Religious Zionism in the context of State of Israel

Religious Jews are Jews who practice and observe Judaism. They may be affiliated with:

• Karaite Judaism
• Conservative Judaism
• Masorti Judaism
• Orthodox Judaism
  • Hasidic Judaism
  • Religious Zionism
  • Haredi Judaism
  • Modern Orthodox Judaism
• Reconstructionist Judaism
• Reform Judaism
• Jewish Renewal
• Non-Ashkenazi branches, such as Sephardic Judaism

Modern Orthodox Judaism (also Modern Orthodox or Modern Orthodoxy) is a movement within Orthodox Judaism that attempts to synthesize Jewish values and the observance of Jewish law with the modern world.

Modern Orthodoxy draws on several teachings and philosophies, and thus assumes various forms. In the United States, and generally in the Western world, Centrist Orthodoxy underpinned by the philosophy of Torah Umadda ("Torah and secular knowledge") is prevalent. In Israel, Modern Orthodoxy is dominated by Religious Zionism; however, although not identical, these movements share many of the same values and many of the same adherents.

Israeli Jews or Jewish Israelis (Hebrew: יהודים ישראלים Yêhūdīm Yīśrāʾēlīm) comprise Israel's largest ethnic and religious community. The core of their demographic consists of those with a Jewish identity and their descendants, including ethnic Jews and religious Jews alike. About 46% of the global Jewish population resides in Israel; yerida is uncommon and is offset exponentially by aliyah, but those who do emigrate from the country typically move to the Western world. As such, the Israeli diaspora is closely tied to the broader Jewish diaspora.

Israel is widely described as a melting pot for the various Jewish ethnic divisions, primarily consisting of Ashkenazi Jews, Sephardic Jews, and Mizrahi Jews, as well as many smaller Jewish communities, such as the Beta Israel, the Cochin Jews, the Bene Israel, and the Karaite Jews, among others. Over 25% of Jewish children and 35% of Jewish newborns in Israel are of mixed Ashkenazi and Sephardic or Mizrahi descent, and these figures have been increasing by approximately 0.5% annually: over 50% of Israel's entire Jewish population identifies as having Ashkenazi, Sephardic, and Mizrahi admixture. The integration of Judaism in Israeli Jewish life is split along four categories: the secularists (33%), the traditionalists (24%), the Orthodox (9%), and the Ultra-Orthodox (7%). In addition to religious influences, both Jewish history and Jewish culture serve as important aspects defining Israel's Jewish society, thereby contributing significantly to Israel's identity as the world's only Jewish-majority country.

Politics in Israel are based on parliamentary democracy. The Prime Minister of Israel is the head of government and leader of a multi-party system. Politics in Israel is dominated by Zionist parties. They traditionally fall into three camps, the first two being the largest: Labor Zionism, revisionist Zionism, and religious Zionism. There are also several non-Zionist Orthodox religious parties and non-Zionist secular left-wing groups, as well as non-Zionist and anti-Zionist Israeli Arab parties.

At its broadest, Zionism is a movement that supports the establishment of a Jewish national home in Palestine by the Jewish people, such as in the form of a Jewish state. While sharing a core belief in the importance of a home for the Jewish people, Zionist beliefs have not been uniform and have varied since they were first conceived in the second half of the 19th century.

Zionist beliefs have been categorized into roughly a dozen varieties by academics. The first Zionists were either political or practical Zionists, as typified by Theodor Herzl, considered the father of the Zionist movement. The rise of socialist movements in the first part of the 20th century resulted in the rise of left-wing Labor Zionism. Synthetic and general Zionists combine the ideas of political and practical Zionists. Liberal Zionists emphasize the importance of Liberalism. Revisionist Zionists accept many tenants of Liberal Zionism but have expanded territorial aims—including parts of Jordan. Religious Zionism views Zionism as an integral to Orthodox Judaism. Cultural Zionism emphasizes a secular approach. Revolutionary Zionism emerged from guerrilla warfare against the British (who oversaw Mandatory Palestine), and attracted both left- and right-wing nationalists. Reform Zionism is associated with Reform Judaism.

Hardal (also spelled Chardal; Hebrew: חרד״ל, acronym for חרדי לאומי‎ Ḥaredi Le'umi, lit. '"Nationalist Haredi"', plural Hardalim) usually refers to the portion of the Religious Zionist Jewish community in Israel which inclines significantly toward Haredi ideology (in terms of outlook on the secular world, or in their stringent khumra approach to Halakha). In their approach to the State of Israel, though, they are Zionist, and they believe that Israel is Atchalta De'Geulah (the beginning of the redemption).

Hardal Jews are also known as Torani (lit., "Torah-oriented"), or Torani-Leumi ("Torah Nationalist").

Jewish fundamentalism (Hebrew: פונדמנטליזם יהודי‎) refers to fundamentalism in the context of Judaism. The term fundamentalism was originally used in reference to Christian fundamentalism, a Protestant movement which emphasizes a belief in biblical literalism. Today, it is commonly used in reference to movements that oppose modernist, liberal, and ecumenical tendencies within societies, as well as modernist, liberal, and ecumenical tendencies within specific religions, and it is often coupled with extremist ideologies and/or political movements. The use of this definition is important in a Jewish context because the two movements which are most commonly associated with Jewish fundamentalism, Religious Zionism and Haredi Judaism, stray far from biblical literalism due to the importance of the Oral Law within Judaism.

"Greater Israel" (Hebrew: ארץ ישראל השלמה, romanized: Eretz Yisrael HaShlema) is an expression with several different biblical and political meanings over time. It is often used, in an irredentist fashion, to refer to the historic or desired borders of the State of Israel.

Territorial claims of Israeli Nationalist or Zionist movements have varied, depending on the time period and different groups of proponents such as Labor Zionist, Revisionist Zionist, or Religious Zionist groups. There are two different primary uses of the term Greater Israel – one referring more narrowly to the area internationally recognized as part of the State of Israel along with the Golan Heights, West Bank, and Gaza Strip; and a second definition referring to the much larger region stretching from the river Nile to the Euphrates.