In this episode of the Tradition Podcast, our associate editor Yitzchak Blau interviews author, researcher, and Makor Rishon columnist Yair Sheleg about his recent Hebrew book “HaHut HaMeshulash,” whose English title might be offered as “The Triple Chord: A Short History of Religious Zionism.” Rav Kook believed that Religious Zionism combines elements of religion, nationalism, and liberalism. Sheleg asks if contemporary Religious Zionism has remained loyal to this triple mission. If not, why not—and where has it fallen short?
In this episode of the Tradition Podcast, our associate editor Yitzchak Blau interviews author, researcher, and Makor Rishon columnist Yair Sheleg about his recent Hebrew book HaHut HaMeshulash, whose English title might be offered as The Triple Chord: A Short History of Religious Zionism (Kinneret-Zmora, 2024).
Rav Kook believed that Religious Zionism combines elements of religion, nationalism, and liberalism. In HaHut HaMeshulash Sheleg asks if contemporary Religious Zionism has remained loyal to this triple mission. If not, why not—and where has it fallen short? Blau and Sheleg also discuss the relationship between American Modern Orthodoxy and Israeli Religious Zionism—how do they overlap and how do they differ?
Sheleg’s had published an essay at TraditionOnline before the book appeared that outlined his basic thesis; Blau had reviewed Sheleg’s book when it was published a few months ago as part of his fascinating Alt+Shift series (he also reviewed Sheleg’s earlier work on Hardalim, or Ultra-Orthodox Zionism).