Lehava

Lehava ( , LiMniat Hitbolelut B'eretz HaKodesh ; "Prevention of Assimilation in the Holy Land ") is a Jewish far-right organization based in Israel that strictly opposes Jewish assimilation , objecting to most personal relationships between Jews and non-Jews. It has been called " alt-right ". It is opposed to the Christian presence in Israel. It has an anti- miscegenation focus, denouncing marriages between Jews and non-Jews forbidden by Orthodox Jewish law . Its actions have been denounced by President of Israel Reuven Rivlin as being like "rodents gnawing under the shared democratic and Jewish foundation of Israel". In January 2015, Channel 2 reported that Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon may be preparing to categorize Lehava as a terrorist organization. Ya'alon was reported to have ordered the Shin Bet and the Defense Ministry to assemble evidence required for the classification, although ultimately no such classification occurred. Three members of Lehava were arrested and indicted in 2014 for committing arson and spray-painting anti-Arab graffiti at the Max Rayne Hand in Hand: Center for Jewish Arab Education in Israel (Yad B'Yad) Bilingual School in Jerusalem, and Lehava's leader, Ben-Zion Gopstein, along with other group members, was arrested shortly thereafter for incitement. The arson incident received international attention. Reuters reports that government action against Lehava has only come following months of petitioning by "left-leaning Israelis and media commentators". In response, Gopstein issued a statement harshly critical of Ya'alon: "I suggest that [Ya'alon] aim to outlaw the Islamist Movement and then preoccupy itself with an anti-assimilation group.... Instead of taking care of an enemy of Israel, the defense minister is trying to win over votes from the Left [by] taking on Lehava. The group acts to save the daughters of Israel [Jewish women] and deserves the Israel Prize." The group has over 10,000 members, with chapters in every city. The Times of Israel . "Meet Lehava, the Israeli Fascists Mounting a Vicious Crusade to Keep their Women Away from Arabs" . Ishaan Tharoor, "Why Israel may list this hard-line Jewish group as a terrorist organization" The Washington Post , 5 January 2015 Justin Jalil, "Anti-assimilation group could be classified as terrorist" , The Times of Israel , 4 January 2015

Jewish far-right organization in Israel Lehava ( להב"ה ‎ "Flame," LiMniat Hitbolelut B'eretz HaKodesh ; Prevention of Assimilation in the Holy Land ) is a far-right and Jewish supremacist organization based in Israel that strictly opposes Jewish assimilation , objecting to most personal relationships between Jews and non-Jews. It is opposed to the Christian presence in Israel. It has an anti- miscegenation focus, denouncing marriages between Jews and non-Jews forbidden by Orthodox Jewish law . The group has over 10,000 members. The New York Times . " 'Pinkwashing' the radical-right: Gender and the mainstreaming of radical-right policies and actions" . The Times of Israel . "Meet Lehava, the Israeli Fascists Mounting a Vicious Crusade to Keep their Women Away from Arabs" .

Jewish far-right organization in Israel Lehava ( להב"ה ‎ "Flame," Hebrew : למניעת התבוללות בארץ הקודש LiMniat Hitbolelut B'eretz HaKodesh ; Prevention of Assimilation in the Holy Land ) is a far-right and Jewish supremacist organization based in Israel that strictly opposes Jewish assimilation , objecting to most personal relationships between Jews and non-Jews. It is opposed to the Christian presence in Israel. It has an anti-intermarriage focus, denouncing marriages between Jews and non-Jews forbidden by Orthodox Jewish law . The group has over 10,000 members. In 2024, the United States placed Lehava and its leader, Bentzi Gopstein , on a sanctions list for their role in fomenting Israeli settler violence against Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank , labeling Lehava "the largest violent extremist organization in Israel." Multiple sources: Kershner, Isabel (23 April 2021). The New York Times . " 'Pinkwashing' the radical-right: Gender and the mainstreaming of radical-right policies and actions" . The Times of Israel . "Meet Lehava, the Israeli Fascists Mounting a Vicious Crusade to Keep their Women Away from Arabs" .

Jewish far-right organization in Israel Lehava ( להב״ה "Flame," Hebrew : למניעת התבוללות בארץ הקודש LiMniat Hitbolelut B'eretz HaKodesh ; Prevention of Assimilation in the Holy Land ) is an Israeli far-right and Jewish supremacist organization based in Israel that strictly opposes Jewish assimilation , objecting to most personal relationships between Jews and non-Jews. It is opposed to the Christian presence in Israel. It has an anti-intermarriage focus, denouncing marriages between Jews and non-Jews forbidden by Orthodox Jewish law . The group has over 10,000 members. In 2024, the United States placed Lehava and its leader, Bentzi Gopstein , on a sanctions list for their role in fomenting Israeli settler violence against Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank , labeling Lehava "the largest violent extremist organization in Israel." Multiple sources: Kershner, Isabel (23 April 2021). The New York Times . " 'Pinkwashing' the radical-right: Gender and the mainstreaming of radical-right policies and actions" . The Times of Israel . "Meet Lehava, the Israeli Fascists Mounting a Vicious Crusade to Keep their Women Away from Arabs" .