Ben-Zion Gopstein

Ben-Zion Gopstein

Ben-Zion Gopstein (also Bentzi Gophstein, or Bentzi Gophstain) (born 10 September 1969) is a political activist affiliated with the radical right in Israel, a student of Rabbi Meir Kahane, and founder^[1] and director of Lehava, an Israeli Jewish anti-assimilation organization. He was a member of the Council of Kiryat Arba, 2010-2013.

Kahanism

Gopstein is a follower of Kahanism, an ideology developed and promoted by Rabbi Meir Kahane, founder of the Jewish Defense League and the Kach party in Israel. Kach advocated the expulsion of Arabs from Israel and the Palestinian Territories.^[2] Benzion Gopstein was once active within the Kach movement; the Kach party was banned by Israel in 1988 because it incited racism and, in 1994, praised the Cave of the Patriarchs massacre committed by Kach member Baruch Goldstein.^[2] Gopstein is a follower of Meir Kahane's teachings, and has participated in memorials to him.

Gopstein was arrested, and then released, in 1990 in a case involving the murder of an Arab couple. They were murdered shortly after the assassination of Rabbi Meir Kahane, but the crime has never been solved. In 1994, Gopstein was assigned to administrative detention as a result of his involvement with Kahane's organization, which by then had been banned.^[3]

In 2015, in a tape-recorded talk, Gopstein justified burning down churches based on the religious teachings against idolatry by Maimonides, the 12th century Jewish philosopher and scholar.^[4] Later that year, he advocated expelling Christians from Israel and banning celebration of Christmas there.^[5]

Hemla

Gopstein has served as public relations director of Hemla, a publicly funded non-profit. Hemla for many years focused on "saving the daughters of Israel" from mixed marriages with Arab men, and received up to $175,000 each year from the state between 2005 and 2013. Part of the public funding went to Gopstein's salary.^[6] While some considered Hemla to be focused on keeping Jewish women from dating Arab men, Gopstein described the charter of the Hemla in an interview with Haaretz: "A few years ago, it was more the issue of girls with Arabs, but today, that's less important - it's more a concern for Haredi girls with all kinds of problems. For Haredi girls, [the Hemla hostel] is the only place there is. They don't get along with the family, there's incest, things like that ... not necessarily Arabs, and not assimilation. This is the place for Haredi girls who can't remain at home."^[3]

Lehava

Lehava, Hebrew for "flame" and an acronym for Preventing Assimilation in the Holy Land, is an anti-assimilation organization, dedicated to preventing personal, romantic, or business relationships between Jews and non-Jews, particularly Arabs. Lehava's activities are documented in a recent report titled "Racism and Gender in Israel" by the Israel Religious Action Center and other groups active against racism. In 2011, Lehava plastered posters in ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods of Jerusalem deploring a supermarket chain that employed Palestinians. The slogan of the fliers was, "Do you want your grandson to be called Ahmad Ben Sarah?" The group began distributing "kosher certificates" to businesses that did not employ Arabs to encourage discrimination against non-Jews. In 2012, Lehava distributed fliers warning Palestinian men not to date Jewish women.

In addition to opposing interfaith and interethnic marriages, and promoting discrimination against Palestinians and Arabs in employment, Lehava also has encouraged Israelis to report to the organization the names of Jews who rent to Palestinians, so that they can be named and shamed publicly.^[7]

A group of anti-racist organizations petitioned Israel's Supreme Court against the state attorney, Lehava, and Gopstein. According to the petition, Gopstein had, in addition to promoting discrimination against Palestinians and other Arabs, praised a group of Jewish youths who attacked Palestinians in Jerusalem, leaving one victim unconscious and hospitalized. The court case is pending.^[8]

In 2014, 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. Gopstein, along with several other group members, was arrested shortly thereafter for incitement. 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.^[9] The arson incident received international attention. 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."^[10]

A journalist participated in Lehava undercover and reported on Gopstein's leadership. Liat Bar-Stav described a meeting that Gopstein led for his followers, in which he said to them: "Some 45 years ago, Rabbi Kahane said, shouted and cried out that the enemies within us are a cancer and that if we don't take this cancer and get rid of it, we won't continue to exist. Unfortunately, this dangerous cancer of coexistence has metastasized everywhere. There are various ministers in the government who are encouraging coexistence, who are giving them jobs, allowing them into the hi-tech world, allowing them to become doctors." As the crowd responded with booing and cheering, Gopstein continued: "The cancer we spoke about in the beginning has offshoots in the Knesset of Israel too. Thirty years ago, Rabbi Kahane stood up in the Knesset and took out a hangman's noose for traitors, a noose for the Arab MK who was there. It's not a threat, it's a promise, the rabbi said when attacked for doing so. So this is what I want to wish (former MK Azmi) Bishara on behalf of all of you." At this point, Gopstein waved a noose. "Your day will come, Azmi! We are waiting for the Israeli government to come and hang you from the tallest tree! Azmi, only thanks to Rabbi Kahane will we make sure you are hanged one day."^[11] His Facebook page has doctored images of Arab Israeli Knesset members who appear to be hung by the neck.^[12]

Gopstein has not limited his anti-assimilation advocacy to Israel. He wrote a letter to Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg protesting both Zuckerberg's marriage to a non-Jewish woman, as well as the Palestinian use of Facebook. "In Israel, too, assimilation is hitting us quite a bit because of your Facebook, where every Mohammed is 'CitySlicker' and every Yusuf calls himself 'Prince Charming'", he complained.^[13]

Attitude to Christians

Gopstein has called for the incineration of Christian churches. The discussion centered on whether Maimonides's ruling to eliminate idol worship was valid also for modern times.^[14] On the Haredi website Kooker, Gopstein published an article in December 2015 calling for the suppression of Christmas celebrations in Israel and the expulsion of Christians, whom he likened to vampires. Calling the Christian Church "the deadly enemy of the Jewish people for centuries", he claimed, "Their missionaries prowl for prey in Jerusalem." In response, Israeli groups have asked he being investigated for incitement.^[12][15]

Reactions

In 2016, the Anti-Defamation League sent a letter to the Israeli government encouraging action to be taken to curb Gopstein. In the letter to Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit, the ADL says that Gopstein has referred to Christians as "bloodsucking vampires", condoned burning Christian churches, and that his Facebook page includes anti-LGBT posts, as well as ones the ADL calls "extremely abusive, racist, inflammatory, and violent".^[16]

Personal

Gopstein is married to Anat Gopstein.

References