Opinion
Meir Kahane can never be the answer to Israel’s woes
Jewish strength can never come from extremism
February 25, 2025 17:20
3 min read
Jewish strength can never come from extremism
February 25, 2025 17:20A troubling shift is taking place in certain Jewish circles online. In recent days, figures with large platforms are reviving the words of Meir Kahane, the radical extremist whose vision of militant nationalism was once considered beyond the pale.
Decades after he was banned from Israeli politics and his movement designated a terrorist organisation by the US government, his ideology is creeping back into mainstream discourse—fuelled by social media, amplified by outrage, and enabled by a world where moral clarity is too often drowned out by reactionary rage.
This is a moment of profound pain for the Jewish people, both in Israel and across the diaspora. The massacre of October 7—the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust—shattered our sense of security. Hundreds were slaughtered, families were torn apart, and still, 16 months later, hostages remain in captivity. Israel has been stuck in a brutal war with a terrorist group whose stated aim is the eradication of the Jewish state and its people.
And last week, the wounds of October 7, still fresh in our minds, were ripped open by the harrowing saga of the Bibas family. The ordeal of those innocent boys and their mother reminded us acutely that not only are we still at risk, but huge parts of the world remain indifferent to our pain.
It reminded us that this is not an abstract struggle—it is an existential fight. The Bibas family and the other 1200 victims of October 7 had no choice to ignore the conflict, it came to them in their kibbutzim, in their homes. And every day since Israeli troops have been fighting and dying for the Jewish people’s right to live in freedom and security In Israel. But survival must not come at the cost of our moral compass.
Kahane’s ideology was never simply about Jewish self-defence—it was violent, exclusionary, and fundamentally opposed to democracy. He called for the mass expulsion of Palestinians, incited Jewish violence against civilians, and envisioned an Israel stripped of its democratic foundations. The movement he inspired took the life of Israel’s most famous champion for peace, Yitzhak Rabin. Once upon a time, instead of promoting and legitimising Kahanists, the Israeli government recognised the danger of his movement and outlawed it. Yet today, these loud, angry voices—many of them detached from the lived realities of Israelis—are repackaging his ideology under the guise of “Jewish strength.”
These voices, armed with slick soundbites and digital megaphones, reduce the complexities of war to slogans. They dismiss concerns for civilian life as weakness. They glorify vengeance as justice. They equate Jewish resilience with domination. And in doing so, they betray the very values they claim to defend.
Make no mistake—there is no moral equivalence between Hamas and these voices. Hamas is a terrorist organisation responsible for unfathomable atrocities. But our enemies' barbarism does not absolve us of our own ethical responsibilities. We do not win by becoming like them.
The resurgence of Kahanism is not just a moral failing—it is a strategic disaster. The world is watching, and every extremist statement, every call for collective punishment, every dehumanising remark is seized upon to delegitimise Israel’s right to exist. Those who indulge in this rhetoric, chasing viral outrage, are playing directly into Hamas’s hands. They are becoming what they claim to oppose.
More than that, they are betraying Jewish history. Our survival has never been built on mirroring our oppressors. The Jewish people have endured centuries of persecution not through brute force, but through resilience, ingenuity, and an unwavering commitment to justice. Our tradition is one of moral courage, not moral decay.
Our freedom cannot come at the expense of our souls. We must not just refuse to glorify Kahane, we must be strong enough to confront those who put him on a pedestal.
If we truly care about Jewish strength, we must resist the lure of easy answers and reactionary rhetoric. The fight for Israel’s survival is not just about securing its borders—it is about securing its soul. Meir Kahane’s ideology was a poison, and no amount of rebranding will make it any less toxic. This ideology should have died with him.
The Jewish people have always been defined by our ability to resist extremism—even within our own ranks. Now, more than ever, we must do so again.
