What is Tagar?

     The Tagar Zionist Student Activist Movement is a strident voice for Zionist and Jewish activism at colleges and universities around the world. The movement was founded in 1983 as an expansion of the Betar Zionist Youth Movement, which itself was founded by Zionist visionary Ze'ev Jabotinsky in 1923. The name itself comes from a Hebrew word that was used by Jabotinsky to connote "the spirit with which one takes on a challenge."

     The original students who founded Tagar were spurred on by the increase of anti-Israel activity and propaganda on the campuses during the Lebanon war. Today, countering anti-Israel propaganda and fostering a positive image of Israel remains on of Tagar's most important activities.

The Principles of Tagar

     The Principles of Tagar, based both on history and ideology as well as current realities, include:

• The inalienable right of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel within historic secure boundaries and with Jerusalem as its capital.
• Securing the unity of the Jewish people as indispensable for its survival, for the defense of Israel, and the growth of its moral and material strength.
• The preservation of Jewish identity through the fostering of Jewish spiritual and national values.
• Support for the Government and the people of Israel in their efforts to attain peace with security.
• The promotion of a genuine and mutually beneficial alliance between Canada and potent, secure Israel.

Activities

     Tagar provides its affiliates with an information network, offers programming ideas for pro-Israel activism and sponsors national and regional conferences throughout the year. Typical local activities included speaker programs, films and videos, and a variety of "activist campaigns" on a variety of issues. These campaigns may include rallies and demonstrations, sit-ins, letter writing, and publicity campaigns plus many other creative activities. Past campaigns have included the fight for Jews in the former Soviet Union, Ethiopia, and Syria, supporting and working on the Freedom for Jonathan Pollard campaign, including getting many other Jewish organizations to sign on, the fight to deport NAZI John Demjanjuk from his home in a Cleveland suburb, campaigns to expose the PLO for the terrorist organization they are, Holocaust education and fighting against Holocaust revisionism. Tagar also sponsors trips to Israel during Winter and Summer breaks. The trips include touring and community service building up the land in a settlement in Samaria.