Beit Hatziyonut HaDatit (Merkaz HaNeno) at Kfar Haroeh

It’s easy to think of Religious Zionism as the equivalent of Modern Orthodoxy in America. But this would be inaccurate. American Modern Orthodoxy is Zionistic, but does not concern itself with the religious issues of living in a Jewish state, whereas this is a definite focus of Religious Zionism. To complicate matters, Religious Zionism is not the only form of orthodox Judaism in the State of Israel. Ultra-orthodox Jews or Haredim constitute between 13-15% of the population, while Religious Zionists (Dati Leumi) are between 8 to 10%. Haredim do not engage much with the state, although they do wield control over religious institutions such as the Chief Rabbinate, and Jewish marriage and conversions, and have considerable political power through coalition leverage. Religious Zionists do engage with the state, and punch above their weight in the Israel Defense Forces officer corps, the national religious education system, the settlement enterprise, and right-wing politics. This means that the challenges facing Religious Zionism are the challenges facing Judaism in general in Israel. Hence, the museum should be of interest not only to Dati Leumi Jews, but to everyone interested in the topic of religion in Israel and its political influence.

The building in which Beit Hatziyonut HaDatit is located was originally a yeshiva for training observant religious youth for farming. It was taken over for Yeshivat Kfar Haroeh by Rabbi Moshe-Zvi Neria, and it became a core institute of the “national‑religious” movement in integrating Torah study with secular learning. It thus became a precursor to the network of national-religious Torah high schools affiliated with Bnei Akiva (“Mamlachti dati” schools).

 

Kfar Haroeh (כפר הָרֹאֶ"ה) is a religious moshav (a cooperative agricultural village) situated in central Israel’s coastal plain, between Hadera and Netanya, established in 1933 by religious European immigrants. The name Kfar Haroeh does not mean village of a shepherd. Rather, "Haroeh," is an acronym honoring HaRav Avraham HaCohen Kook, the first Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Mandatory Palestine.