This chapter forms the introduction to terrorism perpetrated in the name of Judaism, the oldest of the Abrahamic faiths. It will address the theological aims and justifications for violence provided by two key strands of Jewish extremism, Millennialism and Zionism, and will oppose Bymens theory that, Jews operate far more as an ethnic group than as a community motivated by and organized according to religious doctrine. It suggests that religion in fact provides a strong Jewish identity, and certainly plays a central role in Jewish extremist ideology.
The relationship between Judaism and terrorist violence is complex, and the two are not understood as being instantly compatible. However, the Old Testament is replete with depictions of a vengeful and aggressive God The Lord is a warrior (Ex 15:3) and reveals an ancient mandate for a state of conflict between Jews and any foreign occupiers of Eretz Yisrael. Despite this, there have been far fewer Jewish terrorist groups and attacks than there have been Christian or Islamic. Jewish terrorism is largely domestic to Israel and the surrounding Arab countries, although there have been examples of militant activity in the United States, usually perpetrated by the Jewish Defence League (JDL), who attack groups and individuals deemed to be anti-Semitic or opposed to the State of Israel.
The three key goals of Jewish terrorism are: the creation of a theocratic state; to hasten redemption; and to retain the Holy Lands from the Arabs. They are all steeped in theology and provide the basis for modern-day extremist rhetoric. Jewish extremists tend to belong to one of the two main schools of theological understanding Millennialism and Zionism. Millennialism is presented as a purely theological creed, comprised of apocalyptic visions and rooted in the Jewish tradition. Zionism is also anchored in religious history, but is usually defined as a political concept. However, radical Jewish groups have persistently claimed the principles of Zionism to be religious rather than nationalist in nature. Both Millennialism and Zionism produce terrorist groups who claim to be acting in accordance with Gods wishes, and cite faith as their primary motivation.
The Plot to blow up the Dome of the Rock, the Cave of Patriarchs massacre, and the 1995 assassination of President Yitzhak Rabin, provide three of the most notorious examples of religiously motivated Jewish terrorism. This article will assess the legitimacy of these claims and whether Jewish terrorism truly has a theological core, or if nationalism and politics eclipse faith.
MILLENNIALISM
Adherents to Jewish millennial theology believe that humans should not passively wait for Redemption, but must attempt to activate the process themselves through dramatic action. This understanding has provided the religious impetus behind several devastating terrorist acts: In 1984 authorities uncovered a plot to blow up the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem by a group of Jewish extremists from the ultranationalist Gush Emunim settler movement. The Dome of the Rock, located on Temple Mount, has huge theological significance for both Jews and Muslims as it was constructed on the site of the Second Jewish Templeand also established as the location of the Isra and Miraj,the night journey taken by the prophet Muhammad in CE 621. The group held millennial beliefs and were ardent followers of Kahane, but the destruction was not designed as an act of retaliation or resentment, but to generate the resurrection of the Jewish Third Temple and enable the Messiahs return:
ZIONISM
Religious Zionism
Religious Zionists are Orthodox Jews who adhere to a blend of the Jewish faith and Zionist principles, and have formed a branch of the Zionistmovement that uses Old Testament theology to justify efforts to build a Jewish theocratic statein Eretz Yisrael. Imbued with the religious ideology of Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook (the first Chief Rabbi of Palestine) and his son Rabbi Zevi Judah, religious Zionists believe that the Bible unquestioningly shows God giving the Holy Lands to the Jews, and they are thus the legitimate governors of the land of Israel.
Kook proposed that Zionism is:
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