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January 12, 2001/Tevet 17, 5761, Vol. 53, No.15
JDL back in Arizona
BARRY COHEN
Community Editor
After an absence of more than 20 years, the Jewish Defense League has returned to Phoenix. Leaders said its first event was coincident with the community solidarity rally for Israel held at Temple Chai of Phoenix, Oct. 29.
"We consider ourselves the first and last line of defense," said Ian Rakow, chairman of the Arizona JDL. "We take Jew hatred as serious as a heart attack."
Irv Rubin, national JDL chairman, said he has been working closely with Rakow to establish an Arizona chapter. Rubin sees the JDL as an "insurance policy" for Valley Jews.
Rubin, who lives in Pasadena, said the JDL has approximately 6,000 members nationwide. The group's headquarters are in Los Angeles, Calif., with chapters in San Diego, Calif.; Chicago; New Orleans; Tampa Bay, Fla.; Cleveland; Philadelphia; and New York, in addition to other cities. JDL also has chapters in Denmark, Canada, Australia, South Africa, Eastern Europe, Argentina and the United Kingdom.
"There is a great degree of Jew hatred out there," said Rubin. "Any Jew who says 'no there isn't' is not playing with a full deck."
Rakow, a Phoenix resident whose family is connected with Beth El Congregation, said the Phoenix chapter has about 20 members. There are also five in Tucson and two at the University of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff.
Rakow sees the JDL fulfilling a number of roles in the Valley.
"Our main goal is to educate," he said.
He also sees members helping the elderly get to synagogue, volunteering at Kivel and getting involved with activities of the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix.
Art Paikowsky, federation executive vice president, said he spoke with Rakow at the rally at Temple Chai; he noted the goals Rakow cited were not "what people would call extreme."
He said he has no problem with individual JDL members participating at federation events; however, "there will be no formal relationship between the two (federation and the JDL)."
Rubin said he wants the Arizona ADL chapter to teach self-defense, martial arts, firearms training and home defense.
"We are not going to be a slugfest, hooligan organization," Rubin said.
Valley resident Jim Freedman was active in a JDL-inspired "Jewish Security League" here in the 1970s. He said he met JDL founder Meir Kahane in 1968. Kahane, an American Jew who made aliyah to Israel, was assassinated in New York Nov. 5, 1990.
Freedman said the security league was formed because Jews walking home from Shaarei Tzedek, a synagogue in central Phoenix, were being attacked and harassed.
"In case they were attacked we would be there," said Freedman. "Most of the time, nothing happened."
Freedman said the security league was needed because other Valley Jewish institutions "were not about to get a group together to go to a shul if there was a problem."
Freedman, who also attended the rally at Temple Chai, said he was pleased to see the JDL here once again.
We want people to be active in a variety of ways, Rakow said, "depending upon their level of comfort." Members can simply attend meetings, write articles for the Web site (www.azjdl.com; nationally, www.jdl.org) or attend protest rallies.
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