The Neturei Karta are frequently presented as evidence that observant Jews endorse the elimination of Israel. Their distinctive clothing and explicitly Jewish signs give this tiny sect a public prominence wildly disproportionate to its numbers and standing within Judaism. Its ideology, conduct and alliances place it at the extreme margins of Jewish life.
Here are 10 things you should know:
1. Tiny in Numbers
Estimates generally place the entire Neturei Karta community at roughly 5,000, while one academic reference assesses that only around 100 followers are active in its radical, public-facing wing.
2. Rejected as Extremist by Almost All Jews
Neturei Karta’s conduct has been repudiated across the Jewish religious and political spectrum. In a 2024 survey, just 2% of Jews agreed that Neturei Karta represented their views on Israel.
3. Its Prominence Is Manufactured Through Tokenism
A small number of Neturei Karta men regularly appear at anti-Israel demonstrations wearing highly recognizable clothing and carrying signs identifying themselves as “Torah Jews.” Elevating a marginal sect while disregarding the overwhelming majority of Jews is tokenism, which undermines Jewish representation.
4. Intolerant and Regressive
Neturei Karta is a religious fundamentalist movement. Its leaders have campaigned against gay rights and described homosexuality as an illness. The movement has opposed women’s equality and promoted highly restrictive gender roles, including gender segregation and restrictions on women’s clothing and education.
5. Its Ultimate Vision Rejects a Palestinian State
Neturei Karta believes that the Messiah will usher in an era of universal Jewish religious order. Its own FAQ describes a future in which the Dome of the Rock is replaced by a Jewish Temple, and in which “questions of political ‘rights’ will be rendered irrelevant” because all men will worship God as understood through Judaism.
6. Embraced U.S.-Designated Terrorists Who Killed Americans
On numerous occasions leaders of Neturei Karta met with officials of the U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization Hezbollah, which is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American Marines. Neturei Karta members laid a wreath at the tomb of Hezbollah terrorist Imad Mughniyeh. According to CNN, “Before the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, U.S. officials blamed Mughniyeh for the deaths of more Americans around the world than any other terror suspect.”
7. Its Members Legitimized a Holocaust-Denial Conference
Neturei Karta representatives attended Iran’s International Conference to Review the Global Vision of the Holocaust. The event brought together Holocaust deniers, white supremacists and former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke. Their attendance provided Jewish cover for an event designed to undermine Holocaust history.
8. Blamed Israel for October 7
Neturei Karta’s October 9, 2023 statement did not name Hamas or condemn the murder and kidnapping of Israeli civilians. Instead, it demanded the “total dismantlement” of Israel. At the moment of the deadliest attack on Jews since the Holocaust, Neturei Karta used the massacre primarily to reiterate its case against Jewish statehood. The organization later sent a delegation to the funeral of Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas’ leader on October 7, and extended “heartfelt condolences.”
9. A Modern Movement, Not an Ancient Jewish Tradition
Neturei Karta presents its position as the timeless teaching of authentic Judaism, but the movement itself was founded in Jerusalem in 1938 after breaking with Agudat Israel to preserve its radical anti-Zionism. Its distinctive political program is a modern factional development, not an ancient Jewish belief.
10. It Claims a Monopoly on Authentic Judaism
Neturei Karta does not merely dispute the political judgments of most Jews, it describes its own position exclusively as “authentic unadulterated Judaism.” It does not recognize the legitimacy of non-Orthodox Jews or Jews who believe that Israel should exist. It is a movement representing only a tiny fringe that claims authority to define the Judaism of millions of Jews.