200px Yoel Lerner (1941 - July 2014) was a linguist, translator, educator, and Jewish terrorist, who was convicted of many crimes, including seeking to destroy the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem.

Personal life

Lerner was born as "Joel Lerner" in 1941 in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, and grew up in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

. In 1960, he immigrated to

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

, and studied at the

Hebrew University The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; he, הַאוּנִיבֶרְסִיטָה הַעִבְרִית בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם) is a public research university based in Jerusalem, Israel. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Dr. Chaim Weiz ...

, where he earned a BA in Hebrew and Semitic Philology. He became a student of

Meir Kahane Meir David HaKohen Kahane (; he, רבי מאיר דוד הכהן כהנא ; born Martin David Kahane; August 1, 1932 – November 5, 1990) was an American-born Israeli ordained Orthodox rabbi, writer, and ultra-nationalist politician who serv ...

and a member of the

Jewish Defense League The Jewish Defense League (JDL) is a Jewish far-right religious-political organization in the United States and Canada, whose stated goal is to "protect Jews from antisemitism by whatever means necessary". It has been classified as "a right wi ...

; and later became an aide to Kahane. He was married and had eight children."Israel uncovers overthrow plot," UPI, August 11, 1978, https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=cfgjAAAAIBAJ&sjid=fNsFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1095%2C2573337 Lerner and his family adopted an Orthodox lifestyle, moved to Kiryat Shmona - where he was a teacher - and then returned to Jerusalem.

Career as teacher and translator

Lerner taught in many secondary educational institutions, and translated essays and books. His translations included ''The "Shabbes Goy": A Study in Halakhic Flexibility'' (Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1989).

Early crimes

In 1973, Lerner was arrested in a case of arson involving a fire in a shop selling Christian missionary books. In 1975, Lerner was arrested on suspicion of conspiring to harm

United States Secretary of Defense The United States secretary of defense (SecDef) is the head of the United States Department of Defense, the executive department of the U.S. Armed Forces, and is a high ranking member of the federal cabinet. DoDD 5100.1: Enclosure 2: a The ...

Henry Kissinger Henry Alfred Kissinger (; ; born Heinz Alfred Kissinger, May 27, 1923) is a German-born American politician, diplomat, and geopolitical consultant who served as United States Secretary of State and National Security Advisor under the presid ...

. Newspaper reports said that Lerner "had expressed threats to assassinate Kissinger"."Israeli Security Tightened as Mobs Jeer Kissinger", The Montreal Gazette, August 22, 1975, p. 2 (UPI), https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=4JcuAAAAIBAJ&sjid=s6EFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2478%2C1612376

Gal

In 1978, Lerner was arraigned on charges of conspiracy and illegal possession of weapons. Israeli prosecutors accused him of being the founder of an underground ring of militants, and of recruiting young students to overthrow the government, establish a state based on religious law, and kill Arabs. Lerner called the group "Gal", a Hebrew acronym for "redemption of Israel". Members were issued membership cards, given code names, and assigned specific duties such as planning, organization, sabotage, and spying. Some received training in karate. Lerner served a three-year sentence.

Temple Mount Bombings

In 1982, Lerner formed a small youth organization whose aim was to destroy the Dome of the Rock. He allegedly organized a field trip to an army base in the south to steal explosives to be used in blowing up the Dome of the Rock."Mosque Plotter Sentenced" (UPI), https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ypVTAAAAIBAJ&sjid=LYcDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2929%2C938340 He was sentenced to five years in jail, but 2 ½ years of his sentence was suspended. His purpose was to make it possible to rebuild the

Temple Mount The Temple Mount ( hbo, הַר הַבַּיִת, translit=Har haBayīt, label=Hebrew, lit=Mount of the House f the Holy}), also known as al-Ḥaram al-Sharīf (Arabic: الحرم الشريف, lit. 'The Noble Sanctuary'), al-Aqsa Mosque compou ...

site.

Outlook and legacy

Mark Juergensmeyer Mark Juergensmeyer (born 1940 in Carlinville, Illinois) is an American sociologist and scholar specialized in global studies and religious studies, and a writer best known for his studies on comparative religion, religious violence, and global ...

identified Lerner as a Jewish religious terrorist, writing that he "yearned for a Jewish society in Israel. He hoped for the restoration of the ancient temple in Jerusalem, the exclusive right of Jews to settle on the West Bank of the Jordan River, and the creation of a state based on biblical law."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lerner, Yoel 1941 births 2014 deaths Hebrew University of Jerusalem alumni Jewish religious terrorism Israeli criminals Israeli Kahanists Arsonists American emigrants to Israel