Libby Kahane Recalls Husband In New Biography,Elliot Resnick, <i>Jewish Press Staff Reporter</i>

Rabbi Meir Kahane, founder of the Jewish Defense League and the Kach movement, remains one of the 20^th century's most controversial Jewish figures.

Seventeen years after his assassination, however, Rabbi Kahane has partially faded from view. Some loyalists continue to read or order his books online. Others watch clips of him on YouTube. But the vast majority of people know little more than a few slogans: "Kahane was right - expel the Arabs" or "Kahane was a racist and bigot."

Now, with the publication of Rabbi Meir Kahane: His Life and Thought, Volume One: 1932-1975 by his wife of 34 years, Libby Kahane, readers can reacquaint themselves with Rabbi Kahane, the man, and the ideas for which he gave his life.

Libby Kahane lives in Jerusalem and worked as a librarian at the National Library in Jerusalem for 27 years. The Jewish Press recently interviewed her about her new 761-page book.

Why did you write this book?

I wanted people to know what Meir was really like, what motivated him. I wanted them to understand that he never acted just for the sake of gaining publicity. Publicity was a tool he used to get his ideas across to the public.

Before he began to lead dramatic protests [in the early 1970's] against the Soviet Union [as head of the JDL], the general public was unaware of the oppression of Soviet Jews. By devising attention-getting demonstrations, he was able to bring their plight to the attention of all Americans, not just Jews. JDL protests were reported on page one of the large daily newspapers and were the focus of TV news programs.

Did you know what you were getting into when you married your husband?

I knew that he had leadership qualities and that he did not follow the herd. In my book I wrote about an episode before we were married that showed this.

We were members of Bnei Akiva, the Zionist youth group, whose aim was for all members to go to Israel right after high school and work in agriculture on a kibbutz. A group of yeshiva boys had been expelled from Bnei Akiva because they wanted to continue studying in yeshiva after high school.

Meir thought they should be reinstated. And so, as director (in 1955) of the New York office of Bnei Akiva and coordinator of the branches in the city, he tried to get the national convention of Bnei Akiva to pass a resolution reinstating the yeshiva boys. He did not succeed, and as a result, he was no longer the New York City director.

Many readers of your book may be surprised to learn that in his early years, your husband was instrumental in returning many Jews to religious observance. Can you elaborate?

Meir had a special gift for relating to people and inspiring them to belief in G-d and His Torah. They could tell that he was completely sincere. Every word he said came from his heart. For example, when he was the rabbi of the Howard Beach Jewish Center, several boys began to go to yeshiva because of him.

When he was a member of the Knesset and very well known, his book Why Be Jewish was reprinted and carried in many bookstores. Many people who had no connection with Jewishness have told me that they found Why Be Jewish "by chance" in a bookstore and it changed their lives.

Your husband's activities often landed him in trouble with American and Israeli authorities. Did you ever hear him express despair or a desire to give up?

He never despaired. He believed that what he was doing and saying and writing contributed to the ultimate goal of the Jewish people living in their land according to the Torah. Even if he would not see the results of his efforts, he knew the dictum, "It is not for you to complete the work, but you may not refrain from trying to."

Was it difficult for you over the years to see your husband constantly attacked in the media?

Of course it was difficult, but he always said that if he weren't succeeding in bringing his ideas to the public, the leftist media wouldn't bother attacking him. Leftists realized that what he was trying to teach people was exactly the opposite of their ideology. The leftist media thought that by delegitimizing him they'd succeed in shutting him up, but he continued to do everything he could to spread his ideas.

Some people partially agreed with your husband but thought he went too far or that his rhetoric was too inflammatory. What's your response?

An elderly lady who used to come to the door for charity once said to me, "Tell him to be quiet. He shouldn't say everything out loud."

But Meir always said that people who don't tell the whole truth would never be able to influence anyone to follow their ideas. Meir refused to let "popularity ratings" change what he believed had to be said. I think that people respected him for his honesty and his sincerity.

What was Rabbi Kahane like as a husband and father?

Meir and I shared a special rapport. I understood the way of life he had chosen and he understood my needs. He knew that his frequent trips to the U.S. were difficult for me and encouraged me to maintain outside interests. He was especially supportive of my work as a librarian. When he was at home, and especially on Shabbat, a warm glow pervaded our home.

In those days long distance phone calls were very expensive, so when he was away in the United States he wrote letters instead. He wrote very often, sometimes even postcards from an airplane.

They show more clearly than any words of mine the kind of father he was. He loved the children very much and was deeply concerned with teaching them Jewish values.

In my book, I quote in full a letter from Meir to the children in which he expressed his sorrow at being away from them and not giving them more of his time. He ends that letter with his sincere conviction that by devoting himself to working for the Jewish people, he is being a good father. He taught them by example, not merely words.

In another letter he quoted the words of the Vilna Gaon to his family when he left them to go to Eretz Yisrael, "It is common for men to leave their wives in order to travel and wander destitute for years to make money, but I am traveling to perform a mitzvah [ahavat yisrael]."

How do you think Israeli history would have unfolded had your husband not been killed and what do you think your husband would say if he saw Israel today?

I can't possibly answer this.

When will volume two of the biography come out?

My immediate project is to publish a Hebrew translation of the current volume, because I think Israelis need to know more about Meir and his ideas, not just what the leftist media tells them.

"Man proposes and G-d disposes," but I estimate that volume two will take about four years to finish.

Read Comments (1)

Biography of Rabbi Kahane
Date 02:04, 04-12, 08

I just finished reading Libby Kahane's book. Wow! What an incredibly beautiful piece of work. It is both a personal and at the same time, well researched, well documented and well written biography of historic importance. It seems to me that the book will have a significant impact in furthering the ideas and goals to which the Rabbi dedicated his life. I would like to thank her for this magnificent contribution.

Reuven Falk
Modiin, Israel