Reinventing Maimonides: From Universalist Philosopher to Religious Fundamentalist (1967–2002)

Abstract

This study focuses primarily on two strands of Jewish fundamentalism in Israel: the Zionist nationalist ‘messianic’ camp and the ultra-orthodox rabbis and non-Zionist religious parties. It explores the doctrinal differences between these two concerning the ‘messianic doctrine’, their attitudes towards Palestinian Christians, and their impact on Israeli foreign and domestic policies. The two currents invoke the interpretation of the Jewish Law of Moses Maimonides to justify their respective attitudes towards the Palestinians. The essay explores the ‘reinvention‘ of Maimonides by Jewish religious fundamentalists, who metamorphose him from being a rationalist and universalist philosopher—the most illustrious example of the Golden Age of Arabo–Islamic–Judaic symbiosis—into an anti-Arab religious zealot.