Hardal

Hardal (also spelled Chardal; חרד״ל, acronym for , "Nationalist Haredi", plural ) usually refers to the portion of the Religious Zionist Jewish community in Israel which inclines significantly toward Haredi ideology (whether in terms of outlook on the secular world, or in their stringent khumra approach to Halakha). Hardal Jews are also known as Torani (lit., "Torah-oriented") or Torani-Leumi. On yeshiva.org.il, "Chardal" is described as, "The people who classify themselves as 'Charedi Leumi', or 'Chardal', try to keep the Mitzvot strictly, Kalah Kechamurah [light and weighty matters alike], while being involved in the national life in the state, and in the settling of Eretz Yisrael." It has also been explained as the "Anglo Orthodox religious sector who follow a Charedi lifestyle, yet may also serve in the army in religious units, attend a Hesder yeshiva, and pursue a work career". Yet another explanation is, "those connected to the seriousness of Torah learning and stricter observance of Jewish Law - like the Charedim - but who are Zionist and have a more positive view of the secular world and Israel, like the dati leumi camp". The term Hardal is sometimes used to refer to those coming from the Haredi world who join Nahal Haredi (the shortened army service for Yeshiva graduates) and continue to live within the broader Hardal world. It is also sometimes used for American yeshivish Jews who moved to Israel and support the state. The term Hardal is part of a broad process of certain groups of Religious Zionist youth becoming more strict in certain religious observances, and more ideologically driven by the thought of Zvi Yehuda Kook (son of Abraham Isaac Kook). In the late 1970s, graduates of Mercaz HaRav yeshiva began to reject certain aspects of the Religious Zionist and Bnei Akiva lifestyle. According to some sources, the term Hardal was created at a meeting of the youth group EZRA in 1990. (Ezra is the Poalei Agudah youth group associated with Torah im Derech Eretz.