On Wednesday, May 28, over 10,000 Israeli youth, hailing predominately from settlements in the West Bank, marched in the annual Jerusalem Day parade commemorating the Israel’s victory in the June 1967 war and its wartime spoils. Although to scores of these jubilant youth, Jerusalem is still in need of conquering.

Thousands of youngsters wore “Kahane was right” stickers, a reference to Rabbi Meir Kahane, and some donned t-shirts printed with his face. Kahane is a deceased controversial Rabbi who was leader of the “Kach” political movement, which was deemed a terrorist organization by the Israeli government for inciting a series of attacks against Palestinians during the 1970s and 1980s. He was also a figurehead of the “Jewish Underground,” a West Bank-based band of hooligans who organized clandestine assaults on Arabs and left-wing Israelis. Their heirs today are the hill-top youth, the renegade settlers, perhaps a few hundred at most, who have carried out a wave of “price tag” attacks over the past few years, including targeting Israeli soldiers in 2012.

“Because Kahane said if someone wants to kill you, than you can kill him,” said a youth wearing a Kahane sticker and caped in an Israeli flag who asked that I not to publish his name. He explained that Kahane’s brand of violent Jewish nationalism speaks to young people today because they see current leaders like Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as soft on those who have committed acts against the state. This new generation of Kahane followers rejects the formation of a Palestinian state, rejects any division of Jerusalem and decries the Shalit prisoner exchange. And, at least in theory for most, they embrace using force to accomplish the goal of living in an exclusively Jewish society.

“Because of the war, the Six Days War,” said a teen that was interrupted by a spirited friend, “Because of my grandpa, he kicked them [Palestinians] out.” A third youth flexed his muscle exclaiming, “So now Jerusalem is for the Jewish!” and the then whole group chanted “Jewish! Jewish! Jewish!”