History

Hebrew acronym for the Brit Yosef Trumpeldor youth movement founded in Poland in 1923 and an offshoot of the world Revisionist movement led by Vladimir Jabotinsky, which had a stated goal of establishing a Jewish state across all of Palestine and Jordan. Jabotinsky was elected leader of Betar in 1931. With 70,000 members by 1934, Betar became one of the largest and most  influential youth movements in Poland and across Europe, as well as Palestine, and it provided a strong base of support to the Revisionist movement. Its vision was for a Jewish state in Palestine and it was characterized by militarism, authoritarianism, support for the European Right, and anti-socialism. Betar thus became an incubator for the development of right-wing Zionist ideas and its supporters were sometimes referred to as “Jewish Fascists.” In Palestine, Betar members facilitated illegal Jewish immigration and were active instigators of disturbances and violence, frequently bombing Arab civilian areas in response to attacks and waging guerilla warfare against the British. Betar eventually joined with Irgun, sharing leadership and cadres. Menahem Begin, who went on to become Israeli prime minister, led the two movements during the 1940s, including a revolt against the British in 1944 and fighting against the Palestinians in 1947–8. See also al-Buraq Uprising, Irgun, Lehi.