The Rabbi who must not be named -- Rabbi Meir Kahane

 This co-authored article was posted to Alex Sternberg's Time of Israel Blog.

 

It seems that for extreme liberal progressives, Rabbi Meir Kahane has become the “Rabbi who must not be named.” When Lizzy Savetsky, a pro-Israel social media influencer, shared a video of Meir Kahane discussing the realities of engaging with “real” Arabs in the 1970s and 1980s, it sparked a new wave of condemnations against him as well as against Lizzy.

Most people today know very little about who Rabbi Kahane was and what he represented. Assassinated over 35 years ago in 1990, many individuals who now express unfounded opinions on social media were not even born when Kahane founded the Jewish Defense League in 1968. We, on the other hand, worked closely with Kahane and the JDL from 1968 to 1972, during the tumultuous four years that shaped the identity of the militant group. We spent our days and nights with him, sometimes even sharing a jail cell. We got to know him well. We are here to clarify the record about Meir and the messages he conveyed.

We were neither racists nor extremists when we answered Kahane’s call to action. The slogan “Never Again” resonated with us, as many of us were children of Holocaust survivors. For us, that slogan also referred to the Jewish response to antisemitism. Never Again would we stand by while Jews faced violence and trouble in disadvantaged neighborhoods.

We promised that never again would defenseless Jews be left to fend for themselves as our parents were during the days of Auschwitz. Meir reminded us that Jewish leadership in America did little to stand up for Jews in the 1940s while the Germans murdered our families. Is it any wonder that the ‘do-nothing’ leadership fiercely opposed Kahane and his message?

The hundreds of young Jews who responded to our call were neither racist nor extremist. They included both observant and non-observant. Kahane taught them to empathize with the pain of Jews in need. Was this racist? Extremist? Our message was to love all Jews. Revolutionary, isn’t it?

Yes, we primarily trained these young people in karate techniques and weapon handling to prepare them for defensive action. In neighborhood after neighborhood — Crown Heights and Williamsburg in Brooklyn, as well as Dorchester in Massachusetts and many other places — Jews knew they could count on us to respond and defend the community. It is because of actions like these that Jews today, after Columbia University and other exhibitions of blatant antisemitism cry out, “Where is the JDL now when we need them?”

In the early 1970’s, when the Nazis appeared at the Israel Day parade declaring that Hitler had not killed enough Jews, we did confront them physically. Some questioned us, “Did that make them love Jews more?” But that was not our goal. Our intention was to convey that Never Again will we allow them to spread antisemitism without consequence. Should we have established a dialog with them instead? But what is there to say to someone who wants to kill you?

Those of us who knew Meir knew that he was not a racist. He loved Jews and taught us to do likewise. Today, we condemn the false messages of the “mainstream media.” It was no different back then. The media, encouraged by Jewish “leaders” who felt ashamed of their impotence, labeled Kahane as “un-Jewish,” “racist,” and other lies to discredit him. Ironically, these “bagel and lox “occasional Jews dared to define Kahane, an Orthodox Rabbi ordained by the Mir Yeshiva, as un-Jewish!

But Kahane’s real sin was making Aliyah in 1971. At that time, he was largely rejected by a country that found his ideas too extreme. But he arrived in an Israel led by the left-leaning Labor government inspired by Ben Gurion—the very same Ben Gurion who urged his followers to “Moser” — inform on the heroic fighters of the Irgun and betray them to the British to be jailed and executed. Israel was still a socialist country. No, such a government would not have welcomed Kahane. They also didn’t like Zev Jabotinsky and Menachem Begin, Kahane’s spiritual mentors.

Meir expressed views in Israel that some people might find hard to accept. These attitudes contribute to the perception of him as an anti-Arab racist. Some have proposed that there may have been two Kahanes: the passionate leader of the JDL in America (whose message is harder to “cancel out”) and the more fervent politician in Israel. His views certainly evolved after his Aliyah. However, being in the Holy Land, soaking in the atmosphere, and walking in the footsteps of our prophets often leads to significant shifts in perspective for many.

But did his views lead him to be expelled from the Knesset? On the contrary. It was precisely because his views resonated even back then that panicked the Likud government to expel him. They were afraid he was siphoning off too many votes from their party!

Many people today read Kahane’s words and listen to his speeches, astonished by how accurately he predicted future events. Perhaps his mistake was being ahead of his time. He warned about the potential dangers posed by Arabs living in Israel, suggesting they could become a fifth column. In fact, cities in Israel that have large Arab populations experienced widespread riots, with synagogues burned down and Jews attacked. This is why his once objectionable thoughts now resonate post-Oct 7.  This explains the resurgence of Kahanism.

The veil of antisemitism worldwide has once again been dramatically lifted.

One of the strongest voices who confronted such antisemitism in his time is naturally being revisited. Kahane was passionate about his concerns for Jewish safety. He sacrificed his life for his beliefs. Yet, there still seems to be a need by some to label him a terrorist, racist, and an extremist.

Today, in the post-October 7 reality, it’s time for Jews to reexamine Meir Kahane’s message without any preconceived bias or prejudice. No more vilification or pointless name-calling. Instead, let’s analyze and embrace the positive aspects. Read his works and watch his speech videos for yourself. Don’t let the leftists who hate and denounce him define who he is. Kahanism is clearly relevant and here to stay.

Those of us who collaborated with and grasped Kahane’s message appreciate this debate. We commend Lizzy Savetsky for her remarkable courage in acknowledging the positive lessons of Kahanism. Does that mean she agrees with the late Rabbi on everything? She states no.

She simply refuses to throw out the baby with the proverbial bathwater.

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This post was co-authored by Dr. Alex Sternberg and David S. Levine

Dr. Alex Sternberg, JDL Chief Karate Instructor (1968-1972). Author of “Recipes from Auschwitz: The Survival Stories of Two Hungarian Jews with Historical Insight” and the forthcoming “The Toughest Jew in Brooklyn: A memoir”

David “Samson” Levine, MBA, JDL Karate instructor, Member National Youth Board, Long Island Chapter Head (1969-1972). Author “Revolutions: In Their Own Words – What They Really Say About Their Causes”