The following comic celebrating the life of Meir Kahane appeared last week on an Israeli website called the Israel News Network, which is associated with Arutz Sheva and the settler movement. Kahane was the founder of the fascist Jewish Defense League and the Kach movement, which was barred in Israel for promoting racism, and his ideology has been influential in Israel where he was a longtime proponent of forcing Palestinian citizens of Israel out of the country. The comic has been translated by Dena Shunra.
Rabbi Kahane for children, too
An original way of teaching the path and heritage of Rabbi Meir Kahane to the young generation: a comic book called Rabbi Meir, Miracle Man [this alludes to a 5th century warrior-rabbi who’s buried near Tiberias]
Published: 21 Oct. 2010 – Uzi Baruch
People at the Jewish Idea Yeshiva are acting in an original way to teach the path and heritage of Rabbi Meir Kahane to the younger generation. The distribution of a comic book called Rabbi Meir, Miracle Man will be distributed in a few days. The book is about the path, heritage, and acitvity of Rabbi Kahane.
The book holds many examples of his activity in a variety of subjects, including: the activity he did abroad, within the Jewish Defense League, opening the gates of the Soviet Union, and until his arrival in Israel and establishment of the Kach Movement, which had as its goal to turn the State of Israel into a Jewish state and to fight against the enemies of Israel. [ambiguous use of “Israel” – he could mean either the country or “the Jews”].
Knesset Member Dr. Michael Ben Ari says that nowadays, when people are talking about Rabin’s heritage and about political assassination, it is important and appropriate to remember that Rabbi Kahane was also assassinated for political reasons and that his heritage currently teaches more than ever that Rabbi Kahane was right. “The younger generation must also be taught the image of the man who fought for the honor of Israel and acted for the people of Israel and for the land of Israel,” he said.
Miracle Man. Writing: Naama Nieman Illustrations: Dikla Sagiv
[Top right panel]
[Blue shirt boy:] I’m so sad I didn’t get to meet him.
[Gray shirt man] At least you got to be named after him.
[White shirt man:] You can study his books and get to know his theory. Rabbi Kahane left many books behind, and many lessons that he gave were recorded and disseminated widely.
[Plaid shirt man:] While you did not know him personally, the stories let you know him.
[Green shirt boy:] True, I really feel as though I had seen him myself.
[top left panel]
[Green shirt boy:] We are apparently only at the beginning of the road…
[Blue shirt boy:] Thank you for everything you taught us.
[Plaid shirt man:] You’re welcome. My prayer for you is that you have the privilege to put into practice the things that you learned.
[Middle row, right panel]
[yellow caption:] At home…
[Man with moustache] Hello, Meir-David, you’ve finally gotten here. Come see what I found.
[Blue shirt boy:] A MOVIE?
[Man with moustache] A movie about a popular meeting
[Middle row, middle panel] [VCR, TV, Kahane speaking]
[Middle row, left panel]
[Man with moustache] Did you hear what Rabbi Kahane Said? It’s just incredible, the meeting was held in 5750 [1980], when the PLO and its leader, Arafat, were considered the greatest enemies of Israel. Anyone who dared meet with Arafat was considered a traitor and tossed into prison, and then Rabbi Kahane said in his speech that you only have two options: either Kahane or Arafat.
[Blue shirt boy:] I do not understand. What is so incredible? What exactly does he mean?
[Bottom row, right panel]
[Man with moustache] He means that if they don’t listen to him and don’t get the Arabs out of the country, the day will come that there will be no choice and we’ll bring into here our greatest enemy.
[Bottom row, middle panel] [probably moustache man again] What’s incredible is that to our great sorrow, years later that did indeed happen, and Arafat came into the country.
[Bottom row, left panel]
[Blue shirt boy:] How did he know that? Was he a prophet?
[Man with moustache] No, he just knew how to see reality as it was.
[Top right panel] After the holiday of sukkot 5751, Rabbi Kahane went abroad, to give lectures in the U.S. At a lecture in New York, in a big Jewish college.
[Top middle panel] An Arab approached the stage and shot him twice.
[Top left panel]
[Plaid shirt man] Rabbi Kahane fell dead, and had enough time to say “Shma Yisrael”.
[Blue shirt boy] That is so sad!
[Green shirt boy:] And the funeral?
[Middle row, Right panel] His remains were brought to Israel. The funeral came right out of here, out of the Yeshiva. Before the coffin arrived the area was full of masses of people, all the streets by the Yeshiva were filled with more than 150,000 people…
[Middle row, Middle panel]
[Green shirt boy:] Were there so many people who loved him?
[Plaid shirt man] Yes, apparently so. Rabbis and public leaders eulogized him, including the Rishon LeZion, Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu, may the memory of that sainted man be blessed. He said as follows:
[Middle row, Left panel] People were not sufficiently familiar with Rabbi Kahane, his righteousness and scholarship, his fear of God. Rabbi Kahane gave much money to families and helped the many people who turned to him.
[Bottom row, Left panel]
[Plaid shirt man] I will tell you another story: the Kabala expert Rabbi Meir Yehuda Katz, may the memory of that sainted man be blessed, the rabbi of the Wailing Wall, joined the funeral procession and said:
[Bottom row, Left panel]
I dreamt tonight that the Messiah, descendant of Joseph*, was murdered in the United States. I could not sleep well, and when I woke up I heard the news that Rabbi Kahane was murdered.
[Yellow panel] * Traditionally, the Messiah, descendant of Joseph, deals in the practical and material salvation of the People of Israel.
[Top left panel]
[Green shirt] So what was the activity in the Kach Movement?
[Moustache man] It was very important to Rabbi Kahane to spread the truth and bring redemption closer. Every day he would go from place to place, throughout the country, and call on Jews to wake up.
[Beard man] He had conferences, took part in events, visited towns, villages, and markets and initiated meetings at homes. It was very important for him to connect with the people.
[Top left panel] At least three times a week the Rabbi would go to a popular meeting, and each such day he would hold at least three popular meetings in different places.
[Middle row, Middle panel] What were the main messages he gave in those talks?
[Middle row, Left panel] He called for the removal of the goyim from the land of Israel.
[bottom row, right to left]
[1] for retuning the Temple Mount to Jewish control
[2] for establishing Jewish sovereignty over all parts of the land of Israel
[3] and for restoration of Jewish honor.
[4] [Moustache man] I also remember that he also talked a lot about the social problems:
Top panel, clockwise, starting from the fist in the star]
Never again
Never again humiliation of Jews!
Never again Jews being slaughtered!
Never again desecration of God
Instead, Jews standing erect.
With no fear of the goyim.
[lower right panel]
[Blue shirt] I’m so glad you named me for him. I did not know how fortunate I was. When will I be able to meet Baruch Marzel already?
[Moustache man] I’ll call and coordinate a meeting with him. You know that it’s [very cold?] in Hebron. Maybe we’ll combine the meeting with him with a Vatikin prayer at the Patriarchs’ Burial Grave.
[Lower left panel] How nice! I haven’t been at the Patriarchs’ Burial Grave for a long time. I’m sure Elkana and his father will be glad to join.
[Top row, Right]
[Moustache man] I can also tell you an interesting story that I just read in a new book by Rabbi Shlomo Zalamn Auerbach, who was one of the greatest rabbis in our generation and lived next door to the Jewish Defense League offices.
[Blue shirt] Which would later be called the Kach movement…
[Top row, Left] Moshe Nieman, who was Rabbi Kahane’s right-hand man, says that when Rabbi Shlomo Zalamn Auerbach used to pass by the Kach Movement offices…
[Middle row, Right] He used to punch a fist, with a big smile on his face, and say “right on!” to the activists.
[Middle row, Left]
[Blue shirt] A fist?! Why a fist?
[Moustache man] The symbol of the Jewish Defense League was a star of David with a clenched fist inside it.
[Bottom row, Right] And that symbol is also a story in its own right. After the liberation of the German death camps, in WWII, a picture was found on one of the walls, showing a star of David with a fist inside, and the Yiddish words: “Jews! Revenge!”
[graffiti:] Yiddalach! Nekama!
[Bottom row, Middle] The picture was drawn by a Jew before he was murdered in the Holocaust.
[Bottom row, Left] Rabbi Kahane adopted the symbol, but added to it the words: “Never again!”
[Top panel, Top segment then clockwise]
He brought up the subject at demonstrations, everywhere possible;
Dance troupes that came to the U.S. from the Soviet Union were showered with boos from the Jewish Defense League Members;
Russian diplomats were afraid to walk free, lest they be hurt.
[sign] Let my people go.
Demonstrations were held in front of every Soviet embassy around the world.
And that was how the problem of the Jews in the Soviet Union came into international consciousness.
[Lower right panel]
[Blond, blue-eyed man] Excuse me for jumping in. My name is Dmitry. I heard that you’re talking about Rabbi Kahane.
[Green shirt] Ha! There’s another person who knows him…
[Lower left panel] No, no, I’m sorry to say that I did not have the privilege of getting to know him, although I did get to see him once!
