Rabbi Meir Kahane
Rabbi Meir KahaneFlash 90

Rabbi Baruch Kahane, the son of murdered Rabbi Meir Kahane, has filed a suit against the Broadcast Authority over its decision to pull apolitical advertisements inviting the public to a memorial ceremony. The Broadcast Authority is accused of breech of contract.

Several weeks before a memorial for Rabbi Kahane, the family signed an agreement with the Broadcast Authority to air 20 ads regarding the memorial. Broadcast Authority officials approved the wording of the ads, which included only practical information.

However, shortly after the first ad aired, Peace Now complained, and officials decided not to air the rest of the ads.

The Kahane family charges that the decision led to “various direct and indirect damages.” The suit states, “The defendants' behavior after the campaign aired, the caving in to political pressure... demonstrate that defendant #1 has a warped view and lacks respect for contract law and for the laws of the State of Israel.”

The plaintiffs are asking that the Broadcast Authority and its advertising company be forced to pay 150,000 shekels ($40,000) for breaking their contract.

A friend of the family said that the incident “proves what Rabbi Kahane argued for so many years regarding the Israeli media, and the Broadcast Authority in particular. It's unbelievable that 20 years after his murder, there are still those who want to tarnish the rabbi's memory and silence their opponents.”

Rabbi Meir Kahane was born in the United States. where he was known for his battle on behalf of Soviet Jewry and for the creation of the Jewish Defense League.

He made aliyah (immigrated) to Israel in 1971 and in the years that followed, formed the Kach party and was elected to Knesset. He gained increasing public support during his stay in Knesset, but was isolated by his fellow MKs, and in 1988 the Knesset passed an “anti-racist law” aimed at criminalizing his party over his support for the expulsion from Israel of non-Jews who did not accept the authority of the Jewish state.

He was assassinated by a terrorist in New York City in 1990. In late 2000, his son Binyamin was slain by terrorists as well, along with his wife Talya; the couple was survived by several young children.