The different responses that Jewish thinkers and movement had in regards to the rise of Zionism, the modern Jewish nationalism, shaped Jewish life. R’ Kook, the first Ashkenazi chief rabbi of British Mandate Palestine, believed that Zionism played an integral role in Jewish history and tradition. According to R’ Kook, Zionism was a major part of the Jewish people’s redemption process, thus as a result one could see religious meaning in this Jewish national movement. R’ Kook strongly believed that despite the fact that many viewed Zionism as a rebellion to religious Judaism, in the big picture Zionism was a forward movement for the Jewish people. R’ Kook believed that the only way the Jewish people would reach redemption (and the land of Israel)