Religious Zionism is an ideology that views Zionism as a fundamental component of Orthodox Judaism. Its adherents are also referred to as Dati Leumi, and in Israel, they are most commonly known by the plural form of the first part of that term: Datiim. The community is sometimes called 'Knitted kippah', the typical head covering worn by male adherents to Religious Zionism.
Yehuda Amital was an Orthodox rabbi, the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Har Etzion, and a member of the Israeli cabinet.
Hesder is an Israeli yeshiva program which combines advanced Talmudic studies with military service in the Israel Defense Forces, usually within a Religious Zionist framework. The program allows Orthodox Jewish men to serve in the Israeli military while still engaging in Torah study.
Mercaz HaRav is a national-religious yeshiva in Jerusalem, founded in 1924 by Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook. Located in the city's Kiryat Moshe neighborhood, it has become the most prominent religious-Zionist yeshiva in the world and synonymous with Rabbi Kook's teachings. Many Religious Zionist educators and leaders have studied at Mercaz HaRav.
Isser Zalman Meltzer, was a Jewish rabbi, rosh yeshiva and posek. He was known as the "Even HaEzel", after the title of his commentary on Rambam's Mishneh Torah.
Eli is a large Israeli settlement in the West Bank organized as a community settlement, located on Highway 60, north of Ramallah, between the Palestinian villages of As-Sawiya and Qaryut, part of whose lands were expropriated for the establishment of Eli. The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this.
The Beit El Yeshiva is a Religious Zionist Yeshiva situated in the Israeli settlement of Beit El, a community in the Binyamin region near Ramallah in the Israeli-controlled Area C of the West Bank.
A mechina kdam-tzvait is an autonomous unit of specialized educational institutions valuing non-formal education and pre-military training in Israel. They are funded and supported by the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Defense, as well as by the Israel Defense Forces. As of 2017, there were 46 mechinot, whose mission is to prepare for conscientious service in the army and to educate leaders of local communities that have the ability to affect society and state. Educational program blocks mostly include Judaism and Jewish identity, Zionism, development of leadership skills, volunteering, and elements of military training. Most mechina programs last one academic year.
Hardal usually refers to the portion of the Religious Zionist Jewish community in Israel which inclines significantly toward Haredi ideology. In their approach to the State of Israel, though, they are very much Zionist, and believe that Israel is Atchalta De'Geula.
Yeshivat Har Etzion, commonly known in English as "Gush" and in Hebrew as "Yeshivat HaGush", is a hesder yeshiva located in Alon Shvut, in Gush Etzion. It is considered one of the leading institutions of advanced Torah study in the world and with a student body of roughly 480, it is one of the largest hesder yeshivot in the West Bank.
Haim Drukman was an Israeli Orthodox rabbi and politician. The most senior spiritual leader of the Religious Zionist community at the time of his death, he served as rosh yeshiva (dean) of Yeshivat Or Etzion, and head of the Center for Bnei Akiva Yeshivot.
Rabbi Zephaniah Drori was the Chief Rabbi of Kiryat Shmona, Israel and the rosh yeshiva of the Kiryat Shmona Hesder Yeshiva. He also heads the Aguda LeHitnadvut, and serves as Av Beit Din of the northern conversion beit din.
Aryeh Stern is the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem, a member of the Chief Rabbinate Council of Israel, and the chief editor of the Halacha Brura and Berur Halacha Institute.
Eliezer Waldman was an Israeli Orthodox rabbi and politician, who served as a member of the Knesset for Tehiya between 1984 and 1990. Rabbi Waldman was the co-founder and President of Yeshivat Nir Kiryat Arba.
Zvi Yisrael Thau is a conservative Religious Zionist rabbi, a disciple of Rabbi Zvi Yehuda Kook, and co-founder and president of Yeshivat Har Hamor in Jerusalem.
Yoel Bin-Nun is an Israeli religious Zionist rabbi and one of the founders of Yeshivat Har Etzion, Gush Emunim, Michlelet Herzog and the settlements of Alon Shevut and Ofra. He is a scholar of Jewish thought, and a lecturer and expert on the Tanach.
The Bnei Akiva Yeshiva in Kfar HaRoeh was founded in 1939 by Rabbi Moshe-Zvi Neria in the religious workers' moshav Kfar HaRoeh. It is the first yeshiva of the Bnei Akiva yeshivas.
The Pre-Military Mechina Bnei David known as Eli Mechina is the first pre-military academy established in Israel. The mechina was founded by Rabbis Eli Sadan and Yigal Levinstein in the settlement of Eli. Over the years, additional institutions have been established alongside the mechina, including a higher yeshiva, a yeshiva for army graduates and seminary for girls. These institutions are called "Bnei David-Eli Institutions", and they are headed by Rabbis Sadan and Levinstein.
