FROM FRINGE TO CORE: THE TEMPLE MOUNT IN RELIGIOUS ZIONISM’S EVOLVING IDENTITY

Abstract This article analyzes the transformation of the Temple Mount from a marginal symbol to a central component of Religious Zionism’s contemporary identity. Drawing on historical analysis, ideological discourse, rabbinic rulings, and empirical data on ascents to the Mount since the early 2000s, the study argues that recent developments do not represent a process of radicalization, but rather one of institutionalization and normalization within mainstream Religious Zionism. Historically, Jewish attitudes toward the Temple Mount were characterized by spiritual longing coupled with political and halachic restraint, both during the British Mandate and in the decades following the Six-Day War. Even the messianic currents of Religious Zionism initially prioritized settlement and territorial expansion over engagement with the Mount. This article traces the gradual erosion of that restraint, highlighting the role of educational frameworks, rabbinic leadership, and shifting political realities in redefining ascent to the Temple Mount as a legitimate, and even normative, religious practice. Contrary to earlier scholarship that framed Temple Mount activism primarily as the domain of extremist or subversive groups, this study demonstrates how a broad coalition of Religious Zionist rabbis and institutions reframed ascent as a measured expression of sovereignty, worship, and redemptive participation. The article concludes that the Temple Mount has emerged as a new focal point through which Religious Zionism negotiates authority, messianism, and statehood, with far-reaching implications for Israeli religious and political discourse.