Irv Rubin
Encyclopedia
Irving D. Rubin was chairman of the Jewish Defense League
(JDL) from 1985 to 2002. He allegedly committed suicide in jail when awaiting trial on charges of conspiracy
to bomb private and government property.
. He and his parents and sister moved to the neighborhood of Granada Hills, California, a suburb of Los Angeles
, which has a large Jewish population. He attained United States citizenship shortly thereafter, and served as a sergeant in the United States Air Force
until he was honorably discharged. He was a staunch supporter of the right to keep and bear arms.
In 1978 Rubin offered a $500 bounty
to anyone who would wound or kill a member of the American Nazi Party
. Indicted on solicitation of murder charges, he was acquitted in 1981.
in 1985 and formed the Kach Party, which was eventually outlawed by the Israeli Government as "racist".
In 1985 it was reported that Rubin said about the bombing of the home of revisionist historian Dr. George Ashley, "It's too bad that Mr. Ashley wasn't blown up" and "I applaud those who took such actions. I think these people have a righteous place in the world." More moderate Jews also criticized him. Rob Eshman, the Editor-in-Chief of the Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles noted "In the solar system of Jewish life, Irv Rubin is Pluto" and asserted "Here in Los Angeles, for years now Rubin has been escorted out of far more Jewish events than he’s ever been invited in to."
In 1985 Alex Odeh
, the local chairman of the pro-Palestinian
American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee
(ADC) was killed by a bomb while opening the door to his Santa Ana, California
office. Rubin was suspected, and further antagonized his opponents by saying that "Odeh got what he deserved." However, the JDL has insisted the attack was committed by others. The FBI was unable to prove its original allegations. The crime remains unsolved. The investigation of Rubin was headed by FBI special agent Mary Hogan, the same agent who signed the affidavit accusing Rubin of planning to destroy government property and other targets in 2001.
Before joining the Libertarian Party
in 2000, Irv Rubin was an active Republican
, and served as a page at the 1964 Republican National Convention
, at which Barry Goldwater
was nominated to run for the presidency. Irv Rubin’s joining the Libertarian Party was greeted with shock by many members because of the allegations of terrorism against JDL and Rubin himself. Membership requires a pledge to not "initiate force." In June 2001 Rubin let it be known he was considering running for governor of California on the Libertarian ticket, renewing controversies among libertarians.
Rubin regularly attended rallys held by the KKK and Aryan Nations to shout down speakers and otherwise try to disrupt the proceedings. He often brought some of his followers to assist. During the civil suit brought by the SPLC against the Aryan Nations founder Pastor Richard Butler held in Coeur d' Alene, Idaho in 2000, Rubin stayed for at least 4 days holding vigil during the proceedings. He frequently spoke out against Butler and his followers also holding vigil. It is highly likely that, due to his beliefs and obsentiousness, that Rubin was murdered in detention.
with black nationalist
Steve Cokely
, shortly following a controversial lecture Cokely gave in which he believed that Jewish doctors were inoculating black
babies with the HIV virushttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsX_Kmk29w8, appearing on the History Channel documentary Nazi America: A Secret Historyhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyNr2D9lk2I, and a memorable June 1998 appearance on the Jerry Springer Show where he and his bodyguards (Al and Joseph whom both were not Jewish) rushed to defend him from members of the Ku Klux Klan
. After the leader of the KKK sucker punched him in the face while wearing a yarmulke.http://blogs.ocweekly.com/navelgazing/a-clockwork-orange/tangled-web-of-hate-weaved-by/
, a member of the organization, were charged with conspiracy to bomb private and government property. The two allegedly were caught in the act of planning bomb attacks against the King Fahd Mosque
in Culver City, California
and on the office of U.S. Representative Darrell Issa
, who is Arab-American. The two were arrested as part of a sting operation
after an FBI informant named Danny Gillis delivered explosives to Krugel's home in L.A.
The JDL claims that Danny Gillis struck a deal with the FBI to neutralize the JDL by infiltrating the organization and arranging criminal charges of its leadership. However, according to the Jewish Journal of Los Angeles, Gillis was a former JDL member who joined the organization due to conflicts with white skinheads.
On February 4, 2003, Earl Krugel
, Rubin's first lieutenant, pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges stemming from the plot. This plea was later withdrawn by the presiding Judge, and he was charged with additional crimes which, if convicted, could result in a 55-year imprisonment in a Federal Penitentiary. The plea bargain was apparently reinstated in late September 2005, and the 62-year-old Krugel was sentenced to 20 years in federal detention, after an initial plea agreement based on his revealing the names of those involved in the Alex Odeh bomb plot was withdrawn. On November 4, 2005, he was killed by an inmate after having been transferred to a Phoenix
federal prison. By the most commonly accepted account, another inmate struck Krugel on the head from behind with a cement block.
Jewish Defense League
The Jewish Defense League is a Jewish organization whose stated goal is to "protect Jews from antisemitism by whatever means necessary"...
(JDL) from 1985 to 2002. He allegedly committed suicide in jail when awaiting trial on charges of conspiracy
Conspiracy (crime)
In the criminal law, a conspiracy is an agreement between two or more persons to break the law at some time in the future, and, in some cases, with at least one overt act in furtherance of that agreement...
to bomb private and government property.
Early life and activism
Rubin was born in CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He and his parents and sister moved to the neighborhood of Granada Hills, California, a suburb of Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, which has a large Jewish population. He attained United States citizenship shortly thereafter, and served as a sergeant in the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
until he was honorably discharged. He was a staunch supporter of the right to keep and bear arms.
In 1978 Rubin offered a $500 bounty
Bounty (reward)
A bounty is a payment or reward often offered by a group as an incentive for the accomplishment of a task by someone usually not associated with the group. Bounties are most commonly issued for the capture or retrieval of a person or object. They are typically in the form of money...
to anyone who would wound or kill a member of the American Nazi Party
American Nazi Party
The American Nazi Party was an American political party founded by discharged U.S. Navy Commander George Lincoln Rockwell. Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, Rockwell initially called it the World Union of Free Enterprise National Socialists , but later renamed it the American Nazi Party in...
. Indicted on solicitation of murder charges, he was acquitted in 1981.
Jewish Defense League activism
Rubin became the successor to JDL founder Rabbi Meir Kahane, after the latter moved to IsraelIsrael
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
in 1985 and formed the Kach Party, which was eventually outlawed by the Israeli Government as "racist".
In 1985 it was reported that Rubin said about the bombing of the home of revisionist historian Dr. George Ashley, "It's too bad that Mr. Ashley wasn't blown up" and "I applaud those who took such actions. I think these people have a righteous place in the world." More moderate Jews also criticized him. Rob Eshman, the Editor-in-Chief of the Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles noted "In the solar system of Jewish life, Irv Rubin is Pluto" and asserted "Here in Los Angeles, for years now Rubin has been escorted out of far more Jewish events than he’s ever been invited in to."
In 1985 Alex Odeh
Alex Odeh
Alex Odeh was an Arab-American anti-discrimination activist who was killed in a bombing as he opened the door of his office at 1905 East 17th Street, Santa Ana, California...
, the local chairman of the pro-Palestinian
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee
American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee
The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee states that it is the largest Arab American grassroots civil rights organization in the United States. According to its web page it is open to people of all backgrounds, faiths and ethnicities and has over 40 chapters in 24 states and members in all...
(ADC) was killed by a bomb while opening the door to his Santa Ana, California
Santa Ana, California
Santa Ana is the county seat and second most populous city in Orange County, California, and with a population of 324,528 at the 2010 census, Santa Ana is the 57th-most populous city in the United States....
office. Rubin was suspected, and further antagonized his opponents by saying that "Odeh got what he deserved." However, the JDL has insisted the attack was committed by others. The FBI was unable to prove its original allegations. The crime remains unsolved. The investigation of Rubin was headed by FBI special agent Mary Hogan, the same agent who signed the affidavit accusing Rubin of planning to destroy government property and other targets in 2001.
Before joining the Libertarian Party
Libertarian Party (United States)
The Libertarian Party is the third largest and fastest growing political party in the United States. The political platform of the Libertarian Party reflects its brand of libertarianism, favoring minimally regulated, laissez-faire markets, strong civil liberties, minimally regulated migration...
in 2000, Irv Rubin was an active Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
, and served as a page at the 1964 Republican National Convention
1964 Republican National Convention
The 1964 National Convention of the Republican Party of the United States took place in the Cow Palace, San Francisco, California, on July 13 to July 16, 1964. Before 1964, there had only been one national Republican convention on the West Coast...
, at which Barry Goldwater
Barry Goldwater
Barry Morris Goldwater was a five-term United States Senator from Arizona and the Republican Party's nominee for President in the 1964 election. An articulate and charismatic figure during the first half of the 1960s, he was known as "Mr...
was nominated to run for the presidency. Irv Rubin’s joining the Libertarian Party was greeted with shock by many members because of the allegations of terrorism against JDL and Rubin himself. Membership requires a pledge to not "initiate force." In June 2001 Rubin let it be known he was considering running for governor of California on the Libertarian ticket, renewing controversies among libertarians.
Rubin regularly attended rallys held by the KKK and Aryan Nations to shout down speakers and otherwise try to disrupt the proceedings. He often brought some of his followers to assist. During the civil suit brought by the SPLC against the Aryan Nations founder Pastor Richard Butler held in Coeur d' Alene, Idaho in 2000, Rubin stayed for at least 4 days holding vigil during the proceedings. He frequently spoke out against Butler and his followers also holding vigil. It is highly likely that, due to his beliefs and obsentiousness, that Rubin was murdered in detention.
Appearances on television
Rubin also made a number of televised appearances during his lifetime. These include a lively 1988 debate on CrossfireCrossfire (TV series)
Crossfire was a current events debate television program that aired from 1982 to 2005 on CNN. Its format was designed to present and challenge the opinions of a politically liberal pundit and a conservative pundit.-Format:...
with black nationalist
Black nationalism
Black nationalism advocates a racial definition of indigenous national identity, as opposed to multiculturalism. There are different indigenous nationalist philosophies but the principles of all African nationalist ideologies are unity, and self-determination or independence from European society...
Steve Cokely
Steve Cokely
Steve Cokely is a conspiracy theorist from Chicago who gained national attention in late 1988 after he was quoted from a lecture before the Nation of Islam saying that Jewish doctors had injected black babies with HIV....
, shortly following a controversial lecture Cokely gave in which he believed that Jewish doctors were inoculating black
Black people
The term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...
babies with the HIV virushttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsX_Kmk29w8, appearing on the History Channel documentary Nazi America: A Secret Historyhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyNr2D9lk2I, and a memorable June 1998 appearance on the Jerry Springer Show where he and his bodyguards (Al and Joseph whom both were not Jewish) rushed to defend him from members of the Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
. After the leader of the KKK sucker punched him in the face while wearing a yarmulke.http://blogs.ocweekly.com/navelgazing/a-clockwork-orange/tangled-web-of-hate-weaved-by/
2001 conspiracy charges
On December 12, 2001, Irv Rubin, JDL Chairman, and Earl KrugelEarl Krugel
Earl Leslie Krugel was the West Coast coordinator of the Jewish Defense League. In 2005, he was sentenced to prison on charges of terrorism after he confessed plotting, with the group's leader Irv Rubin, to blow up the office of Arab-American congressman Darrell Issa and the King Fahd mosque in...
, a member of the organization, were charged with conspiracy to bomb private and government property. The two allegedly were caught in the act of planning bomb attacks against the King Fahd Mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
in Culver City, California
Culver City, California
Culver City is a city in western Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 38,883, up from 38,816 at the 2000 census. It is mostly surrounded by the city of Los Angeles, but also shares a border with unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County. Culver...
and on the office of U.S. Representative Darrell Issa
Darrell Issa
Darrell Edward Issa is the U.S. Representative for , and previously the 48th, serving since 2001. He is a member of the Republican Party. He was formerly a CEO of Directed Electronics, the Vista, California-based manufacturer of automobile security and convenience products...
, who is Arab-American. The two were arrested as part of a sting operation
Sting operation
In law enforcement, a sting operation is a deceptive operation designed to catch a person committing a crime. A typical sting will have a law-enforcement officer or cooperative member of the public play a role as criminal partner or potential victim and go along with a suspect's actions to gather...
after an FBI informant named Danny Gillis delivered explosives to Krugel's home in L.A.
The JDL claims that Danny Gillis struck a deal with the FBI to neutralize the JDL by infiltrating the organization and arranging criminal charges of its leadership. However, according to the Jewish Journal of Los Angeles, Gillis was a former JDL member who joined the organization due to conflicts with white skinheads.
On February 4, 2003, Earl Krugel
Earl Krugel
Earl Leslie Krugel was the West Coast coordinator of the Jewish Defense League. In 2005, he was sentenced to prison on charges of terrorism after he confessed plotting, with the group's leader Irv Rubin, to blow up the office of Arab-American congressman Darrell Issa and the King Fahd mosque in...
, Rubin's first lieutenant, pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges stemming from the plot. This plea was later withdrawn by the presiding Judge, and he was charged with additional crimes which, if convicted, could result in a 55-year imprisonment in a Federal Penitentiary. The plea bargain was apparently reinstated in late September 2005, and the 62-year-old Krugel was sentenced to 20 years in federal detention, after an initial plea agreement based on his revealing the names of those involved in the Alex Odeh bomb plot was withdrawn. On November 4, 2005, he was killed by an inmate after having been transferred to a Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
federal prison. By the most commonly accepted account, another inmate struck Krugel on the head from behind with a cement block.