February 23, 2019 – The JCRC of Greater Boston is dismayed by reports that Prime Minister Netanyahu personally played a role in the electoral arrangement by which the Otzma Yehudit “Jewish Power” party is running on a joint list in the April Knesset elections. Otzma Yehudit was founded by close disciples of Meir Kahane and is the descendent of his Kach party, a designated terrorist organization under Israeli, American, and European law that was barred from running for the Knesset for inciting racism. Otzma Yehudit shares many of these reprehensible racist and violent views. They are anathema to the values expressed in Israel’s declaration of statehood and we abhor any effort to normalize these views and bring these actors into any governing coalition. We have communicated our concerns to the representatives of the government of Israel.