The National Religious Party, which holds six of the Knesset's 120 seats, is the most mainstream of Israel's three Orthodox political parties. And Hammer, who served as cabinet minister of education, religion and social welfare from the mid-1970s until the early 1990s, is considered centrist within his party. But the religious Zionist movement, which educates tens of thousands of Israeli youth through Orthodox day schools, yeshivot and Amir's alma mater Bar-Ilan University, has been accused of ignoring or even producing extremist rhetoric that preceded the Nov. 4 assassination. Hammer won't allow his movement to take all or even most of the blame for Amir's action. As a result, Hammer said, reforms are already in the works.
Religious education is very ideological.
We have to educate people to restrain and to know there are limits. The No.1 limit is murder, he said. Following close behind, Hammer added, is teaching the need for tolerance and debate. Today, Hammer asserts, the National Religious Party has no room for extremists. Now we are more careful.