by Rabbi Seth D. Gordon
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here are that of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the Union for Traditional Judaism, unless otherwise indicated.
Rabbi Seth Gordon offers perspectives on the war with Iran in a Times of Israel blogpost and in a class on Israel.
In “The Perils of War: An American View” Rabbi Gordon discusses the dangers of war as well as the danagers of avoiding war.
As undesirable as war is for good and kind people, war is not the worst option; it is far worse to leave truly evil people and ideologies intact — whether slavery or the Nazis. Had it not been for the thinking that led to Neville Chamberlain’s hollow claim “Peace in our time” (September 1938) — we would have confronted the Nazis when they were far weaker and saved those tens of millions of lives and treasure.
Read more at https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/the-perils-of-war-an-american-view/.
His class on Israel, recorded on March 17, 2026, featured an open discussion about the war. Video is below.
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Rabbi Seth D Gordon received his rabbinic s'michah from Rav David Weiss Halivini from the UTJ and has served congregations in Annapolis, Maryland, Bethpage, New York, and St Louis, Missouri. His emphasis is Jewish education. Rabbi Gordon has worked across the board, co-founding a day school in Annapolis, and founded the now defunct African American-Jewish coalition of Anne Arundel County. He also taught in a Jewish Day School on Long Island, NY. He serves on the executive board of the UTJ and is the past Chairman of MORASHAH, its rabbinical organization. He and his wife are blessed with five children and eleven grandchildren; two of their sons, their wives, and five of their grandchildren live in Israel.