Q&A: The Hardal Takeover of Religious Zionism
The Hardal Takeover of Religious Zionism
Question
Is the fact that Smotrich now stands at the head of Religious Zionism because Religious Zionism itself really grew tired of people like Bennett and Matan Kahana, etc., and wanted more conservative people, on the verge of Hardal, who would advance a conservative religious policy, with an aspiration toward a state governed by Jewish law (these are things Smotrich has said explicitly, and still says explicitly, that this is what he wants)? Or is it purely politics, and there is still a significant segment that would have preferred Bennett, Shaked, Matan Kahana, etc.?
Answer
I don’t have the information. My impression is that there is a very large segment that does not want him, except that they vote for other parties.
Discussion on Answer
If I’m not mistaken, the Rabbi also aspires to a state governed by Jewish law, no?
No. I aspire for the Jewish people to observe Jewish law, and then the state will automatically be halakhic. I do not want a state governed by Jewish law in the current situation.
I didn’t mean a state of Jewish law by coercion. Just so I understand, what exactly does it mean for the state to be halakhic? What would such a state look like? For example, would gay couples actually be brought to Torah law, even if some way were found not to impose the death penalty on them?
I can’t answer here what a state governed by Jewish law would look like. There are tons of details, and many of them can only be determined when one is actually living in that situation.
One thing is clear: it would be much closer to what exists today than people think.
Compare his electorate (which today doesn’t even pass the electoral threshold) to the number of Religious Zionists in the population. And even those who vote for him sometimes do so despite what he is, not because of it. They are captives of the National Religious Party.