Notes on the Sources of Menachem Begin's Ideology

• In Event: New Perspectives on the Right Wing in Israel

Abstract

Menachem Begin was an ideological leader. He defined ideology as the essence of political action. According to his view, ideology was the backbone of politics. Without ideology there was no reason for politics and no need for its mechanisms. Serving ideology legitimizes politics, and political acts must fit the ideological framework and advance its realization. This paper analyzes the sources of his ideology – traditional Jewish elementary education, Polish high school and university studies, and the Jabotinsky legacy. Each of them had its impact on his Weltanschauung. The paper focuses on his concept of Jewish nationalism and its relation to religion, alongside with his concept of liberal nationalism; his interpretation of the idea of "the integrality of the homeland"; the rule of law; the idea of tikkun and its role in socio-economic policy; and faith after the Holocaust.
Based on primary sources this paper opens a window to understand Begin's leadership and policy conduct.

author

• Arye Naor, Hadassah Academic College, Jerusalem