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and the Haredim (often referred to in English by the misnomer “ultra-Orthodox”). The Da-
tim, who stressed acceptance of modern ways coupled with a full observance of Jewish law,
were, of the two groups, far more supportive of Zionism, so much so that today in Israel they
are called the “national religious” camp, and their main voice for decades was the National
Religious Party.
Following the teachings of Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook, the fi rst chief rabbi of modern Is-
rael, the Datim justifi ed their view with religious injunctions: to live in the Land of Israel was
the highest honor, certain commandments could be fulfi lled only there, and settling the land
would further the divine plan. They saw their mission as ensuring that the state protected
not only the material life of its citizens but also Jewish life. To achieve these goals, the Datim
were willing to become partners with secular Jews. Aware that they would not dominate the
homeland, they still wanted to maximize religious observance there and ensure Israel's links
to religious Judaism.
Haredi Jews generally opposed Zionism on two main grounds. First, they insisted that
only the coming of the Messiah would signal the time for Jews to return to the Land of
Israel and that humanity should not try to hurry the process. Second, they feared that secu-
lar Zionists and the state would undermine religion whether or not that was their deliberate
intention.
The Haredi view of Jewish survival was to “build a fence around the Torah”: to withdraw
from the secular world as much as possible and to resist change. The Torah, the holiest Jew-
ish religious text, consisted of the fi rst fi ve books of the Bible. They even opposed the use of
Hebrew except in religious matters and instead spoke Yiddish among themselves. This group
formed the Aguda movement, which continues today.
After 1948, Haredi Jews made a series of compromises with the state. A few groups main-
tained their anti-Zionism, more moved toward a neutral position, while others (most no-
tably the Chabad or Lubavitcher movement) became enthusiastically Zionist. The tendency
of Haredi groups to become more integrated into Israeli society and more accepting toward
Zionism is one of the most subtle trends in the country today.
The main group challenging socialist dominance was Revisionist Zionism. Starting in the
1920s, the movement was led by Ze'ev Jabotinsky, a skilled writer and charismatic orator. The
movement demanded organized mass immigration right away since Jabotinsky, predicting
the impending Holocaust, argued that time was running out for Jews to leave Europe. It also
advocated a tough stance toward the British authorities of the Palestine Mandate. Yet it did
not take a strong pro-capitalist stance, because class and economic issues were not central in
Zionist debates and agendas.
IMMIGRATION: INGATHERING OF THE EXILES
Israel's Zionist founder's took the religious Messianic idea of
kibbutz galuyot
—“ingathering
of the exiles”— and transformed it into a nationalist tenet. During the pre-state period, the
British strictly limited immigration. The Zionist movement circumvented their controls
whenever possible, smuggling in refugees from fascism who otherwise would probably have
perished.
