Avi K – I’m sorry to say, but your statements may not be 100% accurate. Below are quotes from Wiki. The lack of respect in the quotes (such as referring to HaRav Kook, z”l as “Kook”) is not mine. I would never do that. Italics are my thoughts (if it shows. Otherwise, in []).
While Rabbi Kook is exalted as one of the most important thinkers in mainstream Religious Zionism, there are several prominent quotes in which Rav Kook is quite critical of the more modern-orthodox Religious Zionists (Mizrachi), whom he saw in some ways as naive and perhaps hypocritical in attempting to synthesize traditional Judaism with a modern and largely secular ideology.
His sympathy for them (secular Zionists) as fellow Jews and desire for Jewish unity should not be misinterpreted as any inherent endorsement of all their ideas.
It would not be incorrect to characterize Kook as being a Zionist, if one defines a Zionist as one who believes in the re-establishment of the Jewish people as a nation in their ancestral homeland. Unlike other Zionist leaders, however, Kook’s motivations were purely based on Jewish law and Biblical prophecy.
Theodor Herzl Eulogy: “Of course, I spoke pleasantly and politely, but I did reveal the fundamental failure of their entire enterprise, namely the fact that they do not place at the top of their list of priorities the sanctity of God and His great name, which is the power that enables Israel to survive…In my remarks, I offered no homage to Dr. Herzl per se.”
[In my humble opinion the Religious Zionism that HaRav Kook, z”l had in mind is not the Religious Zionism of today. I’m not so sure he would support the views held today by Religious Zionists.]
[The question is why? Perhaps he realized that their vision was not in line with Torah.]
The Mizrachi organization was established in 1902 in Vilna at a world conference of religious Zionists. It operates a youth movement, Bnei Akiva, which was founded in 1929. Mizrachi believes that the Torah should be at the centre of Zionism, a sentiment expressed in the Mizrachi Zionist slogan Am Yisrael B’Eretz Yisrael al pi Torat Yisrael (“The land of Israel for the people of Israel according to the Torah of Israel”).
[The movement that HaRav HaKohen supported was one in which Torah ranked supreme. I highly doubt he would support a Zionism that is the antithesis of Torah. It’s possible that he would have argued Rav Kook as well. We can only speculate.]
[2][3] although he has been reported as welcoming the Balfour Declaration.
Rabbi Meir Simcha ha-Cohen of Dvinsk declared that ‘the Zionist vision is driving Israel to destruction, Heaven forbid’.
[Maybe you’re mixing him up with another Gadol with a similar name?! Perhaps you meant HaRav Simcha Kook, shlita from Rehovot. The only problem is that his Yeshiva is Hareidi and don’t go to the army, so I doubt he’s a Zionist.]
[5] and declared its political aims as being contrary to the Torah.[6][7][8][9]
He nevertheless cherished the Holy Land and in 1925 it was announced that he would be leaving Warsaw with his daughter and son-in-law to permanently settle inPetach Tikvah, Palestine.
[Love of Kedushas Eretz Yisrael and Yishuv Eretz Yisrael is not dependent on love of the Neo-Zionist movement. I am an Anti-Zionist. Regardless, I guarantee you that almost none of you readers (even those living in Eretz Yisrael) have the hanhagas that I am noheg that are based on my deep love of Kedushas Eretz HaKodesh. The Chofetz Chaim’s yearning for Yishuv Eretz Yisrael had nothing to do with Zionism! It has to do with Judaism! As stated above, he told his talmidim to stay away from the Zionists.]