JDL’s Rubin Says Kahane Defendant Should Die

The Los Angeles-based chairman of the Jewish Defense League on Sunday called for the death of an Egyptian-born man who was acquitted of slaying the group’s founder last year at a New York hotel.

Irv Rubin, leader of the militant group, denied that his organization would target the man, but said he hoped that “somebody out there” would avenge Saturday’s verdict clearing 36-year-old El Sayyid Nosair in the fatal shooting of Rabbi Meir Kahane.

“He should have a .357 (caliber bullet) in his neck,” Rubin said. “I’m not telling you that I’m going to go out and do it. But I think he should have the same type of treatment that Rabbi Kahane got.”

Kahane, 58, a fierce proponent of expelling Arabs from Israeli territories, was shot to death Nov. 5, 1990, after giving a speech at a Manhattan hotel. Nosair, an air conditioning technician, was arrested after being wounded by a U.S. Postal Service policeman.

After four days of deliberations, a New York jury convicted Nosair only of criminal possession of a weapon, assaulting two men and seizing a taxi. He faces a maximum prison term of seven to 21 years when he is sentenced Jan. 29.

New York State Assemblyman Dov Hikind, whose Brooklyn district includes many Orthodox Jews, accused the prosecutor of “mishandling a serious crime.”

Kahane’s son, Binyamin, who heads the Kahane Chai--a group dedicated to his father’s work--said in a statement: “The only punishment that is befitting to the crime of this individual--Nosair--is death! On this day, we the people of Kahane Chai promise the revenge of the blood of Rabbi Meir Kahane.”

Rubin, who replaced Kahane as the JDL’s national chairman in 1985, blamed the verdict on an incompetent prosecutor, a manipulative defense attorney and a prejudiced jury that concluded “the life of Meir Kahane wasn’t worth anything.”

“I would hope somebody out there will do justice,” Rubin said. “Real justice, not imaginary justice. . . . Jewish blood is no longer cheap.”