Neo-Nazism in Israel

Editorial

Because Israel doesn't have enough challenges, there is now, evidently, a cadre of neo-Nazi skinheads operating in the Jewish state.

This bizarre story emerged Monday with the arrest of eight boys and young men in Petach Tikvah. The eight, aged 17 to 19, have been charged in a Ramle court with belonging to a neo-Nazi organization. According to reports, the group has attacked foreign workers, religious Jews and gay people in Tel-Aviv.

Seven of the eight accused are non-Jewish immigrants from the former Soviet Union. Under the Law of Return, any individual with at least one Jewish grandparent is eligible for immediate citizenship in Israel. (The criteria used by the Law of Return are at variance with the halachic interpretation of "who is a Jew," which is in itself a subject for discussion, at some other time.)

We would assume, given the young ages of the accused, that they arrived in Israel as children, with their parents. Given the economic conditions in the former Soviet Union, a great many of the olim from that area – and we're talking about a million people – chose Israel because it was the easiest and surest destination. It is no secret that the commitment of some of these immigrants to their Jewish heritage and to the nature of their new country is tenuous. That some of these people should raise children who emerge as anti-Semitic, racist, neo-Nazis should perhaps not be that much more shocking than if these same families had migrated, as many did, to Germany or other Western European states and there developed the same despicable ideology.

But this is Israel. Certainly there are people in every society who, for diverse reasons, reject societal norms or betray the core values of their country. Britain has its homegrown terrorists, the United States had its Timothy McVeigh; even Canada had its FLQ. But could there be a quisling more reprehensible than an Israeli neo-Nazi?

In searches of the homes, cellphones and personal effects of the eight accused, police say they turned up neo-Nazi propaganda and photos of the young men exhibiting the Nazi salute and displaying a torn Israeli flag. Two of the accused have Nazi tattoos. Police also found explosives and "an improvised pistol."
Police say one of the alleged ring leaders insisted: "I won't ever give up. I was a Nazi and I will stay a Nazi, until we kill them all, I will not rest."

Are these merely misguided rebels, led astray like gang members seeking a place of belonging? Are they economic or social outcasts who found a place among the political outcasts of perhaps the fringiest of all fringe movements: the Israeli neo-Nazi movement? Or do they represent a genuine ideological link to the terrible past? Were these individuals accused of the same behavior in Europe, there would be no doubt as to the seriousness of their offence. That it happened among Israelis, in the place where, of all places, Jews might have thought that they were free from at least this specific form of hatred and violence, makes these cases infinitely more momentous and appalling.

We already know that Theodor Herzl's dream of a place where Jews could be free from anti-Semitic bullying has been dashed by 60 years of incessant threats and attacks by hate-fuelled neighbors. But to see, emerging within Israel, an apparently indigenous neo-Nazi movement, however small, suggests a vulnerability that even this vulnerable country has not faced before.

Last year, Petach Tikvah's central synagogue was desecrated with swastikas and graffiti, including the words "death to the Jews." Similar fascist messages appeared shortly thereafter.

At least one politician is calling for a legal amendment that would allow Israel to strip citizenship from citizens found to be neo-Nazis. Similar reactions, some probably hysterical, will follow. And something very significant must be done to root out this latest malignancy in Israel's body politic. But even in the face of what must be considered one of the most shocking and deplorable revelations in Israeli history, common sense must prevail.

Israel is, as we are fond of reminding critics, a democracy. Due process must prevail, even for individuals whose presence in the society is as revolting as anything imaginable. Moreover, just as North American Muslims have suffered undue prejudice in the aftermath of 9/11, Israeli authorities must be vigilant that the enormous Russian immigrant population does not suffer due to the acts and beliefs of a mere eight individuals. It is at times like these when Israel's claim to the mantle of morality is most tested. Israel has an obligation to show the nations of the world how violent anti-Semitism and racism in its worst form is dealt with by a civilized society. The world is watching.

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