REJECTING JEWISH EXTREMISM, TERRORISM AND HATRED
ITAMAR BEN GVIR IS BEYOND THE PALE

Apr 16, 2025 - Calling on North American Jewish leadership and members - Let’s show Itamar Ben Gvir he is not welcome here!

After years in which he was an international persona non-grata, Israeli Minister for National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir has announced his first foreign trip, an official visit to the United States on April 20. 

As Israelis in America and as American Jews, we believe this visit requires a clear, clarion call: Itamar Ben-Gvir is not welcome in our community.

He is not welcome in our country. He does not represent us as Jews or as Israelis. We steadfastly oppose his dark vision for Judaism, Israel and for the Middle East. 

Ben-Gvir first gained renown as a leader of the U.S.-designated terrorist organization, the Jewish Defense League (later called Kach in Israel.) He was first seen on television screens threatening the life of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, mere weeks before his assassination. 

Ben-Gvir has a whopping 13 convictions in Israel, mostly for hate crimes and terror-related activities. 

As minister, he has bragged about sabotaging the Gaza ceasefire and time and time again, Ben Gvir has successfully scuttled an agreement to save the lives of the hostages, IDF soldiers and innocent civilians in the Gaza Strip. Instead, he advocates Jewish settlement in Gaza. 

Before becoming a minister in Netanyahu's government, Ben Gvir decorated his living room with a portrait of mass murderer Baruch Goldstein. As the minister in charge of Israel Police, he has overseen the unprecedented doubling of murder rates. 

No matter our views on Israeli politics or on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as American-Jewish community leaders, we must stand firm on this: Minister Ben-Gvir and his Jewish supremacy are not welcome among us.