Gush Emunim
Encyclopedia
Gush Emunim was an Israel
i messianic
and political movement committed to establishing Jewish settlements in the West Bank
. While not formally established as an organization until 1974 in the wake of the Yom Kippur War
, Gush Emunim sprang out of the conquests of the Six-Day War
in 1967, encouraging Jewish settlement
of the land based on the belief that, according to the Torah
, God
gave it to the Jewish people. While Gush Emunim no longer exists officially, vestiges of its power remain in Israeli society.
(NRP). Nowadays they refer to themselves —and are referred to by the Israeli media
as— Ne'emanei Eretz Yisrael נאמני ארץ ישראל (Hebrew: "Those who are loyal/faithful to the Land of Israel
").
in February 1974 in the living room of Haim Drukman
, who is also credited with coining the term. In addition to Drukman, its ideological and political core consisted of other disciples such as Hanan Porat
, Moshe Levinger
, Shlomo Aviner
, Eleazar Waldman, Yoel Ben-Nun and Yaacov Ariel. Kook remained its leader until his death in 1982.
In late 1974, an affiliated group named Garin Elon Moreh, led by Rabbi Menachem Felix and Benjamin (Beni) Katzover, attempted to establish a settlement on the ruins of the Sebastia train station dating from the Ottoman
period. After seven attempts and six removals from the site by the Israel Defense Forces
, an agreement was reached according to which the Israeli government allowed 25 families to settle in the Kadum army camp southwest of Nablus
/Shechem
. The Sebastia
agreement was a turning point that opened up the southern West Bank
to Jewish settlement. The small mobile home site housing 25 families eventually became the municipality of Kedumim
, one of the major settlements in the West Bank. The Sebastia model was subsequently copied in Beit El
, Shavei Shomron
, and other settlements.
and his son, Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda Kook
, who taught that secular Zionists, through their conquests of Eretz Israel
, had unwittingly brought about the beginning of the Messianic age, which would culminate in the coming of the messiah, which Gush Emunim supporters believe can be hastened through Jewish settlement on land they believe God has allotted to the Jewish people as set forth in the Hebrew Bible
. The organisation supported attempts to coexist with the Arab population, rejecting the population transfer
s proposed by Meir Kahane
and his followers.
In the wake of the mass eviction
of Jews from Gaza
by the Israeli governmenthttp://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/30/international/middleeast/30cnd-mideast.html?ex=1120795200&en=150daf33c7731d94&ei=5070&emc=eta1, the violent eviction of Jews from Amonah, and numerous other similar events on a smaller scale in more recent years, many members of the GE community have been having second thoughts about this ideology
. For a fuller discussion of this recent issue, see Hardal.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i messianic
Messiah
A messiah is a redeemer figure expected or foretold in one form or another by a religion. Slightly more widely, a messiah is any redeemer figure. Messianic beliefs or theories generally relate to eschatological improvement of the state of humanity or the world, in other words the World to...
and political movement committed to establishing Jewish settlements in the West Bank
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
. While not formally established as an organization until 1974 in the wake of the Yom Kippur War
Yom Kippur War
The Yom Kippur War, Ramadan War or October War , also known as the 1973 Arab-Israeli War and the Fourth Arab-Israeli War, was fought from October 6 to 25, 1973, between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria...
, Gush Emunim sprang out of the conquests of the Six-Day War
Six-Day War
The Six-Day War , also known as the June War, 1967 Arab-Israeli War, or Third Arab-Israeli War, was fought between June 5 and 10, 1967, by Israel and the neighboring states of Egypt , Jordan, and Syria...
in 1967, encouraging Jewish settlement
Israeli settlement
An Israeli settlement is a Jewish civilian community built on land that was captured by Israel from Jordan, Egypt, and Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War and is considered occupied territory by the international community. Such settlements currently exist in the West Bank...
of the land based on the belief that, according to the Torah
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
, God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
gave it to the Jewish people. While Gush Emunim no longer exists officially, vestiges of its power remain in Israeli society.
Political affiliations
Gush Emunim was closely associated with, and highly influential in, the National Religious PartyNational Religious Party
The National Religious Party ) was a political party in Israel representing the religious Zionist movement. Formed in 1956, at the time of its dissolution in 2008, it was the second oldest surviving party in the country after Agudat Yisrael, and was part of every government coalition until 1992...
(NRP). Nowadays they refer to themselves —and are referred to by the Israeli media
Israeli media
-History:The history of the press began in 1863 during the Ottoman Empire and before the creation of Israel, with Ha-Levanon and Havazzelet being the first weekly Hebrew newspapers established. In 1952, the International Publishing Company J-M Ltd was established as the countries first book publisher...
as— Ne'emanei Eretz Yisrael נאמני ארץ ישראל (Hebrew: "Those who are loyal/faithful to the Land of Israel
Land of Israel
The Land of Israel is the Biblical name for the territory roughly corresponding to the area encompassed by the Southern Levant, also known as Canaan and Palestine, Promised Land and Holy Land. The belief that the area is a God-given homeland of the Jewish people is based on the narrative of the...
").
History
Gush Emunim was founded by students of Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda KookZvi Yehuda Kook
Zvi Yehuda Kook was a rabbi, leader of Religious Zionism and Rosh Yeshiva of the Mercaz HaRav yeshiva...
in February 1974 in the living room of Haim Drukman
Haim Drukman
Haim Meir Drukman , born 15 November 1932) is an Israeli Orthodox Rabbi and former politician. Today he serves as Rosh Yeshiva of Ohr Etzion Yeshiva, the head of the Bnei Akiva Youth Movement and Center for Bnei Akiva Yeshivot.-Early life:...
, who is also credited with coining the term. In addition to Drukman, its ideological and political core consisted of other disciples such as Hanan Porat
Hanan Porat
-External links:...
, Moshe Levinger
Moshe Levinger
Rabbi Moshe Levinger is an Israeli Religious Zionist who since 1967 has been a leading figure in the movement to settle Jews in the territories occupied by Israel during the 1967 Six-Day War...
, Shlomo Aviner
Shlomo Aviner
Rabbi Shlomo Chaim Ha-Cohain Aviner is the rosh yeshiva of the Ateret Yerushalayim yeshiva in Jerusalem and the rabbi of Bet El. He is considered one of the spiritual leaders of the Religious Zionist movement.-Background:Ha-Rav Shlomo Chaim Ha-Cohain Aviner was born in 5703 in German-occupied...
, Eleazar Waldman, Yoel Ben-Nun and Yaacov Ariel. Kook remained its leader until his death in 1982.
In late 1974, an affiliated group named Garin Elon Moreh, led by Rabbi Menachem Felix and Benjamin (Beni) Katzover, attempted to establish a settlement on the ruins of the Sebastia train station dating from the Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
period. After seven attempts and six removals from the site by the Israel Defense Forces
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
, an agreement was reached according to which the Israeli government allowed 25 families to settle in the Kadum army camp southwest of Nablus
Nablus
Nablus is a Palestinian city in the northern West Bank, approximately north of Jerusalem, with a population of 126,132. Located in a strategic position between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, it is the capital of the Nablus Governorate and a Palestinian commercial and cultural center.Founded by the...
/Shechem
Shechem
Shechem was a Canaanite city mentioned in the Amarna letters, and is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible as an Israelite city of the tribe of Manasseh and the first capital of the Kingdom of Israel...
. The Sebastia
Sebastia
Sebastia can refer to:* Sebastia: Sivas, Turkey is the provincial capital of Sivas Province in Turkey. Sivas first appears in history as Seabaste...
agreement was a turning point that opened up the southern West Bank
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
to Jewish settlement. The small mobile home site housing 25 families eventually became the municipality of Kedumim
Kedumim
Kedumim , also spelled Qedumim, is an Israeli settlement and a town located in the Samarian hills of the West Bank that was founded during Hanukkah 1975 and now enjoys the municipal status of local council. Founded in 1975 by members of the Gush Emunim settlement movement, its current population is...
, one of the major settlements in the West Bank. The Sebastia model was subsequently copied in Beit El
Beit El
Beit El is an Israeli settlement and a local council in the Benjamin region of the central West Bank, within the borders of the Matte Binyamin Regional Council. The religiously observant town is located in the hills north of Jerusalem east of the Palestinian city of al-Bireh. In 2009, it had a...
, Shavei Shomron
Shavei Shomron
Shavei Shomron is a communal village and an Israeli settlement in the northern West Bank, founded in 1977. Located to the west of Nablus on the road to Tulkarm, it is within the municipal jurisdiction of the Shomron Regional Council. As of 2003, it had a population of 604, mostly religious...
, and other settlements.
Ideology
Gush Emunim's beliefs were based heavily on the teachings of Rabbi Abraham Isaac KookAbraham Isaac Kook
Abraham Isaac Kook was the first Ashkenazi chief rabbi of the British Mandate for Palestine, the founder of the Religious Zionist Yeshiva Merkaz HaRav, Jewish thinker, Halachist, Kabbalist and a renowned Torah scholar...
and his son, Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda Kook
Zvi Yehuda Kook
Zvi Yehuda Kook was a rabbi, leader of Religious Zionism and Rosh Yeshiva of the Mercaz HaRav yeshiva...
, who taught that secular Zionists, through their conquests of Eretz Israel
Land of Israel
The Land of Israel is the Biblical name for the territory roughly corresponding to the area encompassed by the Southern Levant, also known as Canaan and Palestine, Promised Land and Holy Land. The belief that the area is a God-given homeland of the Jewish people is based on the narrative of the...
, had unwittingly brought about the beginning of the Messianic age, which would culminate in the coming of the messiah, which Gush Emunim supporters believe can be hastened through Jewish settlement on land they believe God has allotted to the Jewish people as set forth in the Hebrew Bible
Tanakh
The Tanakh is a name used in Judaism for the canon of the Hebrew Bible. The Tanakh is also known as the Masoretic Text or the Miqra. The name is an acronym formed from the initial Hebrew letters of the Masoretic Text's three traditional subdivisions: The Torah , Nevi'im and Ketuvim —hence...
. The organisation supported attempts to coexist with the Arab population, rejecting the population transfer
Population transfer
Population transfer is the movement of a large group of people from one region to another by state policy or international authority, most frequently on the basis of ethnicity or religion...
s proposed by Meir Kahane
Meir Kahane
Martin David Kahane , also known as Meir Kahane , was an American-Israeli rabbi and ultra-nationalist writer and political figure. He was an ordained Orthodox rabbi and later served as a member of the Israeli Knesset...
and his followers.
In the wake of the mass eviction
Eviction
How you doing???? Eviction is the removal of a tenant from rental property by the landlord. Depending on the laws of the jurisdiction, eviction may also be known as unlawful detainer, summary possession, summary dispossess, forcible detainer, ejectment, and repossession, among other terms...
of Jews from Gaza
Gaza
Gaza , also referred to as Gaza City, is a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip, with a population of about 450,000, making it the largest city in the Palestinian territories.Inhabited since at least the 15th century BC,...
by the Israeli governmenthttp://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/30/international/middleeast/30cnd-mideast.html?ex=1120795200&en=150daf33c7731d94&ei=5070&emc=eta1, the violent eviction of Jews from Amonah, and numerous other similar events on a smaller scale in more recent years, many members of the GE community have been having second thoughts about this ideology
Ideology
An ideology is a set of ideas that constitutes one's goals, expectations, and actions. An ideology can be thought of as a comprehensive vision, as a way of looking at things , as in common sense and several philosophical tendencies , or a set of ideas proposed by the dominant class of a society to...
. For a fuller discussion of this recent issue, see Hardal.
See also
- Israeli settlements
- Jewish fundamentalismJewish fundamentalismThe term Jewish fundamentalism may refer to militant religious Zionism or Ashkenazi or Sephardi ultra-orthodox Judaism.The term "fundamentalism" was originally used in reference to certain Christian groups but today commonly refers to the anti-modernist movements of any religion based on literal...
- MoledetMoledetMoledet is a small right-wing political party in Israel. It advocates the notion of encouraging voluntary population transfer of the Arab population of the West Bank. Moledet was founded in 1988 by Rehavam Ze'evi, who headed it until his assassination by members of the PFLP in 2001, after which...
- Orthodox JudaismOrthodox JudaismOrthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
- Tzvi Yehuda KookZvi Yehuda KookZvi Yehuda Kook was a rabbi, leader of Religious Zionism and Rosh Yeshiva of the Mercaz HaRav yeshiva...
- Jewish Underground
- Moshe LevingerMoshe LevingerRabbi Moshe Levinger is an Israeli Religious Zionist who since 1967 has been a leading figure in the movement to settle Jews in the territories occupied by Israel during the 1967 Six-Day War...
- Menachem FromanMenachem FromanRabbi Menachem Froman, also Menahem or Fruman , is an Israeli Orthodox rabbi and a peacemaker and negotiator with close ties to Palestinian religious leaders from the PLO and Hamas. A founding member of Gush Emunim, he serves today as the chief rabbi of Tekoa in the West Bank...
- Terror Neged Terror
External links
- For the Land and the Lord: Jewish Fundamentalism in Israel by Ian LustickIan LustickIan Steven Lustick is an American political scientist and specialist on the modern history and politics of the Middle East.Lustick completed his Ph.D...
, 1988. - Confessions of a Confused Religious Zionist
- Settling All the Land: The Birth and Growth of Gush Emunim by Rabbi Ed Snitkoff
- Zionism by Austin Cline
- Jewish Extremism in Israel by Austin Cline