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| The '''Jewish Defense League''' (JDL) is a ] movement aimed at protecting Jewish people and property from ]. JDL was founded in ] by ] as a militant group to protect ] neighborhoods in ] and to protest local manifestations of anti-Semitism. The JDL soon broadened its scope to include concerns of the global diaspora communities, and sought to defend Jewry from perceived threats through physical confrontation. | The '''Jewish Defense League''' (JDL) is a ] movement aimed at protecting Jewish people and property from ]. JDL was founded in ] by ] as a militant group to protect ] neighborhoods in ] and to protest against local manifestations of anti-Semitism. The JDL soon broadened its scope to include concerns of the global diaspora communities, and sought to defend Jewry from perceived threats through physical confrontation. | ||
| It is co-monitored by the FBI and the U.S. State Department, both of which consider it a terrorist group (the latter, as the state's-side manifestation of ]. On at least one occasion, JDL co-founder Meir Kahane publicly admitted JDL responsibility for bombings and murders, and targets of the JDL have ranged from government offices (the Soviet Cultural Offices), to private businessmen, to the harassment of high-profile figures such as ], ], and -- in 198 -- the murder of | |||
| ], founder of the JDL, speaking]] | ], founder of the JDL, speaking]] | ||
| The JDL describes itself as: | The JDL describes itself as: | ||
| <blockquote>..the most controversial, yet the most effective, of all Jewish organizations. Founded in 1968 by Rabbi Meir Kahane, the activist group has been responsible for bringing such issues as, but certainly not limited to, Soviet Jewry, Nazi war criminals, black & white antisemitism/Jew-hatred and Jewish self-defense to the front page of every major newspaper. Never Again, the JDL motto, opposes the mainstream opinion that Jews shouldn't make waves or fight back when they are under attack. Such an attitude was sold to the Jews of Europe 60 years ago and the result was the murder of the Six Million. </blockquote> | <blockquote>..the most controversial, yet the most effective, of all Jewish organizations. Founded in 1968 by Rabbi Meir Kahane, the activist group has been responsible for bringing such issues as, but certainly not limited to, Soviet Jewry, Nazi war criminals, black & white antisemitism/Jew-hatred and Jewish self-defense to the front page of every major newspaper. Never Again, the JDL motto, opposes the mainstream opinion that Jews shouldn't make waves or fight back when they are under attack. Such an attitude was sold to the Jews of Europe 60 years ago and the result was the murder of the Six Million. </blockquote> | ||
| It is clear that the JDL considers the "controversy" around its "effectiveness" to be questions that arise from its violent techniques, and its overt links with the militant ] group in Israel. As a consequence of its overt racism and militant vigilantism, ] has been barred from participating in Israeli elections and is considered a terrorist group by the U.S. State Department. | |||
| ⚫ | The JDL is widely viewed as ] and most mainstream Jews and Jewish organizations reject it. Newspaper reports indicate that membership in the JDL appears to have been limited to a few thousand supporters by the year 2000, with a smaller number actually being active in the organization. The ] (SPLC), a well-respected non-profit organization that identifies and monitors hate groups, has added the JDL to its list of watched groups. The JDL today asserts -- as it always has -- that the organization is a strictly non-violent Jewish activist organization whose purpose is the defense of Jews and Jewish communities. The Jewish Defense League is chaired by prominent Chicago Jewish activist Ian Sigel, Eastern United States Director Robert Turk, and Western United States Director Jim Nutting. The Jewish Defense League has been showing a rapid increase in chapters and membership worldwide. | ||
| Since the inception of the JDL, several members of its organization have been convicted on acts of terrorism ranging from plots to murder and the bombings of civilian offices and housing. The most recent conviction was in 2005, when two of the JDL leadership were nabbed in an FBI sting operation as they plotted the bombing of a U.S. Legislator and a local mosque. | |||
| ⚫ | The JDL is widely viewed as ] and most mainstream Jews and Jewish organizations reject it. Newspaper reports indicate that membership in the JDL appears to have been limited to a few thousand supporters by the year 2000, with a smaller number actually being active in the organization. The ] (SPLC), a |
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| == Defense of Baruch Goldstein == | == Defense of Baruch Goldstein == | ||
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| ]. ] sign says ''rofe'' (" Doctor")]] | ]. ] sign says ''rofe'' (" Doctor")]] | ||
| In February of ], ] entered a mosque in ] and murdered 29 Arabs at prayer. Baruch Goldstein was a member of the JDL, and the JDL defended this massacre. The organization's states, <blockquote> | |||
| Dr. Goldstein was a brilliant surgeon, a mild-mannered Yeshiva-educated man who was promoted to the rank of major in the IDF. He was warned by his superiors in the military to prepare an open field hospital in anticipation of another murderous attack by the hostile Arab population of Hevron during the Jewish festival of Purim. Many of these Arabs were standing outside Goldstein's synagogue in the Cave of the Patriarchs and yelling 'Slaughter the Jew.' Goldstein had lost 30 close friends in the last few years; they were murdered by Arabs in the Hevron-Kiryat Arba area. One of those was the son of his best friend, Mordechai Lapid; as Goldstein rushed to give the young man medical aid, he was held back by the Arabs on the scene and the young man died. Additionally, as there is proof that the Arabs were hoarding food and supplies in response to a Muslim call for a massacre on the Jewish holiday of Purim, we feel that Goldstein took a preventative measure against yet another Arab attack on Jews. We understand his motivation, his grief and his actions. And we are not ashamed to say that Goldstein was a charter member of the Jewish Defense League. </blockquote> | Dr. Goldstein was a brilliant surgeon, a mild-mannered Yeshiva-educated man who was promoted to the rank of major in the IDF. He was warned by his superiors in the military to prepare an open field hospital in anticipation of another murderous attack by the hostile Arab population of Hevron during the Jewish festival of Purim. Many of these Arabs were standing outside Goldstein's synagogue in the Cave of the Patriarchs and yelling 'Slaughter the Jew.' Goldstein had lost 30 close friends in the last few years; they were murdered by Arabs in the Hevron-Kiryat Arba area. One of those was the son of his best friend, Mordechai Lapid; as Goldstein rushed to give the young man medical aid, he was held back by the Arabs on the scene and the young man died. Additionally, as there is proof that the Arabs were hoarding food and supplies in response to a Muslim call for a massacre on the Jewish holiday of Purim, we feel that Goldstein took a preventative measure against yet another Arab attack on Jews. We understand his motivation, his grief and his actions. And we are not ashamed to say that Goldstein was a charter member of the Jewish Defense League. </blockquote> | ||
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| ] (1945-2002), Jewish Defense League International Chairman from 1985-2002.]] | ] (1945-2002), Jewish Defense League International Chairman from 1985-2002.]] | ||
| On ], ], ], JDL International Chairman, and Earl Krugel, a member of the organization, were charged with conspiracy to commit acts of terrorism. The two planned attacks on Arab-American Congressman ]'s office and on the King Fahd ] in ]. Rubin and Krugel were arrested as part of a ], after an FBI informant, Danny Gillis, delivered ]s to Krugel's home in Los Angeles. The JDL defends the plotters by claiming that |
On ], ], ], JDL International Chairman, and Earl Krugel, a member of the organization, were charged with conspiracy to commit acts of terrorism. The two planned attacks on Arab-American Congressman ]'s office and on the King Fahd ] in ]. Rubin and Krugel were arrested as part of a ], after an FBI informant, Danny Gillis, delivered ]s to Krugel's home in Los Angeles. The JDL defends the plotters by claiming that, although explosives had been bought and detailed plans of the offices and mosque in question were found, no explosive devices were manufactured and no one had yet been harmed. | ||
| The JDL maintains that the prosecution of Rubin and Krugel was the result of rogue elements within the FBI which conspired to neutralize the JDL by infiltrating the organization, implicating its members and imprisoning them unjustly. |
The JDL maintains that the prosecution of Rubin and Krugel was the result of "rogue elements" within the FBI which conspired to neutralize the JDL by infiltrating the organization, implicating its members and imprisoning them unjustly. Members claim the FBI targeted Rubin in a bid to demonstrate even-handed pursuit of terrorists in the aftermath of the ]. The FBI denies the allegations, and in this context it is notable that the FBI has been actively monitoring the JDL for over thirty-five years, has convicted many of its members (even succeeding in securing the extradition and conviction of Jewish terrorists from Israel), and has accumulated evidence that suggests that today the JDL is possibly the most active terrorist group in the United States. In a period of four years, from 1981-1985, the FBI found that the JDL was responsible for some 15 acts of terrorism against those it perceived as its political opponents, including assassination and the bombings of private offices. | ||
| Rubin proclaimed his innocence and was reportedly eager to wage a vigorous court battle in his defense. On November 4, 2002 at ]' federal ] on the morning of his first scheduled trial hearing, Rubin slashed his own neck with a prison-issued razor blade and then jumped over a railing to fall 18 feet to the concrete floor below. He was in a coma for ten days before dying on Nov 13.. | Fpr his part, Rubin proclaimed his innocence and was reportedly eager to wage a vigorous court battle in his defense. On November 4, 2002 at ]' federal ] on the morning of his first scheduled trial hearing, Rubin slashed his own neck with a prison-issued razor blade and then jumped over a railing to fall 18 feet to the concrete floor below. He was in a coma for ten days before dying on Nov 13.. | ||
| On February 4, 2003, Earl Krugel pled guilty to ] and weapons charges stemming from the terrorist plot and was expected to serve up to 20 years in prison. However, Judge Ronald Lew recently ruled Krugel “broke conditions set on his deal and ordered him to face trial on further charges” . If convicted, he faces a sentence of up to 55 years. | On February 4, 2003, Earl Krugel pled guilty to ] and weapons charges stemming from the terrorist plot and was expected to serve up to 20 years in prison. However, Judge Ronald Lew recently ruled Krugel “broke conditions set on his deal and ordered him to face trial on further charges” . If convicted, he faces a sentence of up to 55 years. | ||
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| * in ]. | * in ]. | ||
| * | * | ||
| *http://www.americanfreepress.net/12_11_02/Was_Irv_Rubin_Killed_/was_irv_rubin_killed_.html | * | ||
| * | |||
| ] | ] | ||
Revision as of 04:54, 28 September 2005
The Jewish Defense League (JDL) is a Jewish movement aimed at protecting Jewish people and property from anti-Semitism. JDL was founded in 1968 by Rabbi Meir Kahane as a militant group to protect Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods in New York City and to protest against local manifestations of anti-Semitism. The JDL soon broadened its scope to include concerns of the global diaspora communities, and sought to defend Jewry from perceived threats through physical confrontation.
It is co-monitored by the FBI and the U.S. State Department, both of which consider it a terrorist group (the latter, as the state's-side manifestation of Kahane Chai. On at least one occasion, JDL co-founder Meir Kahane publicly admitted JDL responsibility for bombings and murders, and targets of the JDL have ranged from government offices (the Soviet Cultural Offices), to private businessmen, to the harassment of high-profile figures such as Noam Chomsky, Edward Said, and -- in 198 -- the murder of
The JDL describes itself as:
..the most controversial, yet the most effective, of all Jewish organizations. Founded in 1968 by Rabbi Meir Kahane, the activist group has been responsible for bringing such issues as, but certainly not limited to, Soviet Jewry, Nazi war criminals, black & white antisemitism/Jew-hatred and Jewish self-defense to the front page of every major newspaper. Never Again, the JDL motto, opposes the mainstream opinion that Jews shouldn't make waves or fight back when they are under attack. Such an attitude was sold to the Jews of Europe 60 years ago and the result was the murder of the Six Million.
It is clear that the JDL considers the "controversy" around its "effectiveness" to be questions that arise from its violent techniques, and its overt links with the militant Kahane Chai group in Israel. As a consequence of its overt racism and militant vigilantism, Kahane Chai has been barred from participating in Israeli elections and is considered a terrorist group by the U.S. State Department.
The JDL is widely viewed as extremist and most mainstream Jews and Jewish organizations reject it. Newspaper reports indicate that membership in the JDL appears to have been limited to a few thousand supporters by the year 2000, with a smaller number actually being active in the organization. The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), a well-respected non-profit organization that identifies and monitors hate groups, has added the JDL to its list of watched groups. The JDL today asserts -- as it always has -- that the organization is a strictly non-violent Jewish activist organization whose purpose is the defense of Jews and Jewish communities. The Jewish Defense League is chaired by prominent Chicago Jewish activist Ian Sigel, Eastern United States Director Robert Turk, and Western United States Director Jim Nutting. The Jewish Defense League has been showing a rapid increase in chapters and membership worldwide.
Since the inception of the JDL, several members of its organization have been convicted on acts of terrorism ranging from plots to murder and the bombings of civilian offices and housing. The most recent conviction was in 2005, when two of the JDL leadership were nabbed in an FBI sting operation as they plotted the bombing of a U.S. Legislator and a local mosque.
Defense of Baruch Goldstein
In February of 1994, Baruch Goldstein entered a mosque in Hebron and murdered 29 Arabs at prayer. Baruch Goldstein was a member of the JDL, and the JDL defended this massacre. The organization's states,
Dr. Goldstein was a brilliant surgeon, a mild-mannered Yeshiva-educated man who was promoted to the rank of major in the IDF. He was warned by his superiors in the military to prepare an open field hospital in anticipation of another murderous attack by the hostile Arab population of Hevron during the Jewish festival of Purim. Many of these Arabs were standing outside Goldstein's synagogue in the Cave of the Patriarchs and yelling 'Slaughter the Jew.' Goldstein had lost 30 close friends in the last few years; they were murdered by Arabs in the Hevron-Kiryat Arba area. One of those was the son of his best friend, Mordechai Lapid; as Goldstein rushed to give the young man medical aid, he was held back by the Arabs on the scene and the young man died. Additionally, as there is proof that the Arabs were hoarding food and supplies in response to a Muslim call for a massacre on the Jewish holiday of Purim, we feel that Goldstein took a preventative measure against yet another Arab attack on Jews. We understand his motivation, his grief and his actions. And we are not ashamed to say that Goldstein was a charter member of the Jewish Defense League.
Imprisonment and death of Irv Rubin
On December 12, 2001, Irv Rubin, JDL International Chairman, and Earl Krugel, a member of the organization, were charged with conspiracy to commit acts of terrorism. The two planned attacks on Arab-American Congressman Darrell Issa's office and on the King Fahd Mosque in Culver City, California. Rubin and Krugel were arrested as part of a sting operation, after an FBI informant, Danny Gillis, delivered explosives to Krugel's home in Los Angeles. The JDL defends the plotters by claiming that, although explosives had been bought and detailed plans of the offices and mosque in question were found, no explosive devices were manufactured and no one had yet been harmed.
The JDL maintains that the prosecution of Rubin and Krugel was the result of "rogue elements" within the FBI which conspired to neutralize the JDL by infiltrating the organization, implicating its members and imprisoning them unjustly. Members claim the FBI targeted Rubin in a bid to demonstrate even-handed pursuit of terrorists in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks. The FBI denies the allegations, and in this context it is notable that the FBI has been actively monitoring the JDL for over thirty-five years, has convicted many of its members (even succeeding in securing the extradition and conviction of Jewish terrorists from Israel), and has accumulated evidence that suggests that today the JDL is possibly the most active terrorist group in the United States. In a period of four years, from 1981-1985, the FBI found that the JDL was responsible for some 15 acts of terrorism against those it perceived as its political opponents, including assassination and the bombings of private offices.
Fpr his part, Rubin proclaimed his innocence and was reportedly eager to wage a vigorous court battle in his defense. On November 4, 2002 at Los Angeles' federal Metropolitan Detention Center on the morning of his first scheduled trial hearing, Rubin slashed his own neck with a prison-issued razor blade and then jumped over a railing to fall 18 feet to the concrete floor below. He was in a coma for ten days before dying on Nov 13..
On February 4, 2003, Earl Krugel pled guilty to conspiracy and weapons charges stemming from the terrorist plot and was expected to serve up to 20 years in prison. However, Judge Ronald Lew recently ruled Krugel “broke conditions set on his deal and ordered him to face trial on further charges” (BBC News). If convicted, he faces a sentence of up to 55 years.
Although a few JDL members proclaim their determination to sustain the organization despite Rubin's death and Krugel's convictions, the group has not been active for several years.
Websites
JDL.ORG.IL is the new Jewish Defense League website. JDL members proclaim their determination to sustain the organization despite Chairman Irv Rubin's death and Earl Krugel's convictions. Following Rubin's death, JDL split into rival factions. Rubin's widow Shelley claims to head the legitimate JDL while the rest of JDL claims that she is only the head of a rogue chapter of JDL. Recently, Rubin's JDL.ORG website was suspended, thus removing doubt that JDL.ORG.IL is the legitimate JDL website. The rest of JDL, which was led by new Chairman Bill Maniaci, has even taken her to court over this. Maniaci has since been succeeded by Matthew (Moshe) S. Finberg as JDL Chairman. JDL claims that it remains a vibrant, militant force, with strong growth in the United States and abroad.
See also
External links
- Jewish Defense League Website
- JDL terrorist group profile from MIPT Terrorism Knowledge Base
- Security Management's page on terrorist allegations
- JDL Chronology by the ADL
- Quotes and Select Newspaper articles by the AAI
- Criminal Complaint in US v. Rubin and Krugel.
- Salon Magazine report on the December 12, 2001 charges
- Was Irv Rubin Killed?
- A Report on the JDL by WRMEA -- Washington non-profit founded by former State Department Foreign Officers