Kahanism: The most dangerous form of Zionism

In this Oct. 27, 1988, photo, leader and co-founder of the Jewish Defense League, Brooklyn-born Rabbi Meir Kahane, is joined by supporters shortly after arriving at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York. In the 1980s, Kahane’s violent anti-Arab ideology was considered so repugnant that Israel banned him from parliament and the U.S. listed his party as a terrorist group. Today, his disciples march through the streets of Jerusalem and other cities by the hundreds, chanting “Death to Arabs” and attacking any that cross their path. | Susan Ragan / AP

Over the last few years, and especially since Oct. 7, 2023, the word “Zionism” has dominated public discourse. Those who consider themselves Zionists wear the word as a badge of pride, while critics employ it disparagingly. Yet, too few of those using the word today truly understand Zionism or its history. The reality is that, for much of its existence, there has been no single “Zionism,” but rather multiple “Zionisms.”

Theodor Herzl is credited as the founder of modern political Zionism in the late 19th century. This secular movement claimed that the problem of European antisemitism could be solved through the colonization of a land—not necessarily Palestine—and the establishment of a Jewish state.

Soon after, other forms of Zionism emerged, either building on or responding to Herzl’s ideas. Cultural Zionism advocated for a cultural home in Palestine rather than a political state. Religious Zionism added a messianic, religious fundamentalist dimension to political Zionism. Meanwhile, Revisionist Zionism, founded by Ze’ev Jabotinsky, fused European-style right-wing nationalism, expansionism, and militarism with political Zionism.

However, when people speak of Zionism today, they are often referring to its current manifestation in Israeli society and politics—a fusion of Revisionist and Religious Zionism, the most extreme form of which is known as Kahanism.

What is Kahanism?

Many might be surprised by the fact that Kahanism was actually founded in the United States.

Its founder, Meir Kahane, was a militant anti-communist, racist, and Jewish supremacist who served as a congregational rabbi in Brooklyn, N.Y., in the 1960s. Kahane founded the terrorist group Jewish Defense League (JDL) in 1968 before relocating to Israel, where he established the extremist Kach political party.

Kahane’s ideology was a fusion of fascism and religious extremism, ostensibly aimed at “protecting” Jews from antisemitism. Like other fascists, he believed power came through violence and strength.

The JDL instigated in race riots in New York to divide Jewish communities from their non-Jewish neighbors. They attacked Jews who integrated with non-Jews, particularly targeting mixed marriages.

Kahane’s anti-communism prompted JDL attacks on diplomatic offices belonging to the Soviet Union as well as against Soviet citizens and officials visiting the U.S.

The headquarters of the Communist Party USA were bombed by JDL’s terrorist section, the Jewish Armed Resistance, and the offices of the Daily World newspaper, predecessor of People’s World, were ransacked by JDL members wielding bats, clubs, and other weapons.

Several members of the JDL, including Kahane himself, were convicted of terrorists acts in the U.S., including leading an armed attack on the Soviet United Nations mission and conspiring to kidnap an official of the Soviet government, bomb the Iraqi embassy in Washington, D.C., and ship in illegal arms from Israel.

After moving to Israel in 1971, Kahane advocated for a Halachic State governed by religious law. He called for the expulsion of Arabs and most non-Jews and pushed for Israel to annex more land. Kahane claimed the fulfillment of these tasks would usher in the arrival of the Jewish messiah and the “end of days.”

His party won a single seat in the 1984 elections, which Kahane took. While serving in the Knesset, he proposed several laws, including a prohibition on sexual relations between Jews and non-Jews, segregated Jewish and Arab neighborhoods, and the end of cultural exchanges between Jewish and Arab students. He advocated that Israeli citizenship be restricted to Jews and endorsed full annexation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza.

Eventually, Kahane and his Kach party were barred from Israeli elections for inciting racism and violence. He was jailed for six months for planning armed attacks against Palestinians. The JDL was designated a terrorist group in the United States and subsequently outlawed. In 1990, Kahane was assassinated during a visit to New York City.

Legacy of Kahanism

Kahanism did not die with Kahane. In 1994, Baruch Goldstein, a follower in the U.S., carried out the Cave of the Patriarchs Massacre in Hebron, slaughtering 29 Muslim worshippers and injuring 125 others. This atrocity led Israel to ban Kach and all affiliated groups.

For a time, it seemed Kahanism had been consigned to history. In the mid-1990s, the Israeli peace movement and the two-state solution enjoyed broad international and domestic support.

However, today, the opposite has occurred. The Israeli “peace movement” is virtually dead, while Kahanists and their allies have risen to power, dictating national policy.

The most prominent Kahanist figure today is Itamar Ben-Gvir, head of the far-right Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) Party and, until he resigned in protest of the Gaza ceasefire, Israel’s National Security Minister.

As the head of Israel’s police and prison system, Ben-Gvir protected Jewish terrorists who committed violent pogroms against Palestinians, while intensifying the abuse of Palestinian prisoners.

Another influential Kahanist is Bentzi Gopstein, leader of the extremist group Lehava. Gopstein works as a government advisor, using his influence to oppose mixed marriages between Jews and non-Jews and to push anti-LGBTQ policies. He has reportedly created blacklists targeting queer individuals and interfaith couples working in Israeli media for harassment.

Ben-Gvir’s ally, Bezalel Smotrich of the extremist Jewish Home party, shares many goals with the Kahanists. These include advocating for a “Greater Israel,” escalating West Bank settlement expansion, rebuilding Jewish settelments in Gaza, and ultimately reducing non-Jews to second-class status—or expelling them entirely, as Kahanists propose.

In the United States, the JDL has also re-emerged after being removed from the FBI’s list of terrorist organizations. At nearly any Palestine solidarity rally today, JDL activists among counter-protesters can be seen waving Kahanist flags or wearing t-shirts coverered in Kahanist iconography and slogans. Their resurgence has sparked concern from organizations such as the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC).

A global threat

Kahanism poses a threat not only to Palestinians and progressive Israeli Jews but to the global community.

Kahanism’s support for perpetual war and genocide ultimately serves the U.S. government’s interests in increasing corporate profits and maintaining its position within the global capitalist system.

This is why the U.S. government and military-industrial complex spend billions of dollars each year to support Kahanism and other extreme-right movements in Israel, destabilizing the Middle East and diverting funds away from the working class in the United States. Instead, these funds are spent on fueling Middle East regional instability, like Israel’s assault on Gaza, apartheid policies in the West Bank, and increasing involvement in Syria.

Meanwhile, the links between Israeli Kahanists and political actors in the U.S. continue to grow. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has appointed Yechiel Leiter, an U.S.-born Kahanist, as Israel’s ambassador to the United States, deepening ties between extremist Israeli factions and U.S. interests.

The resurgence of Kahanism is a dangerous development. It threatens the Palestinian people, destabilizes the Middle East, and aligns with the interests of imperialist powers and the military-industrial complex, posing a danger to working people worldwide.

As Kahanists and their allies gain power, their agenda becomes increasingly clear: war, expansion, and genocide. It is a threat to us all.

Related reading:

>> Check out the People’s World Series on Zionism by the late Dr. Hyman Lumer, former editor of the CPUSA publication Jewish Affairs.

As with all news analysis and op-ed articles published by People’s World, the views represented here are those of the author.

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CONTRIBUTOR

J.E. Rosenberg

J.E. Rosenberg grew up in an extremist, religious Zionist household in the U.S. After moving to Israel as a young adult, he changed his world views. He left Israel and is now a member of the Communist Party.