The
Betar Movement (בית"ר, also spelled
Beitar or, early in its history,
Bitar) is a
Revisionist Zionist youth movement founded in 1923 in
Riga,
Latvia, by
Vladimir (Ze'ev) Jabotinsky. Chapters sprang up across Europe, even during World War II. After the war and during the settlement of what became
Israel, Betar was traditionally linked to the original
Herut and then
Likud political parties of Jewish pioneers. It was closely affiliated with the pre-Israel Revisionist Zionist splinter group
Irgun Zevai Leumi. It was one of many right-wing movements and youth groups arising at that time that adopted salutes and uniforms. Some of the most prominent politicians of Israel were Betarim in their youth, most notably prime ministers
Yitzhak Shamir and
Menachem Begin, an admirer of Jabotinsky.