Meir Kahane

Date of Birth: August 1, 1932

Zodiac Sign: Leo

Date of Death: November 5, 1990

Biography

Meir David Kahane was a Jewish-American Orthodox rabbi, ultranationalist political figure, and founder of the Jewish Defense League (JDL). Born in Brooklyn, New York, Kahane was ordained as a rabbi and received a law degree from New York Law School. In 1968, he founded the JDL, a group that advocated for the defense of Jewish people through both legal and extralegal means, often becoming controversial for its militant stance. Kahane emigrated to Israel in the early 1970s and established the Kach party, which promoted the idea of transferring Arabs from Israel to neighboring Arab countries to maintain a Jewish majority. His views were considered extreme and often incited both support and intense opposition. Kahane was elected to the Knesset in 1984 but was banned from future elections due to his racist policies. Throughout his life, Kahane remained a polarizing figure, deeply committed to his vision of Jewish nationalism. He was assassinated in New York City in 1990 by an Egyptian-born American who was later connected to the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

5 Interesting Facts about Meir Kahane

1. Meir Kahane founded the Jewish Defense League (JDL) in 1968.

2. He was elected to the Israeli Knesset in 1984 as a member of the Kach party.

3. Kahane was banned from running in future Israeli elections due to his party’s racist policies.

4. He authored several books, including “They Must Go,” which outlined his views on the expulsion of Arabs from Israel.

5. Kahane’s assassination was connected to a network that later perpetrated the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

5 Most Interesting Quotes from Meir Kahane

1. “Every Jew, somewhere in his being, should set apart a zone of hate – healthy, virile hate – for what the German personifies and for what persists in the German.”

2. “Love has its place, as does hate. Peace has its place, as does war.”

3. “I see all this and know that if we are to save the Jewish state and its three-and-a-half million Jews from terrible tragedy, we must rise up and demand a radical change.”

4. “The question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be.”

5. “No trait is more justified than revenge in the right time and place.”

Highest Net Worth Achieved

Meir Kahane’s net worth is not well-documented, but it is believed that his primary assets were tied to his organizations and political activities rather than personal wealth.