Stop Calling It "The Holy Land" — It’s the Land of Israel
- WireNews
- May 24
- 4 min read
by Ram ben Ze'ev
There is a subtle yet dangerous behaviour that many among the Nations have adopted—particularly a certain brand of Christianity—which must be called out without apology or hesitation. They refer to the Land of Israel as “The Holy Land.” On the surface, it sounds harmless—even reverent. But make no mistake: this phrase is not just inaccurate. It is part of a calculated attempt to confuse, dilute, and ultimately usurp the identity and eternal sovereignty of Eretz Yisrael (ארץ ישראל, Land of Israel) and her rightful heirs, the Nation of Israel.
This is not innocent. It is intentional.
By using a vague, theologically-neutral term like The Holy Land, they sever the Land from its exclusive covenant with the עם ישראל (Am Yisrael, Nation of Israel), disguising Christian ideology as some universal claim to holiness. In doing so, they attempt to recast our sacred inheritance as a mere backdrop to their foreign theology. The goal is not reverence—it is replacement.
Let us be very clear: the Land is not holy in and of itself. Its קדושה (kedushah, holiness) is entirely contingent upon the fulfilment of Torah by the Jewish People. As it says in דברים (Devarim, Deuteronomy) 11:12:
“A land which the L-RD your G-D cares for; the eyes of the L-RD your G-D are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year.”
And in ויקרא (Vayikra, Leviticus) 18:28:
“That the land not vomit you out for defiling it, as it vomited out the nation that was before you.”
These verses reveal a core truth: the Land is conditionally holy—not innately so. Its sanctity is a result of our presence, our mitzvot, and our relationship with הקב״ה (HaKadosh Barukh Hu, the Holy One, Blessed is He).
The Holy Zohar explains in Zohar I, 108a that the Divine Presence—שכינה (Shekhinah, Divine Presence)—rests only where there is taharah (טהרה, purity) and connection to Torah. A land without Torah becomes defiled and loses its sanctity. When the Nations speak of "The Holy Land" while rejecting the Torah and its commandments, they speak emptiness, not holiness.
Worse still, the use of “Holy Land” often comes as a backdoor to promote Christian pilgrimage and worship in our Land—turning the streets of Yerushalayim into marketing for idolatry. And let us not equivocate: Christianity is idolatry. This is not a controversial statement—it is halakhah (הלכה, Jewish law). The Rambam makes this clear in Hilkhot Avodat Kokhavim (Laws of Idolatry), and the Tanya, particularly in Iggeret HaKodesh Chapter 25, condemns the spiritual confusion caused by submitting the infinite Ein Sof into finite form—a foundational sin in Christian dogma.
These modern missionaries and “Zionist Christians” who profess love for Israel do so only insofar as they can manipulate Jewish return to the Land into their apocalyptic fantasies. They “pray for Israel” while dreaming of the day Jews convert. They “stand with us” while reciting verses that strip us of our covenantal distinctiveness. This is not support—it is sabotage in disguise.
Even their religion’s founders were, in truth, no more than reformist Jews—men who broke from halakhic life and invented their own paths, much like today's heretical streams. As the Holy Zohar warns in Zohar II, 94b, when the lower worlds mimic holiness without connecting to the supernal source, they become klipot (קליפות, shells)—forces that mask and drain Divine light rather than reveal it.
So what must we do?
We must never refer to Eretz Yisrael as “The Holy Land.” That phrase is not ours. It is a foreign term with a foreign agenda. We must insist on speaking of the Land in its correct name—Eretz Yisrael—and tie it always to the People, the Torah, and the Shekhinah.
We must teach our children that holiness comes from Torah, not from tourists.
We must assert without shame that Israel is a Jewish nation, governed by a Jewish destiny, under a Jewish covenant, with no need for Christian affirmation.
And we must stop pretending that interfaith dialogue with idolaters is somehow a mitzvah. It is not. It is confusion.
Let us close with the words of the Alter Rebbe in Tanya, Chapter 36, where he describes the ultimate purpose of creation: to make this lowest realm into a dwelling place for the Divine.
That dwelling begins with truth—and there is no truth in calling Eretz Yisrael “The Holy Land” while erasing the very people to whom it belongs.
We must reclaim our terms, our heritage, and our language. For if we don’t, they will be stolen—and sanctified—by those who have no right to them.
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Bill White (Ram ben Ze'ev) is CEO of WireNews Limited, Mayside Partners Limited, MEADHANAN Agency, Kestrel Assets Limited, SpudsToGo Limited and Executive Director of Hebrew Synagogue
