A radical organization with a legacy of violence in the name of Jewish nationalism and self-defense.
Religion: Judaism
Founder: Meir Kahane
Founded: 1968
Location: United States
Website: jdl.org
Founded in 1968 by Rabbi Meir Kahane, the Jewish Defense League (JDL) emerged amid the racial tensions and civil rights movements in New York City. Initially created to protect Jewish neighborhoods from perceived threats, it quickly adopted a more aggressive stance towards any form of anti-Semitism and opposition, advocating for Jewish self-defense by any means necessary. The JDL’s early years were marked by confrontations with Soviet institutions to protest the treatment of Soviet Jews, including staging protests and committing acts of vandalism to draw attention to their cause.
Rabbi Kahane’s ideology was centered on the belief that Jews could rely on no one but themselves for protection and that the ultimate solution to Jewish oppression was the emigration of all Jews to Israel, the land they considered their rightful home. This stance led to the organization’s involvement in numerous controversial and violent actions, not just against perceived anti-Semitic threats but also targeting Soviet interests in the U.S., as a form of protest against the USSR’s treatment of Jews. The JDL’s activities during the 1970s included bombings, assaults, and other forms of violence, actions that were justified by its leaders as necessary for the protection and survival of the Jewish people.
Throughout the 1980s and beyond, the JDL continued to make headlines. Its aggressive tactics and the controversial views of its leaders alienated it from mainstream Jewish organizations and attracted scrutiny from law enforcement. The assassination of Rabbi Kahane in 1990 by an Arab terrorist marked the end of an era for the JDL, even as the organization attempted to maintain its relevance in the years that followed. The group’s defense of violent actions, such as the 1994 Hebron massacre perpetrated by Baruch Goldstein, a former member of the JDL and Kach (an Israeli offshoot founded by Kahane), further marginalized it within both the Jewish and broader communities.
The early 2000s saw the JDL under federal scrutiny, with its then-chairman, Irv Rubin, and another member, Earl Krugel, arrested for planning attacks against a mosque and a congressman’s office. Rubin’s suicide in 2002 and Krugel’s subsequent murder in prison marked significant blows to the organization, leading to its decline in the United States. While the JDL has attempted to maintain a presence through its website and other channels, its influence and membership have waned significantly.
image via SPLC