Shabtai Ben-Dov
Shabtai Ben-Dov (Hebrew: שבתי בן דב) (born 1924-1978) was a member of Lehi and a philosopher.[1] His work has been influential on several right-wing Israeli messianic groups.
Personal life
Ben-Dov was born in Vilnius, then part of Poland in 1924 and moved to the British Mandate of Palestine in 1935.[1][2] He joined the Irgun, which was fighting the British for control of the region.[3] When Lehi split from Irgun, Ben-Dov joined the former to continue fighting the British, who he didn't think were doing enough to try and stop the Holocaust.[3] He was caught, imprisoned, and eventually exiled to Africa by the British.[1][4] He returned to Israel after the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, and fought in the IDF's 89th battalion.[1]
After the Six Day War in which Israel captured the Temple Mount, but allowed the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf to control it, Ben-Dov sued the government. He demanded that the Temple Mount be controlled by those who would "protect it as a Jewish holy place".[4][5]
Philosophy
Ben-Dov believed in a theory of active redemption - that the Mashiach would only come through a bloody national conquest, and that Jews who believed non-violent means could bring about the end of days were naive.[6] He thought that Israel should be a theocratic state instead of a democratic one in order to keep the people focused on the cause of conquest.[4] The establishment of the Third Temple would speedily bring about a world government based on Jewish values governed by a Sanhedrin.[7]
Although his philosophy did not catch on, he did win over Yehuda Etzion to whom he served as a mentor. Etzion later become a member of the Gush Emunim Underground and a revered figure in the Third Temple movement.[4][8] Ben-Dov's philosophy was influential on the group Hai Vekayam, as well as many Gush Katif leaders.[9][10] Etzion would later devote himself to publishing Ben-Dov's writings, of which several volumes have been published.[8][11]
Books
Ben-Dov is the author of:[12]
- The Redemption of Israel in the Crisis of the State
- Prophecy and Tradition in Redemption
- After the Six Day War: From the Six Day Victory On
References
- 1 2 3 4 בן דב שבתי. Jewish Encyclopedia Daat (in Hebrew). Herzog College.
- ↑ Ben-Dov, Shabtai. מהלח חיי (PDF).
- 1 2 Shragai, Nadav. הר המריבה.
- 1 2 3 4 Gorenberg, Gershom. The End of Days: Fundamentalism and the Struggle for the Temple Mount. p. 116.
- ↑ "בג"ץ 223/67".
- ↑ New, David S. Holy War: The Rise of Militant Christian, Jewish, and Islamic Fundamentalism.
- ↑ Shindler, Colin. The Land Beyond Promise: Israël, Likud and the Zionist Dream.
- 1 2 Shragai, Nadav (January 26, 2005). "Third Temple culture". Haaretz.
- ↑ Berger, Marshall J. Jerusalem: A City and Its Future. p. 308.
- ↑ Yishai, Yael. Land Or Peace: Whither Israel?.
- ↑ "יהודה עציון במשימת חייו". Arutz Sheva. February 19, 2007.
- ↑ "Shabtai Ben-Dov". saveisrael.com.