Jewish Defense League

"JDL" redirects here. For the Indian distiller, see John Distilleries.

Jewish Defense League
FounderMeir Kahane
LeaderShelley Rubin
Foundation1968; 56 years ago (1968)
Allegiance Kach Party (formerly)
Motives
HeadquartersNew York City, Los Angeles, and Toronto
Active regionsUnited States, Canada, and Israel
IdeologyKahanism
Political positionFar-right
SloganNever Again!
StatusInactive in the United States and Canada (2021)[2]
Active in France[3]
Size15,000 (peak)
Designated as a terrorist group by United States
Colors  

The Jewish Defense League (JDL) is a far-right religious and political organization in the United States and Canada. Its stated goal is to "protect Jews from antisemitism by whatever means necessary";[4] it has been classified as "right-wing terrorist group" by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) since 2001,[5] and is also designated as hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.[6] According to the FBI, the JDL has been involved in plotting and executing acts of terrorism within the United States.[5][7] Most terrorist watch groups classify the group as inactive as of 2015.[8]

Founded by Meir Kahane in New York City in 1968, the JDL's self-described purpose was to protect Jews from local manifestations of antisemitism.[4][9] Its criticism of the Soviet Union increased local support for the group, transforming it from a "vigilante club" into an organization with a stated membership numbering over 15,000 at one point.[10] The group took to bombing Arab and Soviet properties in the United States[11] while assassinating a variety of alleged "enemies of the Jewish people" ranging from Arab-American political activists to neo-Nazis.[12] A number of JDL members have been linked to violent, and sometimes deadly, attacks in the United States and in other countries, including the murder of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee regional director Alex Odeh in 1985, the Cave of the Patriarchs massacre in 1994, a plot to assassinate U.S. Representative Darrell Issa in 2001,[13] and a plot to bomb the King Fahad Mosque in Culver City, California. In 1990, Kahane was assassinated by an Egyptian-American gunman at a hotel in New York City.[14]

According to the Anti-Defamation League, the JDL consists only of "thugs and hooligans"[15] and Kahane "preached a radical form of Jewish nationalism which reflected racism, violence, and political extremism,"[4] attitudes that were replicated by his successor Irv Rubin.[16]

  1. ^ "Jewish Defense League".
  2. ^ Ellis, Stephen (2021-08-21). "The long overdue death of the Jewish Defence League". canadiandimension.com. Retrieved 2024-04-08.
  3. ^ Garnier, Christophe-Cécil; Molard, Mathieu; Douley, Eva; Weisz, Johan (2023-11-13). "Tabassage, intimidations et soutien au RN, la Ligue de défense juive est de retour". StreetPress (in French). Archived from the original on 2023-12-09. Retrieved 2023-12-18.
  4. ^ a b c "Anti-Defamation League on JDL". Adl.org. Archived from the original on 2010-04-14. Retrieved 2011-11-23.
  5. ^ a b "FBI — Terrorism 2000/2001". Fbi.gov. Archived from the original on 7 October 2012. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  6. ^ "Jewish Defense League". Southern Poverty Law Center. Archived from the original on 2016-01-26. Retrieved 2016-01-19.
  7. ^ Bohn, Michael K. (2004). The Achille Lauro Hijacking: Lessons in the Politics and Prejudice of Terrorism. Brassey's Inc. p. 67. ISBN 1-57488-779-3.
  8. ^ Ross, Jeffrey Ian (2015-03-04). Religion and Violence: An Encyclopedia of Faith and Conflict from Antiquity to the Present. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-46109-8.
  9. ^ "JDL group profile from National Consortium for the Study of Terror and Responses to Terrorism". Archived from the original on August 28, 2010.
  10. ^ Hewitt, Christopher (2002). Understanding Terrorism in America: From the Klan to Al Qaeda. Routledge. pp. 35f. ISBN 0-415-27765-5.
  11. ^ Hewitt, p. 65
  12. ^ Nasseph McCarus, Ernest. The Development of Arab-American Identity. 1994, pp. 180–3
  13. ^ Kushner, Harvey W. Encyclopedia of Terrorism. 2003, pp. 192–3
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference deaths was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ Bohn, Michael K. The Achille Lauro Hijacking. 2004, pp. 176–7
  16. ^ Anti-Defamation League (ADL) (December 12, 2001). "ADL Commends FBI for Thwarting Alleged Bombing Plot By Jewish Extremists". Adl.org. Archived from the original on September 26, 2011. Retrieved 2011-11-23.