Editing Irv Rubin

{{Short description|Chairman of the Jewish Defense League}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Irv Rubin
| image              = Irv Rubin pic.jpg
| alt                = 
| caption            = 
| birth_name         = Irving David Rubin
| birth_date         = {{birth date|1945|04|12}}
| birth_place        = [[Montreal]], Quebec, Canada
| death_date         = {{death date and age|2002|11|13|1945|04|12}}
| death_place        = [[Los Angeles]], California, U.S.
| death_cause        = Suicide
| other_names        = 
| occupation         = Activist
| years_active       = 
| known_for          = [[Jewish Defense League]]
| notable_works      = 
| spouse             = [[Shelley Rubin]]
}}

'''Irving David Rubin''' (April 12, 1945 – November 13, 2002) was a Canadian-born American political and religious activist who served as chairman of the [[Jewish Defense League]] (JDL) from 1985 to 2002. He committed suicide in jail when awaiting trial on charges of [[Criminal conspiracy|conspiracy]] to bomb private and government property.<ref>Tom Tugend, [http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/18807/did-irv-rubin-attempt-to-commit-suicide-or-did-somebody-try-to-murder-him/], November 8, 2002.</ref>

==Early life and activism==
Rubin was born in [[Montreal]], Quebec.  He and his parents and sister moved to [[Granada Hills, California]], a neighbourhood of [[Los Angeles]], which has a large [[Jewish]] population. He became a United States citizen and served as a sergeant in the [[United States Air Force]]. He was a staunch supporter of the [[right to keep and bear arms]].<ref>Tom Tugend, [http://www.jewishsf.com/content/2-0-/module/displaystory/story_id/19243/edition_id/389/format/html/displaystory.html Did Irv Rubin attempt to commit suicide or did somebody try to murder him?], November 8, 2002.</ref>

In 1978, Rubin offered a $500 [[bounty (reward)|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.<ref>"JDL's new leader was born in Montreal" ''The Gazette''. Montreal, Que.: Aug 20, 1985. pg. D.10. "One controversial incident involved remarks Rubin made in Los Angeles on March 16, 1978: "We are offering $500, that I have in my hand, to any member of the community . . . who kills, maims or seriously injures a member of the American Nazi party." He spoke at a time when American Nazis were planning a march in Skokie, Ill., home to a large number of Jews, many of them survivors of the Holocaust. Rubin was charged with solicitation of murder. In 1981, he was acquitted."</ref>

==Jewish Defense League activism==
Rubin became the successor to JDL founder [[Meir Kahane|Rabbi Meir Kahane]], after Kahane moved to [[Israel]] in 1985 and formed the [[Kach Party]], which was eventually outlawed by the Israeli government as [[racist]].<ref>[http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Government/Law/Legal%20Issues%20and%20Rulings/THE%20KACH%20MOVEMENT%20-%20BACKGROUND%20-%2003-Mar-94 The Kach Movement – Background], Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, March 3, 1994.</ref>

In 1985, it was reported that Rubin said about the bombing of the home of historian and [[Holocaust denial|Holocaust denier]] 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."<ref>''The Daily Breeze'', [[Torrance, California]], August 26, 1985, p. 1</ref> Moderate Jews also criticized him. Rob Eshman, the Editor-in-Chief of the ''Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles'' commented: "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."<ref>Rob Eshman, 
[http://www.jewishjournal.com/home/searchview.php?id=7889 "Follies"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120716221029/http://www.jewishjournal.com/home/searchview.php?id=7889 |date=2012-07-16 }}, Jewishjournal.com. December 21, 2002.</ref>

In 1985, [[Alex Odeh]], the local chairman of the pro-[[Palestinian people|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 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.<ref>[http://www.intellectualconservative.com/2005/12/14/the-murder-of-earl-krugel-where%E2%80%99s-the-outrage/ The Murder of Earl Krugel: Where's the Outrage] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071102182739/http://www.intellectualconservative.com/2005/12/14/the-murder-of-earl-krugel-where%E2%80%99s-the-outrage/ |date=2007-11-02 }}; Tom Tugend, "Never Say Never Again]", ''[[Jerusalem Post]]'', December 27, 2001.</ref>

Before joining the [[Libertarian Party (United States)|Libertarian Party]] in 2000, Irv Rubin was an active [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]], and served as a page at the [[1964 Republican National Convention]], at which [[Barry Goldwater]] was nominated to run for the presidency.<ref>Tom Tugend, November 8, 2002.</ref> 

Rubin's joining the Libertarian Party was greeted with shock by many members because of the allegations of terrorism against both the JDL and Rubin himself. Membership requires a pledge to not "initiate force."<ref>Jewish Defense League leader signs up with LP, JDL head: Jews "need the Second  Amendment", Libertarian Party News, March 2000 (formerly at {{cite web |url=http://www.lp.org/lpnews/0003/jdl.html |title=LP News Online: News & Features, March 2000 |access-date=2007-11-04 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050407182548/http://www.lp.org/lpnews/0003/jdl.html |archive-date=2005-04-07 }}); Libertarian Party News, several Letters to Editor voicing objections, May 2000.</ref> In June 2001, Rubin let it be known that he was considering running for governor of California on the Libertarian ticket, renewing controversies among libertarians.<ref>Eric Garris,
[http://archive.lewrockwell.com/orig/garris2.html Irv Rubin and the Libertarian Party], June 26, 2000; Justin Raimondo column item, [http://www.antiwar.com/justin/j061400.html Terrorism and Libertarianism – a Truly Odd Couple], [[Antiwar.com]], June 14, 2000; Series of June to December, 2001 email exchanges on LPUS mailing list at http://www.dehnbase.org/lp/.</ref>

In an attempt to disrupt the events, Rubin regularly attended rallies held by the [[Ku Klux Klan]] and [[Aryan Nations]]. He was regularly assisted by some of his followers. During the civil suit brought by the [[Southern Poverty Law Center|SPLC]] against Aryan Nations founder and Pastor [[Richard Girnt Butler|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 who were also holding vigil.{{cn|date=November 2022}}

==Appearances on television==
Rubin made a number of televised appearances during his lifetime. These include a lively 1988 debate on ''[[Crossfire (U.S. TV program)|Crossfire]]'' with [[Black nationalism|black nationalist]] [[Steve Cokely]], shortly following a controversial lecture that Cokely gave in which he stated his belief that Jewish doctors were inoculating [[Black people|black]] babies with the [[HIV virus]], appearing on the [[History (U.S. TV channel)|History Channel]] documentary ''Nazi America: A Secret History'', and an October 22, 1997 appearance on the ''[[Jerry Springer Show]]'', in which he and his bodyguards scuffled with members of the [[Ku Klux Klan]] after he attacked a member of the KKK who mocked him by removing his hood to reveal a [[yarmulke]]. One of the more celebrated debates that Rubin had was with Klansman and founder of the [[White Aryan Resistance]] [[Tom Metzger]] on KDOC Channel 56's ''[[Hot Seat (talk show)|Hot Seat]]'' with [[Wally George]]. The debate was cut off after Rubin threw a cup of water in Metzger's face. Security intervened and police were called.<ref>[https://ocweekly.com/here-lies-wally-george-6428079/ Here Lies Wally George], ocweekly.com. Accessed November 4, 2022.</ref>

==Organized crime==
The FBI suspected Rubin of running a protection racket against Los Angeles rappers including [[Tupac Shakur]] and [[Eazy-E]], issuing threats and then offering to protect the rappers.<ref>{{cite news |title=FBI Files on Tupac Shakur Murder show he received Death Threats from Jewish Gang |url=https://www.haaretz.com/jewish/2011-04-14/ty-article/fbi-files-on-tupac-shakur-murder-show-he-received-death-threats-from-jewish-gang/0000017f-f5c3-d318-afff-f7e3913c0000 |work=Haaretz |date=April 14, 2011}}</ref> He was involved in a cross-country grand theft auto racket where new Honda Accords would be stolen from ports on the East Coast, driven across country, and sold for $12,000. Several of Rubin's associates were implicated in an FBI sting called "Operation Stow Biz" concerning extortion with moving companies.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sheen |first1=David |title=The El-Nakam Bombers |website=[[YouTube]] |date=17 August 2022 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMqfS_mkMHM&ab_channel=DavidSheen |page=August 17, 2022}}</ref>

==2001 conspiracy charges==
On December 12, 2001, Rubin and [[Earl Krugel]], a member of the JDL, 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]] (R-CA), who is a Christian of Lebanese and Czech descent. The two were arrested as part of a [[sting operation]] after an FBI informant named Danny Gillis delivered [[explosive]]s to Krugel's home in L.A.<ref>[http://www.jewishjournal.com/home/preview.php?id=7861 JDL Head Arrested] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304141650/http://www.jewishjournal.com/home/preview.php?id=7861 |date=2016-03-04 }}, JewishJournal.com, December 14, 2001.</ref>

The JDL claims that Danny Gillis struck a deal with the FBI to neutralize the JDL by infiltrating the organization and by arranging criminal charges of its leadership.<ref>Fern Sidman, [http://www.jdl.org/information/chairman/hero.shtml  Today We Lost a True Hero] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071107064323/http://www.jdl.org/information/chairman/hero.shtml |date=2007-11-07 }}, Jewish Defense League web page, 2002.</ref> However, according to the Jewish Journal of Los Angeles, Gillis was a former JDL member who joined the organization due to conflicts with [[White power skinhead|white skinheads]].<ref>Mike Levy, [http://www.jewishjournal.com/home/preview.php?id=8404 JDL Trial Set for October, Rubin, Krugel attorneys have been unable to speak with informant in bomb plot case] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204054343/http://www.jewishjournal.com/home/preview.php?id=8404 |date=2012-02-04 }}, JewishJournal.com, April 12, 2002.</ref> According to journalist David Sheen, Rubin via his attorney Mark Werksman, offered one of Rubin's disgruntled criminal associates "Moshe V" $50,000 to kill Gillis.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sheen |first1=David |title=The El-Nakam Bombers |website=[[YouTube]] |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMqfS_mkMHM&ab_channel=DavidSheen |date=Aug 17, 2022}}</ref>

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.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080408123916/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1109352,00.html Time Magazine Milestones]; Jim Crogan,[http://www.jewishjournal.com/home/preview.php?id=14715 Krugel Gets 20 Years for Bomb Plot] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120716221202/http://www.jewishjournal.com/home/preview.php?id=14715 |date=2012-07-16 }}, September 30, 2005.</ref>  On November 4, 2005, he was killed after being transferred to a [[Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix]] federal prison. Another inmate struck Krugel on the head from behind with a cement block.<ref>[https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jdl-activist-killed-in-prison/ JDL Activist Killed In Prison] .</ref>

[[File:IRV RUBIN.jpg|thumb|Rubin's tombstone in [[Los Angeles]]]]

==Death in prison==
In November 2002, while imprisoned at the [[Metropolitan Detention Center, Los Angeles|Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles]] awaiting trial, Rubin allegedly cut his own throat and then jumped off an {{convert|18-20|ft|m|round=0.5|sp=us|abbr=off|adj=on}} balcony. He had been threatening suicide in the days before. The injuries from the fall resulted in his death at [[Los Angeles County General Hospital]] several days later.{{citation needed|date=February 2021}} 

Rubin's wife demanded an investigation.<ref>Tom Tugend,

[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/2415761.stm "Militant US Jew's 'suicide bid' challenged$], November 7, 2002.</ref> Defense attorney Mark Werksman said that Rubin had been despondent for months, losing {{convert|40|lb|kg|abbr=off}}, and that the pressure of an upcoming trial "may have pushed him over the top."<ref>[http://archives.cnn.com/2002/US/West/11/04/rubin.suicide.attempt.reut/ JDL chairman Irv Rubin attempts suicide] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070313111804/http://archives.cnn.com/2002/US/West/11/04/rubin.suicide.attempt.reut/ |date=2007-03-13 }}, November 4, 2002.</ref> The Rubin family launched a wrongful death suit against the government.<ref name="family">"Family of JDL Leader Rubin Sues Gov't", [[Associated Press]], January 24, 2003.</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.cnn.com/2002/US/West/11/04/rubin.suicide.attempt.reut/ Reuters article on suicide attempt]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110926205341/http://www.adl.org/presrele/extremism_72/4016_72.asp Anti-Defamation League statement condemning the JDL attacks]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20040428131351/http://www.jdl.org/information/chairman/bio.shtml Jewish Defense League Biography]
*[http://news.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/jdl/usrubin011002ind.pdf Federal case (pdf)]
*[http://news.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/jdl/usrubin121201cmp1.pdf Federal filing (pdf)]

{{Jewish Defense League}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rubin, Irv}}
[[Category:1945 births]]
[[Category:2002 suicides]]
[[Category:20th-century American Jews]]
[[Category:21st-century Canadian Jews]]
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[[Category:American people imprisoned on terrorism charges]]
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[[Category:Canadian Kahanists]]
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[[Category:Perpetrators of religiously motivated violence in the United States]]
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[[Category:Suicides by jumping in California]]
[[Category:California Republicans]]
[[Category:California Libertarians]]
[[Category:People from Granada Hills, Los Angeles]]
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