JEWISH FUNDAMENTALISM TODAY

  • Yehoshua Gitay Old and New Testament Stellenbosch University

Abstract

This paper asks the question: what is the meaning of Jewish Fundamentalism today? It tells the story of Jewish Fundamentalism as an exceptional phenomenon in current Jewish history which revolves around the matter of the Biblical idea of the Promised Land and it presents the matter of the Promised Land as a complex theological issue which splits Judaism when Fundamentalism is the dominant force. We are talking therefore about a peculiar Jewish Religious movement that strangely enough contradicts Orthodox Judaism; an unusual situation that requires elaboration. Furthermore, this paper makes a distinction between Orthodox Judaism and Fundamentalism. The paper claims that Jewish Fundamentalism contrasts the Jewish State, opposes its law, and actually maintains its autonomy as a powerful political force that is ready to reject the State’s law regarding the issue of the Land.
Published
2013-06-12
Section
Defining Fundamentalism and Religious Conservatism in South Africa