Kahanism and the Algorithmic Interpretation of History

This book offers a systematic analysis of the ideology and enduring influence of Rabbi Meir Kahane in Israel, the American-born leader and thinker who rose to become one of the most radical far-right figures ever to hold political power in Israel.It unveils the core of his doctrinal structure: the algorithmic interpretation of history, a rigid, deterministic system positing that Jewish fate is governed by an immutable, binary divine code wherein absolute separation between Jews and gentiles guarantees glory, while assimilation ensures catastrophe. This theological certainty fuels a militant program of palingenesis, or national rebirth, demanding the literal restoration of ancient segregational golden age blueprints from ancient Jewish history to mandate demographic purity and ethnic supremacy in modern Israel. Kahane also weaponized the Holocaust as the principal chosen trauma, transforming past suffering into empirical proof that Jewish coexistence inevitably triggers divine retribution. This conviction justifies the uncompromising demand for the total removal or subjugation of Arabs and prioritizes the ferocious internal struggle against secular "Hellenist" Jews, who are condemned as traitorous enemies. Despite being disqualified from the Knesset and having its movement classified as a terrorist organization, neo-Kahanism adapted its tactics. This evolution culminated in the unprecedented political triumph of Itamar Ben-Gvir, who secured a ministerial position by publicly embracing calculated moderation, demonstrating the inescapable paradox that the ideology’s greatest political success required abandoning Kahane’s central mandate for uncompromising prophetic truth.This book will be of interest to scholars of Israel studies and Jewish history, historians of the Middle East, researchers of political extremism and racism, and political analysts.

About the Author

Neil Bar is a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Haifa’s School of Political Science and the Elizabeth and Tony Comper Interdisciplinary Center for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism and Racism and an affiliated faculty member at UC Berkeley’s Center for Right-Wing Studies. He specializes in radical ideologies, political extremism, far-right parties, and ultranationalist movements, focusing on how manipulations of historical narratives shape modern politics.