Time for a Jewish `Guardian Angels'

by Raanan Geberer From Brooklyn Daily Eagle BROOKLYN — Back in the late 1960s, as thousands upon thousands of Jews were moving to the suburbs or into co-op apartments and private houses in “newer” neighborhoods, most of those who were left behind in older Jewish neighborhoods, such as East Flatbush and Brownsville, were elderly. Often, these isolated, elderly Jewish men and women were repeatedly attacked and robbed by young thugs and gang members. At that time, a Brooklyn-born rabbi named Rabbi Meir Kahane (although, as it turned out, he was known by several other names) had the idea for an organization known as the Jewish Defense League that would patrol these “changing neighborhoods,” protect these elderly Jews and learn self defense. Unfortunately, Kahane soon linked his Jewish advocacy with a specific, ultra-religious, right-wing philosophy. Among other things, Kahane maintained that Orthodoxy was the only denomination of Judaism worth anyone’s respect; that the only real solution for anti-Semitism was for all Jews to move to Israel and that those who weren’t were basically sitting ducks; and that Israel should be governed by a theocracy and expel all Arabs within its midst. Based on these ideas, which were at variance with those of the majority of American Jews, it’s no surprise that the Jewish Defense League became a magnet for extremists and unstable personalities of all types. It eventually faded away. The recent anti-Semitic attacks in Midwood, however, in which cars in a Jewish area were set afire and benches and builders were defaced with swastikas and “KKK” graffiti, tell me that something like the original Jewish Defense League concept is needed. The difference is, however, that this should be a REAL “Jewish Defense League” without Kahane’s extremism. It should include Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, unaffiliated and atheists; Zionists and non-Zionists, those for whom Judaism is a central function of their lives and Jews who haven’t set foot in a synagogue in five years, Democrats and Republicans. The sole criteria would be a desire to fight virulent, violent anti-Semitism. No one with a felony record would be admitted. This group would learn karate and judo and patrol areas that are at risk. Their main priority would be to inform the police about any incidents and to hand any perps they find “in the act” over to the cops. However, they should be willing to use martial-arts techniques if necessary. Maybe what I’m thinking of is more like the early Guardian Angels than anything else. At any rate, these are my ideas, and I hope someone will carry them out.