‘Now Go and Smite Amalek’

This article examines the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, arguing that religious socialization and radicalization within the movement are essentially manifestations of the same process, and demonstrating how educational and communal narratives may normalize militaristic and messianic themes, establishing conditions conducive to radicalized identity formation. We examine how pedagogical strategies and narrative frameworks promote fervour and activism among Jewish youth while creating a narrative environment in which extremist ideas may circulate, without implying a direct causal pathway to radicalization. Educational materials, including books, comics, and audiovisual content, serve as conduits for transmitting Chabad Kabbalistic political theology to children and adolescents, emphasizing messianism, militarism, and Third Temple aspirations. This study highlights the significant role prominent figures, most notably Rabbi Yitzhak Ginsburgh, play in crafting a binary worldview that sharply delineates ingroup and outgroup dynamics. By examining these processes, we illustrate the contextual narrative conditions that may predispose individuals to radical interpretations, without asserting a definitive causal link.