Kahane, Meir (1932–1990)

Brooklyn-born Rabbi Meir Kahane was a radical ideologue and founder of Kach, the militant nationalist and outlawed political party in Israel that advocates violence against Arabs. Kahane was assassinated on November 5, 1990, in New York City.

Kahane developed and disseminated his beliefs that Greater Israel, including the occupied West Bank, was given to the Jews by God and that all Arabs should be expelled from the land. In the 1960s, Kahane formed the anti-Arab Jewish Defense League (JDL), a forerunner of Kach and Kahane Chai. He used the slogan “Never Again!” in reference to the Holocaust, when recruiting for the league. Kahane moved to Israel in 1971 and founded the Kach Party. Kach means “thus” or “this is the way” in Hebrew.

After he won a seat in the Israeli Parliament in 1984, Kahane is said to have submitted a bill to Israel's ...