Man arrested in Toronto after claiming membership to Jewish terror group

Police claimed he threatened to cause “grievous harm” to pro-Palestinian protesters.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF FEBRUARY 8, 2025 00:39 Updated: FEBRUARY 8, 2025 00:47

kahane posters 248.88 (photo credit: Rebecca Baskin)

Eli Schwarz, 38, was arrested in Toronto after he uttered threats and claimed membership to Kahane Chai, a radical Orthodox group recognized in Canada as a terror entity, police confirmed on Tuesday.

Kahane Chai (Kach) was listed by Public Safety Canada as a terrorist group in 2005 and continues to be recognized as such following a review in 2024.

Police claimed he threatened to cause “grievous harm” to pro-Palestinian protesters.

After carrying out a search of the man’s home, police claimed they found clothing branded with the Kahane Chai name and crest, a .357 magnum lever action rifle and scope, and 10 boxes of .357 magnum ammunition. 

A poster of late radical rabbi Meir Kahane as members of the outlawed Kach and Kahane Hai parties meet in New York in 1995, marking the anniversary of his death. (credit: REUTERS)

What is Kahane Chai?

Founded by Meir Kahane, a US-born Orthodox rabbi, the group Kahane Chai became a political party in Israel. In 1968, Kahane founded the Jewish Defense League (JDL), which is also considered a terrorist organization.

According to the Institute for Middle East Understanding, the party’s followers murdered dozens of Palestinians, Americans, and others in Israel, the occupied Palestinian territories, and the United States. 

Kahane was arrested upwards of 70 times both in Israel and abroad but never served any sentence, according to the institute.