(1932-1990) A Jewish
Israeli Orthodox rabbi and political figure of American origin. Kahane founded the militant Jewish Defense League in Brooklyn in 1968, immigrated to
Israel in 1971 and immediately founded the Kach party, which called for the expulsion of Palestinians from Israel and the Occupied
Palestinian Territories as well as the revocation of Israeli citizenship from non-Jews. Arrested tens of times, Kahane spent six months in jail in 1980 for allegedly planning to kill Palestinians in response to the murders of Jewish Israeli settlers. Kach finally gained enough votes for one
Knesset seat in 1984, which Kahane took. He was not able to run again in 1988 as Kach was banned from the Israeli Knesset in 1985 for being racist and undemocratic. The party was later banned from Israel altogether after the Goldstein massacre of February 25, 1994. Kahane was assassinated in New York City in November 1990. See "
Meir Kahane, 58, Israeli Militant and Founder of the Jewish Defense League," John Kifner, The New York Times, November 6, 1990.