book is "that every person in Israel be exposed to this book, which is the remedy for the terrible disaster that befell us."