Biography:Shabtai Ben-Dov

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Shabtai Ben-Dov (Hebrew: שבתי בן דב‎‎; 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 Second Polish Republic 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. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Template:Daat enc
  2. Ben-Dov, Shabtai. מהלח חיי. http://www.daat.ac.il/daat/vl/bendov/bendov04.pdf. 
  3. 3.0 3.1 Shragai, Nadav (1995). הר המריבה. ISBN 9789650705152. https://books.google.com/books?id=FdBqjD1BC7QC&q=%D7%A9%D7%91%D7%AA%D7%99+%D7%91%D7%9F+%D7%93%D7%91&pg=PA102. 
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Gorenberg, Gershom (2002). The End of Days: Fundamentalism and the Struggle for the Temple Mount. p. 116. ISBN 9780195152050. https://books.google.com/books?id=LCZDYk0W_VcC&q=%22shabtai+ben+dov%22&pg=PA116. 
  5. "בג"ץ 223/67". http://www.constitution.org.il/index.php?option=com_consti_comp&mytask=view&class=1&id=386. 
  6. New, David S.. Holy War: The Rise of Militant Christian, Jewish, and Islamic Fundamentalism. McFarland. p. 143. https://archive.org/details/holywarriseofmi00newd. "shabtai ben dov." 
  7. Shindler, Colin (2002). The Land Beyond Promise: Israël, Likud and the Zionist Dream. ISBN 9781860647741. https://books.google.com/books?id=7VBoVr089GwC&q=shabtai+ben+dov&pg=PA196. 
  8. 8.0 8.1 Shragai, Nadav (January 26, 2005). "Third Temple culture". Haaretz. http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/features/third-temple-culture-1.148244. 
  9. Berger, Marshall J. (June 2002). Jerusalem: A City and Its Future. p. 308. ISBN 9780815629139. https://books.google.com/books?id=Ru7dqV3a-LUC&q=shabtai+ben+dov&pg=PA310. 
  10. Yishai, Yael (1987). Land Or Peace: Whither Israel?. ISBN 9780817985233. https://books.google.com/books?id=-D9AxJlXz64C&q=shabtai+ben+dov&pg=PA240. 
  11. "יהודה עציון במשימת חייו". Arutz Sheva. February 19, 2007. http://www.inn.co.il/News/News.aspx/159654. 
  12. "Shabtai Ben-Dov". saveisrael.com. http://www.saveisrael.com/others/bendov/bendov.htm. 

External links