Literatureיהודה עציון

Yehuda Etzion

Yehuda Etzion is an Israeli religious right-wing activist and writer, a member of the Jewish Underground and the founder of Hai Vekayam.

born 1951The Jewish UndergroundPlot against the Dome of the RockFounding Hai VekayamFounding Ofra

Born: 29 December 1951
Occupation: writer
Education: Yeshivat Har Etzion

Yehuda Etzion was born in 1951

Etzion was born in 1951 in kibbutz Ein Tzurim as Yehuda Mintz. His father, Abraham Mintz, was a member of Lehi. He grew up in Herzliya, Pardes Hanna and Gush Etzion.

He studied at the Bnei Akiva yeshiva in Kfar HaRoeh and at Yeshivat Har Etzion. He served in the IDF Engineering Corps.

He was a founder of Gush Emunim and of the settlement of Ofra, where he lives. He worked as a guide at the Ofra field school and was active in bringing Jews from Ethiopia to Israel.

As a member of the Jewish Underground, he planned to blow up the Dome of the Rock. He was arrested in 1984 and convicted of conspiracy, causing serious harm, holding weapons and activity in a terror group. He was sentenced to 7 years in prison.

Later he founded Hai Vekayam, which seeks Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount. He has written and edited books, including the writings of Shabtai Ben-Dov, and won the Rabbi Kook Prize in 2004.