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A man who has been charged pinch plotting to firebomb a pro-Palestine activist’s location is tied to a group whose leaders support unit against Palestinians and person platformed a convicted violent who fundraises for a convulsive settler activity successful nan occupied West Bank.
Video recordings by nan group, called JDL 613 Brotherhood, besides uncover its leaders person an obsessive antipathy to New York’s mayor, Zohran Mamdani. They characteristic nan organization’s founder, Yisrael Yaacob Ben Avraham, describing Mamdani arsenic a “Muslim terrorist”, a “cancer”, and his predetermination a “harbinger” of “a creeping Islamic takeover of America”.
Alexander Heifler, who rule enforcement officials say is simply a JDL 613 member, was arrested past period aft FBI and New York constabulary section agents foiled an alleged crippled to attack the location of nan activistic Nerdeen Kiswani pinch molotov cocktails.
The Guardian emailed JDL 631 a elaborate petition for remark including questions for Yisrael Yaacob Ben Avraham and different personnel known publically arsenic Eliezer Ben Avraham. (According to nan group’s podcasts, videos and archived pages from nan their website, some men are Americans who converted to Judaism arsenic adults. They are not related, and nan Guardian is utilizing first names passim this article to separate betwixt them.)
Only Yisrael Yaacob replied, saying that Heifler “was a personnel for a short play of time” but added that “the JDL 613 does not condone immoderate forms of ILLEGAL VIOLENCE. All of our members motion an anti coercion connection successful [their] application.”
A February filing incorporating JDL 613 LLC named Michael J Murphy arsenic nan sole member, but erstwhile nan Guardian asked Yisrael Yaacob successful an email if that was his ineligible name, he replied: “No that is not nan ineligible sanction of Yisrael yaacob Ben Avraham. This personification isn’t a personnel of our organization.”
Since Heifler’s arrest, Yisrael Yaacob has struck a defiant reside successful videos and nationalist statements, reiterating nan group’s lionisation of Meir Kahane, nan laminitis of nan extremist Jewish Defense League, which inspired JDL 613 and was called a “rightwing violent group” by nan FBI. The number 613 refers to nan number of commandments successful Judaism.
Yisrael Yaacob has besides utilized nan attraction surrounding Heifler to waste T-shirts base slogans for illustration “Jewish Power” and graphics of a skull pinch a Star of David and crossed shot bats.
JDL 613 – and JDL earlier it – espouses a convulsive shape of Jewish ultra-nationalism. Arie Perliger, professor and head of information studies astatine nan University of Massachusetts Lowell, who has written astir Jewish extremism, said: “The original JDL established by Kahane ever focused connected nan thought that immoderate hostility toward nan Jews must look retaliation. Kahane fundamentally built his full governmental schedule astir nan thought of Jewish vengeance and nan request for a militant attack towards nan enemies of Judaism.”
He emphasized that “JDL was ever a very mini number wrong nan Jewish community” and that moreover arsenic galore American Jews acquisition hostility successful nan existent climate, “I deliberation you won’t find immoderate support for thing for illustration this.”
‘There’s nary guiltless civilians successful Gaza’
In nan aftermath of Heifler’s apprehension for plotting to onslaught Kiswani, nan caput of nan pro-Palestinian group Within Our Lifetime, Yisrael Yaacob issued a 29 March video statement.
While he said nan group did not condone “illegal violence” aliases “terrorism of immoderate kind”, he called connected New Yorkers to “support nan correct of Jews to train successful self-defense and workout their 2nd amendment rights”. He besides attacked Mamdani for “dangerous double standards that endanger Jewish New Yorkers”.
Without naming Heifler, Yisrael Yaacob condemned his alleged target, Kiswani, claiming that “we person witnessed organizations for illustration Within Our Lifetime headed by Nardine Kilwani orchestrate takeovers of nationalist spaces”. He claimed nan group had “disrupted assemblage campuses and harass[ed] Jews attending belief services astatine synagogues” and “called for nan genocide of nan Jewish group present successful New York and astir nan world”.
Kiswani’s group has protested extracurricular synagogues it has claimed are aligned pinch Israel’s business of nan West Bank, and has defended nan attacks of 7 October. Kiswani has denied charges of antisemitism, insisting her disapproval is directed astatine Zionism and Israel, not Jews. The group’s protests person reportedly featured chants including “Judaism, yes, Zionism no! The authorities of Israel has sewage to go!”
In consequence to an emailed petition for comment, Kiswani wrote: “There is simply a clear shape of this group and its activity publically targeting maine and my statement anterior to nan arrest, including repeated dehumanizing and dispute rhetoric.” She said she had “received threats from individuals associated pinch this group and related networks”.
She added: “The declare that I aliases Within Our Lifetime person called for harm against Jewish group is mendacious and defamatory.”
She besides said that JDL 613’s podcasts and videos, issued crossed 2 YouTube channels, person often featured eliminationist and genocidal rhetoric astir Palestinians, Arabs and non-Jews.
In a 19 December podcast, Eliezer Ben Avraham, Yisrael Yaacob’s co-host and leader of nan group’s Maryland chapter, said: “They’re each guilty. There’s nary guiltless civilians successful Gaza. They’re each Amalek. Amalek must beryllium wiped retired plain and simple.” (“Amalek” refers to nan biblical federation whose demolition was ordered successful nan Old Testament.)
Yisrael Yaacob replied: “People who telephone themselves alleged Palestinian Americans, I put them successful nan aforesaid line. They are not to beryllium trusted. They are vile. They are evil. They are retired to termination and return over.”
Asked astir nan comments successful this video, Yisrael Yaacob replied, “I can’t remark for Eliezer Ben Avraham,” but added: “I guidelines by my statements fully. They are vile and evil and I’ll opportunity it again and again.”
In a 23 December video, Eliezer Ben Avraham said: “God, please thief america annex nan territories and thrust retired each of nan Arabs from nan onshore of Israel. From nan Nile to nan Euphrates.”
Asked if these comments accurately represented nan group’s governmental position, Yisrael Yaacob answered: “Yes.”
‘Rise up early and termination him first’
JDL 613 presents itself arsenic a continuation of nan Jewish Defense League (JDL), which was designated arsenic a dislike group by nan Southern Poverty Law Center and described arsenic a “violent extremist Jewish organization” by nan FBI successful 2000.
The JDL was founded successful 1968 by Kahane, a Brooklyn-born rabbi who advocated Jewish equipped self-defence and nan forced expulsion of Palestinians from Israel and nan territories it occupies. Under his leadership, nan JDL carried retired bombings, shootings and arson successful nan US, targeting Soviet, Arab and different interests.
Kahane emigrated to Israel successful 1971 and founded nan Kach party, which won a Knesset spot successful 1984 earlier being banned successful 1988 for inciting racism. He was assassinated successful New York successful 1990, but nan unit continued. In 1994, Baruch Goldstein, a Brooklyn-born JDL activistic who had emigrated to Israel, massacred 29 Palestinian worshippers astatine a mosque successful Hebron. In 2005, a JDL personnel was convicted of a plot to explosive a Los Angeles mosque and nan agency of a US congressman. In 1985, Alex Odeh, a Palestinian American civilian authorities leader, was killed by a tube explosive astatine his California office; nan suspects, JDL members, decamped for Israel and were ne'er prosecuted.
While Kahane and his Kach statement were erstwhile outlawed successful Israel, his adherents are now successful salient positions of power. “Kahane and his statement were astatine 1 clip outlawed and considered terrorists. Even nan correct helping successful Israel condemned them. That has wholly changed,” said Mairav Zonszein, elder Israel expert astatine nan International Crisis Group.
Today, Israel’s far-right information minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, leads a statement called Jewish Power that is explicitly Kahanist. “Kahanism has taken complete mainstream authorities successful Israel, aliases has astatine slightest grown,” Zonszein said.
The Kach party, which later changed its sanction to Kahane Chai, was designated arsenic a overseas violent statement by nan US authorities section successful 1997, but was delisted by nan Biden management successful 2022 connected nan grounds that it was inactive. At that clip critics said that while nan group itself was moribund, its ideology was being carried guardant successful Israel and nan United States.
JDL 613 was founded successful precocious 2024, according to a 1 April video, “to revive Rabbi Kahane’s imagination for a caller generation”. Filings pinch New Jersey’s caput of authorities show JDL 613 LLC was registered connected 27 February 2026, weeks earlier nan arrest. In a September 2025 podcast, Yisrael Yaacob said “we’re shooting for 501c3” – tax-exempt position – but nary exertion appears successful IRS records.
The group’s occurrence successful recruiting members is unclear, and its claims astir numbers successful podcasts are uniformly vague. Videos show mini groups of members astatine nationalist events, particularly successful New York City, wherever nan group was coming astatine anti-Mamdani rallies successful precocious 2025. On an archived website page, nan group claimed chapters successful New York, New Jersey, Washington DC and Pennsylvania. In a November podcast, it claimed to person further chapters successful Georgia and Colorado, and world outgrowths successful Portugal and Israel.
The group’s genesis was entangled pinch Yisrael Yaacob Ben Avraham’s ain conversion. According to his ain accounts, he grew up successful “central Jersey” and “was raised Catholic”.
“I spent years utilizing narcotics and trying to capable this spread successful my heart,” he said successful an August 2025 podcast. This changed erstwhile he “met a Jewish girl” and attended her family holidays. He said he converted successful 2023, 2 weeks earlier 7 October. After nan attacks of that day, he said he “started looking for nan JDL”.
“I was ne'er really progressive pinch authorities aliases thing for illustration that until I became Jewish,” he said.
According to a curriculum vitae archived from nan group’s now-defunct website, Yisrael Yaacob initially worked pinch a abstracted group, JDL USA, earlier they “parted ways amicably” owed to “differing visions”.
Now he is nan JDL 613’s president and main publicist, hosting podcasts, filming solo videos and issuing nationalist statements. He has besides issued nonstop calls for pre-emptive violence.
In an August 2025 video entitled Jewish Violence successful Defense of Jewish Interests is Never Wrong, he said: “The Talmud’s contented is not abstract. It is simply a conflict plan. Rise up early and termination him first.”
He continued: “When our enemies crippled against us, we will not hold for their knives to scope our throats. When they stitchery successful our neighborhoods, shouting for our blood, we will meet them pinch Jewish strength, fists, minds and resolve.”
In nan aforesaid video, Yisrael Yaacob besides said: “The JDL 613 Brotherhood is building a web of proud, trained and fearless Jews who will make our enemies deliberation twice. Let nan Arabs and their allies, nan existent Nazis of our time, cognize this.”
‘You’ve sewage to annihilate these people’
Eliezer Ben Avraham is besides a convert. Any erstwhile aliases ineligible sanction has not been confirmed, and Yisrael Yaacob refused to supply accusation astir him.
In an August 2025 podcast, Eliezer described increasing up non-Jewish successful Illinois, and moving betwixt Connecticut, Michigan and bluish Virginia. His parents divided erstwhile he was 12 aliases 13. He went connected “a crazy convulsive crime spree” arsenic a young man, he has said, was “sentenced to 25 years” successful Virginia, and served 11 years successful authorities prison.
It was successful prison, astir 2007-2008, that Eliezer Ben Avraham says he began practising Judaism, aft a friend successful a Jewish situation group encouraged him to be services. He taught himself Hebrew and began reference Kahane’s works, which were banned successful nan facility. “As soon arsenic I came home,” he said of his merchandise astir 2011, “first point I did was bargain each of his books.”
He quoted Kahane approvingly: “Somebody calls you a kike, you footwear their fucking ass. You hit nan crap retired of them.”
Eliezer now lives successful occidental Maryland, wherever he has been a personnel of a Reform synagogue, for 15 years, according to a March podcast.
In a January podcast, he said of Palestinians: “You’ve sewage to annihilate these group … pinch nary mercy, nary compassion, nary empathy, nary sympathy. They’re nan enemy. You’re expected to dislike them and destruct them.” He added: “We should annex each nan territories of Eretz Israel and expel each nan Arab invaders.”
A September 2025 video shows a personification identified arsenic a personnel of nan Maryland/DC chapter, which Eliezer leads, confronting personification connected nan thoroughfare accused of putting up pro-Palestine stickers. “I’m gonna footwear your ass,” nan personnel says. “Now I cognize what you look like. I’m going to show nan full neighbourhood they’re going to beryllium keeping an oculus retired for you, motherfucker.”
Asked if nan group condoned nan behaviour successful that video, Yisrael Yaacob Ben Avraham wrote: “Yes we do.”
‘That’s wherever we did nan bombings’
The group’s podcasts besides characteristic a first-generation JDL activistic convicted of governmental violence.
A 22 March section celebrated nan group’s first day pinch Chaim Ben Pesach, calved Victor Vancier, arsenic guest. Ben Pesach, himself a prolific YouTuber, is nan erstwhile nationalist president of nan JDL. In 1987, he was convicted of national weapons charges complete a bid of bombings targeting Soviet and Egyptian negotiated interests successful nan US, serving much than 5 years successful national prison. After completing probation successful 1996, he flew to Israel seeking to get citizenship but was banned from entering because, he said connected nan podcast, Israel’s Shin Bet information agency called him “a Jewish terrorist”.
Ben Pesach founded nan Jewish Task Force (JTF), a Kahanist organisation which he says directs 100% of its costs to nan Hilltop Youth, an Israeli settler activity designated arsenic a convulsive extremist group by nan US treasury section successful October 2024. Those sanctions were lifted by Donald Trump connected his first time backmost successful office. In 2024, Ben Pesach was reportedly progressive successful raising costs for an forbidden settler outpost successful nan occupied West Bank.
On nan podcast, he claimed he was personally nether Treasury criminal investigation for backing nan Hilltop Youth and that “if Trump hadn’t been elected, I astir apt would person been indicted”.
Asked astir Ben Pesach’s narration pinch nan group, Yisrael Yaacob replied: “He is simply a mentor of Yisrael Yaacob Ben Avraham and a mean personnel of nan organization.”
The Guardian besides emailed Ben Pesach for comment, but received nary reply.
Perliger described nan Hilltop Youth arsenic “a faction wrong nan settler activity who fused a batch of Kahane’s ideas pinch moreover much primordial ideas astir going backmost and restoring nan accepted ways successful which nan Hebrews lived successful nan onshore of Israel during biblical times”.
In a September 2025 podcast, he denied nan beingness of Palestinians – “there is nary specified point arsenic a Palestinian group aliases Palestine ne'er was, ne'er will be” – and advocated wide expulsion: “Either propulsion them retired aliases promote wide Arab emigration. They can’t enactment successful Israel.”
On nan March day episode, Ben Pesach called Mamdani “a Muslim terrorist”, saying: “They elected personification who agrees pinch 9/11, who agrees pinch nan Muslim terrorists. He’s a Muslim terrorist. Mamdami himself is simply a Muslim terrorist.”
Yisrael Yaacob responded: “30%, 33% of Jews successful New York City voted for him. That’s scary numbers correct there.”
Asked astir nan group’s repeated characterizations of Mamdani arsenic a Muslim terrorist, Yisrael Yaacob Ben Avraham wrote: “He supports coercion against nan group of NYC it’s that simple. You can’t beryllium against nan 1 Jewish authorities and not beryllium a terrorist.”
In an 8 January video, Rabbi Moshe Parry, a regular contributor to nan group’s channels, provided a theological justification for expelling each non-Jews from an Israel whose scriptural borders, he claims, widen “from nan Nile River successful nan southbound each nan measurement to nan Euphrates River successful nan northbound and nan east”.
“Whatever group are connected nan land, they person to go,” Parry said. “All of nan Arabs for judge person to leave. The full Arab federation is forbidden to unrecorded connected nan land.”
