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Judaism

The internal struggle within Israel's new ruling elite

Religious Zionists dominate public life, but they may not be as united as critics think, says the author of a new book

October 17, 2023 17:00
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Thousands of Jewish wave the Israeli flags as they celebrate Jerusalem Day by dancing through Damascus Gate on their way to the Western Wall. Jerusalem Day celebrations mark the 51th anniversary of its capture of Arab east Jerusalem in the Six Day War of 1967. May 13, 2018. Photo by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90 *** Local Caption *** יום ירושלים חגיגות דגל ישראל יהודי צעדה דתיים שער שכם
3 min read

Kippot come in all shapes and sizes, but the knitted kippah — the symbol of Religious Zionists — is everywhere in Israel. In the Supreme Court and the media, the government and the army, the top brass of the police and the Shin Bet.

Men and women from the Religious Zionist community have made a name for themselves in academia, business, and practically every walk of life in Israel.

The list of Religious Zionists at the top of Israeli society reads like a Who’s Who of the country’s movers and shakers: from Prime Minister Naftali Bennett to former police chief Roni Alsheikh; from Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit to multiple Supreme Court justices; from Channel 12’s political analyst Amit Segal to Professor Menachem Ben-Sasson, the president of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Sensing that a revolutionary change is afoot, the journalist Ari Shavit dubbed them “Israel’s new ruling elite”. 

And not just any elite. In a far-reaching and eye-opening study from 2014, the Israel Democracy Institute found that roughly one fifth (22 per cent) of Israeli Jews identify as Religious Zionists.

Together, they are known as the “national-religious” (dati leumi) community because of the unique fusion of Zionism and religion in their identity — a fusion that sets them apart from secular Zionists, on the one hand, and non-Zionist Charedi Jews on the other.

The comprehensive study, which questioned a representative sample of 4,600 men and women, revealed that many Israelis who do not necessarily practise a national-religious lifestyle (be they secular, Charedi, or traditionalist) are coalescing around the social nucleus of the Religious Zionist community. 

Religious Zionists are everywhere, and this ubiquity is fostering within the community a sense of euphoria.

One advertising campaign launched in 2016 for the biggest Religious Zionist youth movement declared: “One day, you too will be a graduate of Bnei Akiva!” The campaign in 2016 featured pictures of Orthodox men and women, politicians, rabbis, military officers, academics, and other famous people who had passed through its ranks.

Another Bnei Akiva notice urged Israelis: “Let’s shine the great light — so proud of the impressive graduates illuminating our common future!”