Lehava

Prevention of Assimilation in the Holy Land
למניעת התבוללות בארץ הקודש
AbbreviationLehava
Formation2005
FounderBentzi Gopstein
PurposeAnti-miscegenation
HeadquartersJerusalem
Membership
10,000
LeaderBentzi Gopstein
Key people
Michael Ben-Ari
Bentzi Gopstein
Baruch Marzel
Itamar Ben-Gvir
AffiliationsOtzma Yehudit
Hemla
Websitewww.lehava-us.com

Lehava (להב"ה‎ "Flame," Hebrew: למניעת התבוללות בארץ הקודש LiMniat Hitbolelut B'eretz HaKodesh; Prevention of Assimilation in the Holy Land) is a far-right and Jewish supremacist[1] organization based in Israel that strictly opposes Jewish assimilation, objecting to most personal relationships between Jews and non-Jews.[2][3][4] It is opposed to the Christian presence in Israel.[5] It has an anti-miscegenation focus, denouncing marriages between Jews and non-Jews forbidden by Orthodox Jewish law.[6] The group has over 10,000 members.[7] In 2024, the United States placed Lehava and its leader, Bentzi Gopstein, on a sanctions list for their role in fomenting Israeli settler violence against Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, labeling Lehava "the largest violent extremist organization in Israel."[8]

  1. ^ Multiple sources:
  2. ^ Lev, David (9 September 2013). "Lehava 'Hotline' to Help Prevent Intermarriage, Assimilation". Arutz Sheva.
  3. ^ Kaye, Yasmin (22 September 2014). "Meet Lehava, the Israeli Fascists Mounting a Vicious Crusade to Keep their Women Away from Arabs". International Business Times.
  4. ^ "Grinning Jewish Extremists Charged in Jerusalem School Arson". The Forward. Reuters. 15 December 2014.
  5. ^ Shira Rubin (24 December 2015). "Good Will and Peace Towards Men Elusive This Year in Nazareth". The Forward.
  6. ^ "halacha - What is the prohibition of intermarriage?". Mi Yodeya. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
  7. ^ Schwartz, Yardena (7 March 2018). "Israel's alt-right is now mainstream—are lawmakers doing enough to stop it?". Newsweek. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  8. ^ Elia-Shalev, Asaf (11 July 2024). "U.S. sanctions extremist Israeli group Lehava and several West Bank outposts". JTA. Retrieved 17 July 2024.