Our religious-Zionist outlook sees the Jewish national revival in the State of Israel as a moral and spiritual challenge, and believes that the Torah can serve as a platform for building a moral and just society, one that strives for peace and has respect for all humankind.
Peace, justice, and true security – peace is a religious value and an essential goal in our individual and collective life. It too cannot remain an aspiration to be realized in Messianic times. We must strive to create a political reality of peace with our neighbors, based on mutual respect and cooperation. True peace is only possible on a foundation of justice. Only a just peace agreement, accepted by both nations, shall ensure our security in the long term.
Sanctity of life and Israel's borders – We are obligated to return the sanctity of life, peace among humankind, and respect for humankind, to the top of religious Zionism's order of priorities. In the current circumstances, striving for peace and justice is incompatible with the preservation of the entire Land of Israel, which is a central foundation in our consciousness and worldview, and therefore it is necessary to arrive at a fateful choice between these values. Although this pains us, we must consent to partition of the land between the Jewish people and the Palestinian people. This concession is not born of weakness, rather of a bold decision.
A Jewish state must maintain respect towards all humankind – both Jews and Arabs. We cannot enforce our rule on a large Arab population that has no political rights. We see how our lengthy rule of the Palestinian people has the effect of distorting our Jewish image and our democratic values, undermining the rule of law, dulling moral sensitivities, and encouraging aggressive trends – particularly among teens.
The Temple Mount and the holy places – The issue of control over the Temple Mount is threatening to transform our conflict with the Palestinians from a national to an interreligious conflict. A true religious approach objects to transforming religious faith into a demand for dominance of a place, sacred as it may be; on the contrary – a sacred place should not be under the exclusive ownership of any human element, and thus will be open to all believers.
Redemption of the Jewish people in the Land of Israel – True Zionism strives not only to redeem the land, rather also to redeem the people in its land. This perception requires the allocation of resources for ingathering of the exiles and absorption of immigrants, working to close social and economic gaps, to maintain extensive and varied Jewish education, as well as religious and political tolerance.
Our goals
- To serve as a united form for observant Jews who believe that realizing religious Zionism in our time requires, first and foremost, maintaining Israeli society's moral image;
- To support the struggle for a democratic society that strives for peace with the Palestinian people, while honoring their civil and national rights;
- To reinstate in Israeli society, both religious and secular, the faith in a Torah of life that strives for peace.
Courses of action
- Explanatory activities among religious and secular society through parlor meetings and lectures at schools
- Conferences and weekend study retreats
- Distributing Shabbat Shalom newsletters on the parsha of the week
- Presenting our position in the media and internet
- Responses to halakhic decisions that contradict our Jewish outlook
- Presenting an ethical religious position within the public discourse
If your identity as Israeli Jews is significant for you and you believe, as we do, that Judaism and democracy, human rights and peace, are all part of our identity – contact us: moshelea@netvision.net.il 052-3911181