Head of the Jewish Defense League, a fringe political group which he joined in 1971 and had led since 1985. He was characterized by television talk show host Merv Griffin as "the foremost Jewish activist in America. Although the JDL was never more than a fringe organization, it did command a lot of media attention over the years. After the 1990 assassination of founder Meir Kahane in New York City, Rubin's media presence declined. Some of more well known acts included offering a $500 reward to anyone who killed a member of the American Nazi Party and brawling with Ku Klux Klansmen on television. "A lot of what he did was media sideshow antics -- getting into tussles with white supremacists," said Brian Levin, director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at Cal State San Bernardino. "He never was accepted by any of the mainstream civil rights, anti-hate or Jewish organizations. They all categorically disowned any association with him and rightly so. He's an extremist."
Head of the Jewish Defense League, a fringe political group which he joined in 1971 and had led since 1985. He was characterized by television talk show host Merv Griffin as "the foremost Jewish activist in America. Although the JDL was never more than a fringe organization, it did command a lot of media attention over the years. After the 1990 assassination of founder Meir Kahane in New York City, Rubin's media presence declined. Some of more well known acts included offering a $500 reward to anyone who killed a member of the American Nazi Party and brawling with Ku Klux Klansmen on television. "A lot of what he did was media sideshow antics -- getting into tussles with white supremacists," said Brian Levin, director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at Cal State San Bernardino. "He never was accepted by any of the mainstream civil rights, anti-hate or Jewish organizations. They all categorically disowned any association with him and rightly so. He's an extremist."
Bio by: Joe Walker
Family Members
Children
Advertisement
See more Rubin memorials in:
Explore more
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
