Settlements in the West Bank didn’t appear out of nowhere. For many religious Jews, Judea and Samaria aren’t just territory, they’re the biblical heartland and a divine responsibility. This story traces how Rav Abraham Isaac Kook fused faith with modern Zionism, how 1967 turned theology into political momentum, and how Gush Emunim reshaped Israeli life. It ends with today’s fight over Kook’s legacy, morality, and Israel’s future.
Essential Questions
- How did Rav Kook redefine the relationship between religion, Zionism, and Jewish political sovereignty?
- How do religious and political worldviews shape how people interpret events like the Six-Day War or Gaza disengagement?
- Who has the authority to interpret and represent an ideology like Religious Zionism, and how do those interpretations evolve over time?
Big Ideas
- Religious Zionism emerged as an effort to integrate Jewish religious belief with modern political sovereignty.
- Historical events can be interpreted through religious, political, or strategic lenses, shaping how people understand their meaning and implications.
- Religious Zionism is a diverse movement, and Rav Kook’s ideas continue to be interpreted in different and sometimes opposing ways.
