The Ideological Divide: How Rabbi Kook’s Son Steered Religious Zionism in a New Direction

The anniversary of Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook’s death offers an opportune moment to examine the trajectory of religious Zionism in contemporary Israel and its relationship with both the state and secular society. Rabbi Kook, who served as the first Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Palestine during the British Mandate period, fundamentally shaped how religiously observant Jews engaged with the emerging Jewish state and modern nationalism. His theological framework attempted to bridge the gap between Jewish tradition and Zionist ideology at a time when many religious communities viewed secular nationalism with deep suspicion.

The path that religious Zionism has taken since Rabbi Kook’s era has been profoundly influenced by his son, Rabbi Zvi Yehuda Kook, who developed and transformed his father’s philosophical legacy in ways that significantly altered the movement’s character and political orientation. Where the elder Kook sought synthesis and spiritual elevation through engagement with the state project, his son’s interpretation became more militant and territorially focused, particularly following the 1967 Six-Day War. This generational shift reflected broader changes within Israeli society and reshaped how religious Zionism positioned itself within national politics.

Today’s religious Zionist movement bears the marks of these competing visions, navigating complex questions about the role of halakha (Jewish law) in governance, the treatment of non-Jewish minorities, and the boundaries between religious conviction and democratic pluralism. The tension between seeking coexistence with secular Israel and advancing exclusively religious nationalist agendas remains unresolved, making the intellectual legacy of both Kooks increasingly relevant to contemporary debates about Israel’s identity and future direction.

Source: Maariv — Original article in Hebrew.