Is Religious Zionism in Crisis?

Is Religious Zionism in The Goal of Religious Zionism in Medinat Yisrael — Today By Rabbi Yaakov Filber Translated from Hebrew by Matis Greenblatt Medinat Yisrael, which came into being by miraculous us from our inception until now. In opposition stands means, presently stands at a crossroads. Secular Zionism Religious Zionism, which on the one hand is working to imagines that it has realized its goals and currently strives to preserve the Jewish character of Israeli society through its attain two objectives: (1) peace with its Arab neighbors, broad educational network, and on the other hand, is work- and (2) the continued formation of a Western state, made ing to establish settlements wherever possible to fight the up of Jews in the Middle East. In order to achieve these attempt to reduce the completeness of the Land. This twin goals it is prepared to pay a heavy price. In exchange for struggle carries a price: tension is created and deepens the peace, it advocates relinquishing sections of the birthplace gap between the various segments of Israeli society. But which were freed during the Six Day War; and on behalf of before discussing the state of Religious Zionism today, achieving a Western state, it is willing to become estranged Zionism in past generations will be described. from the unique Jewish way of life which has distinguished Since its birth 100 years ago, Zionism has brought about a revolution in the Jewish People which may be divided Rabbi Filber is one of the chief editors and expositors of Rav Koo k ’s into two periods: the first prior to the establishment of the wo r ks. He is rosh yes h i va h of Yes h i v at Yer ushalayim La’T z’i r i m . State, and the second after its establishment. Secular JEWISH ACTION Fall 5760/1999 Zionism, which viewed the State as the crowning achieve- community’s integration into the governmental framework ment of Zionism, was, until its establishment, the domi- at the same time that it is in opposition in many areas. nant force and carried high the Zionist banner. During An opposite trend also occurred within Religious that period Zionism was occupied with three tasks: Aliyah Zionism: after years of subservience to the secular leader- of Jews to Eretz Yisrael, settlement of the uncultivated por- ship, it shook itself free from secular ideology and began to tions of the Land, and protection of the yishuv [Jewish set- direct its own path in accordance with the truth of Jewish tlement] against the Arabs, who from the outset sought to sources. This revolution, whose beginning was small, grew undermine the Zionist achievement. Religious Zionism stronger in the course of time and Religious Zionism suc- was a partner in the Zionist undertaking, and sought, in cessfully constructed a Zionist Torah world which now addition to the above goals, to create a Jewish image for the encompasses tens of thousands of young people educated in Zionist movement, but its efforts were accompanied by an the myriad institutions of the Religious Zionist system. inferiority complex which made it necessary to prove that And we are privileged to witness the mature products of Religious Zionism was capable of achieving all that her these institutions who have graduated from schools secular sister had achieved. The third group in of higher Torah learning, completed their aca- the nation, the Chareidi community, viewed demic educations and are occupying key itself not merely outside of the Zionist positions: in the rabbinate, as dayanim, movement, but saw in Zionism the foe educators, in strategic positions in of Judaism and related to it with sus- government, the army, economics, picion. medicine and academia. One After the establishment of the can find the wearers of the kip- State, but particularly after the pah serugah in all strata of Six Day War, great changes took Israeli society. place in all three groups: Yet in spite of these suc- Secular Zionism saw in the cesses, there are shadows State the actualization of its troubling the Religious dreams, and began to refer to Zionist leadership, especially Zionism with quotation marks , in two areas: the Oslo reflecting a phenomenon pre- Rav Avraham agreements, which have dicted by Rav Kook in l920 in Yitzchak Kook brought about withdrawals his seminal work, Orot: Mate- from the territories freed by rial tranquility will come upon a the Six Day War, have segment of the nation which aroused doubts and confu- imagines that it has attained its sion in belief in the goal, stunting its soul; and days will Redemption among the arrive about which it will be said, Religious Zionist community, “there is no more desire.” The yearn- particularly among the young. ing for lofty and sanctified idealism will How can there be withdrawal dur- cease and consequently the spirit will ing the “Beginning of the decline and sink. And in fact, idealism has Redemption?” The rabbis dealt with gradually declined in Israeli society, particular- this question when they explained that the ly in that part that has distanced itself to the point exodus from Egypt included, and the final of alienation from Jewish tradition and the Jewish way of Redemption will include, revelation and concealment: life of past generations — a decline that has resulted in a that is to say, there will be periods of success when God cooling of the Zionist fire. reveals Himself, and there will also be periods when He A change has also occurred within the Chareidi commu- hides His face; there will be failures and setbacks in the nity since the early Zionist period: whereas it had been process of Redemption. It is also possible that included in withdrawn, and opposed joint action with Zionist society, the yisurim [suffering] which one must endure in order to today — if not de jure, at least de facto — it is acting simi- gain a share in Eretz Yisrael are not only physical suffering, larly to the Mizrachi in its early days, by engaging in con- but also suffering of the soul, including confusion and certed action with secular groups, such as in joining govern- doubt. mental coalitions and influencing legislation which impact The second problem area is that of education. Here upon the general populace; also, whereas it originally Religious Zionism is enduring the phenomenon of “more banned the Chief Rabbinate and the Religious Councils, riches, more worry.” In spite of the quantitative growth of today it is active in determining their composition and join- the student population, there are educational failures from a ing them. All these are striking indications of the Chareidi religious standpoint attributable to two factors: the open- JEWISH ACTION Fall 5760/1999 ness of Religious Zionist education exposes students to per- ment of settling the Land and views our age as the missiveness and to the media, which is largely secular, and “Beginning of the Flowering of our Redemption.” The to all the negative influences which a student encounters. function of this group is not merely to create a bridge, but All of these factors cause dropouts from religious education. most importantly, to bring about the coming together of In addition, with the expansion of yeshivah education, the these two groups into one Redemption, so that all parts of children from less committed and observant families now the Jewish community will carry the burden and responsi- attend yeshivot. Though new schools open every year to bility for the realization of the idea of the Jewish people liv- accommodate these students, the quantitative success also ing in Eretz Yisrael according to Torat Yisrael.With the creates problems. But these failures need not weaken the joint efforts of all segments of the nation, Eretz Yisrael will spirit; rather, it is incumbent upon us to join hands and be constructed as a State in the forefront of modern eco- continue in the path on which we began, as it is written: nomics, technology and the sciences, and at the same time “Let us be strong for the sake of our People and for the sake conduct itself according to the ideas and ways of the Torah of the cities of our God — and God will do what is good in of Israel. Such a Medinah was described by Rav Kook His eyes.” when he envisaged the Medinat Yisrael of the future as a The function of Religious Zionism in our day remains means toward the unfolding of the Kingdom of God on what it was from the beginning. At the two extremes of earth: The State is not man’s greatest source of happiness; such Israeli society are two communities: the Chareidi, whose can be said concerning an ordinary state whose value lies in faithfulness to Torah caused it to withdraw from, and at nothing more than providing security for its society, but whose times to negate, the State; and the secular, whose zeal to be many principles which are the crown of life remain hovering “a nation like all the nations” and a State like all the states, above the state; this is otherwise for a state whose foundation is has distanced itself from the Torah. The gap widens and idealism, within whose very being is inscribed the most sub- deepens from day to day. Between these two groups stands lime ideal, which is in truth the greatest happiness of the indi- a great camp of “keepers of the faith” — a group that ful- vidual. And it is this state that is our State, Medinat Yisrael, fills mitzvot, sees in the strengthening and development of the foundation of God’s throne in this world, whose total wish Medinat Yisrael the actualization of the positive command- is that God be One and His Name One.

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