Overview

Manhigut Yehudit (Hebrew: מנהיגות יהודית, "Jewish Leadership") was a political movement and faction within the Israeli Likud party, founded to advance a platform centered on authentic Jewish identity and governance. Established by Moshe Feiglin and Shmuel Sackett, the movement's core mission was to transform Israel from "the state of the Jews" into "the Jewish State," interpreting this through a lens of Jewish culture, tradition, and sovereignty. The movement opposed religious coercion but sought to make Jewish identity, as defined by Orthodox interpretations, the official culture of Israel.

History and Political Trajectory

Manhigut Yehudit was founded in the late 1990s as a successor to the Zo Artzeinu civil disobedience movement, which had protested the Oslo Accords. The movement's strategy was to "infiltrate" and gain influence within the secular, right-wing Likud party from within, a long-term approach that was both praised by supporters and criticized by detractors on both the left and the far-right.

By 2005, the movement had become the largest faction within the Likud Central Committee, the party's main decision-making body. Its founder, Moshe Feiglin, ran for Likud leadership multiple times, securing 12.5% of the vote in 2005 and 23% in 2007, placing second to Benjamin Netanyahu. Feiglin served as a Deputy Speaker of the Knesset in the 19th Knesset after winning a seat on the Likud list.

The movement's influence waned after the 2014 Likud primaries, where Feiglin fell to the 36th position on the party's electoral list. Following this defeat, Feiglin and his followers left Likud in 2015 to form a new party, Zehut (Identity - Israeli Jewish Movement), effectively dissolving Manhigut Yehudit as a distinct faction within Likud.

Ideology and Controversies

Manhigut Yehudit promoted a blend of Religious Zionism, right-wing populism, and social conservatism. A central tenet was the belief that Jewish sovereignty over the Land of Israel, including the West Bank and Gaza, was a right derived from Jewish heritage and divine promise. Feiglin argued that peace with neighbors would only come when Israelis had "peace with themselves" and fully asserted their historic claim to the land.

The movement was a subject of significant controversy. It was criticized by the Israeli left and center for its ties to the radical right of Religious Zionism, while some on the far-right viewed its strategy of working within Likud as naive. Critics also raised concerns that its ultimate goal was to use democratic means to replace Israeli law with Halakha (Jewish religious law), a charge the movement's leaders denied. In 2008, Feiglin was banned from entering Great Britain under a law preventing entry for individuals whose presence was deemed "not conducive to the public good".

U.S. Operations: The Jewish Leadership Movement / Manhigut Yehu

Concurrently, a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, "The Jewish Leadership Movement / Manhigut Yehu," was established, operating under the fiscal name "Friends of Zo Artzeinu Inc." This entity, founded in 1996, is headquartered in Cedarhurst, New York, and shares the movement's leadership and mission. Its stated purpose is educational: promoting understanding of Israeli and Middle Eastern issues and their impact on America.

This U.S. organization raises funds through tax-deductible donations and distributes grants to support the activities aligned with the movement's goals in Israel.