LOCAL NEWS

Rabbi Kahane

Continued from Page 1

He made

history .

David Ben-Gurion. born 100 years ago

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on

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February 1, 1987

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1.4

Friday, January 30, 1987

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

his political platform is the ex-
pulsion of Arabs from Israel
and the territories.
Following his election, the
Knesset passed a law aimed at
Kahane, banning racist par-
ties from future elections. In an
unprecedented move, Israel's
President Chaim Herzog has
refused to meet with Kahane
because of the latter's incite-
ment to violence against
Arabs.
He was charged with disor-
derly conduct in Kansas City,
Mo. in November after he al-
legedly attacked two Arab
hecklers during an appear-
ance. The target date for trial
is April 8.
Brooklyn-born, Kahane or-
ganized the Jewish Defense
League in the 1960s. He is not
now formally associated with
the group, which combines
Jewish self-defense and milit-
ant Jewish politics.
Where does Kahane get the
drive to pursue his "mission,"
to run for so many years? He
said he considers what he is
doing an obligation. "I'm a Jew
who believes that this is what
Jews should do. I'm driven by a
terrible fear, by what is hap-
pening to the Jewish people."
He fears the Arab threat to
Israel and the "looming physi-
cal danger of anti-Semitism" in
the United States.
"People live in a dream
world here. The economy is
going to explode. Jews are
hated in this country but, for
the time being, the haters can
watch the Super Bowl. But
what happens when they take
the Super Bowl from them?"
Kahane has scathing criti-
cism for almost everyone.
Jewish communal leaders are
"shallow" and "fraudulent."
The Reform and Conservative
movements are "not Judaism.
You have to be honest. Tell
your kids that the Torah is not
from Sinai and stop kvetching
about why they don't go to
temple."
The Orthodox are "prac-
titioners of Jewish ritual. I'm a
religious Jew," he said by way
of contrast. "If you don't have
the inner concept, your
Judaism is sterile.
"Israel," he explained, "isn't
a Jewish state. It's a Hebrew-
speaking Portugal which
would like to be a Hebrew-
speaking United States."
Kahane, who has claimed he
is motivated by love for Jews,
displays more fury than love.
"I'm furious at the fact that
Jewish leaders are causing
theSe problems. I don't hate
them." Jewish leaders refuse to
meet with him, even if the
meetings are kept secret, he
explained. "Of course I'm
angry at them."
Kahane has answers, of
course. Jewish leaders should
be chosen on the basis of their
Jewishness, not because of
their wealth. Top priority
should be given to Jewish edu-
cation, to Jewish day schools.
He decried the limited suc-
cess of Hillels on college cam-
puses where "not five percent"

Rabbi Meir Kahane
An angry love.

of the Jewish student popula-
tion becomes involved." Hillel
directors, he insisted, have to
work hard. "You have to search
out Jews, they're not going to
come to you. So you can't go
home to the rebbitzen before 11
at night. That's the sacrifice
that has to be made."
Although he contends that
Judaism and Zionism are an-
tithetical to democracy,
Kahane said he would not sus-
pend democracy in Israel for
fear of civil war. But gagging
Kahane's right to free speech
would only "set a precedent"
that he would use if he were to
come to power, he warned.
Separating Jews and Arabs
sexually — as Kahane has pro-
posed in the Knesset — as well
as politically is not racist, he
said. It is Jewish.
His call to expel all non-Jews
from Israel who will not accept
second-class status "touches
upon the most painful nerve
cells in (Jews') intellect.
They're terrified to choose.
"Are Arabs allowed to make
babies" so they become a
majority in Israel? he de-
manded. "I want those who call
me a racist to tell me, in theory,
if this is allowed or not."
See related story, Page 40

Abortions Up
In Israel

Jerusalem (JTA) — Legal
abortions increased by 15 per-
cent in Israel since a law limit-
ing the right to abortion was
passed by the Knesset nine
years ago.
According to figures re-
leased Monday, the Health
Ministry approved 9,300 abor-
tions in the first six months of
1986. Health authorities esti-
mate that 10,000 abortions are
performed illegally every year
by private physicians.
The main grounds for ap-
proved abortions are pregnan-
cies which endanger the lives
of the mothers, physically de-
formed fetuses and pregnan-
cies resulting from extra-
marital relations by married
women.
The latest figures on abor-
tions were released after a 17-
year-old girl from Safed died of
complications during an illegal
abortion.

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