The Zionist pilgrimage to Tel Hai: between communitas and conflict

ABSTRACT The pilgrimage to Tel Hai, which was made by Zionist youth movements during the Mandate period, forged a dynamic and vibrant arena, fostering the encounter of youths with a national sacred site. This annual rite instantiates the two main approaches in the study of pilgrimage. The journey to Tel Hai and the participation in the commemoration ceremonies increased intra-movement fraternity and cohesion. Concomitantly, the sojourn in the holy site, at a holy time, intensified the competition between Left and Right over ownership of the Tel Hai myth and exacerbated the inter-movement rivalry to the extent that British police forces were called up to the scene.