Torah versus State: The Case of the Zealots Underground in Early Israel

• In Event: The Israeli Right and Israeli Society: Economy, Religion, and Law

Abstract

Between 1950 and 1951, an underground religious faction known as “the zealots underground (Brit Ha-Kanaim) was active in Jerusalem, striving to implement Jewish halakha as the law of the land in the nascent State of Israel. This group sought to sway governmental policies concerning the interplay between state governance and religious observance. Over the course of several months, 'Brit Ha-Kanaim' executed multiple violent incidents in Jerusalem, culminating in a foiled bombing attempt at the Knesset. The exposure of this group's activities profoundly disturbed both the public and the political sphere, igniting critical debates on a myriad of issues such as the interrelation of state and religion, the role of religious zealotry in fostering political violence, the risks to democratic principles posed by entities that elevate religious law above secular law, and the accountability of political and religious leaders in managing politically and religiously driven violence.
Despite the significance of these discussions, they were transient. Numerous suspects were discharged without prosecution, and within a year, with minimal public scrutiny, four remaining detainees confessed to lesser charges and were quickly freed. Subsequently, the episode faded into obscurity, seldom addressed in scholarly discourse. This presentation seeks to shed light on this overlooked chapter of history, analyzing it as an early instance of political violence intertwined with religious zealotry and nationalism within the framework of Israeli historiography.

Author

• Maya Mark, Ben-Gurion University