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What the Kahane phenomenon can teach Israelis today

The Israeli far-right prefers to preserve late Meir Kahane as a historical figure, but with his recent production of "Kahane Was Right" playwright Yoav Itamar forces the Israeli public to confront contemporary Israeli stances on Kahane's controversial, far-right ideologies.
JERUSALEM, :  Candles burn with the image of  the late Brooklyn born Rabbi Meir Kahane as a follower prays at his grave at the Givat Shaul cemetery on the outskirts of Jerusalem 09 November 2006, to mark the 16th anniversary of his assassination by an Arab gunman in Manhattan. The anti-Arab Jewish militant movement founded by Kahane has in the past claimed responsibility for dozens of shootings of Palestinians in the West Bank, including the notorious 1994 massacre of 29 worshippers at a Hebron Mosque. AFP
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The spirit of the late Rabbi Meir Kahane has returned to Israel's political scene, just in time for the elections.

The reappearance of the extreme right-wing icon, whose political party, Kach, was banned for terrorism shortly before his murder in 1990, comes in the form of a new play showing in Tel Aviv. The production also coincides with a decision barring a former member of Kach from running in the upcoming elections and increased concerns over the return of Kahane's violent message to mainstream society.

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