Betar
The Betar Movement (Hebrew: תנועת בית"ר), also spelled Beitar (בית"ר), is a Revisionist Zionist youth movement founded in 1923 in Riga, Latvia, by Vladimir (Ze'ev) Jabotinsky. It was one of several right-wing youth movements that arose at that time and adopted special salutes and uniforms.
| בית"ר | |
| Named after | Joseph Trumpeldor and Betar fortress |
|---|---|
| Formation | December 23, 1923, Riga, Latvia |
| Type | Jewish Youth paramilitary organization |
| Purpose | Activism and advocacy |
Region served | Worldwide |
Membership | 21,000 |
General Director | Nerya Meir |
During World War II, Betar was a source of recruits for both Jewish regiments that fought alongside the British and Jewish groups fighting against the British in Mandatory Palestine. After the war and during the settlement of what became Israel, Betar was traditionally linked to the original Herut and then Likud political parties of Jewish pioneers. It was closely affiliated with the pre-Israel Revisionist Zionist militant group Irgun.
Some of the most prominent politicians of Israel were Betarim in their youth, most notably prime ministers Yitzhak Shamir and Menachem Begin, an admirer of Jabotinsky. Today, Betar promotes Jewish leadership on university campuses as well as in local communities.