Image by Facebook

By Sam Kestenbaum May 9, 2017

The militant Jewish Defense League is standing proudly with Canadian branch of Soldiers of Odin, an anti-immigrant patrol group with roots in Europe whose ranks include white nationalists.

The Anti-Defamation League says that Soldiers of Odin contains “many open white supremacists, as well as other right-wing extremists.”

But Meir Weinstein, the head of the Canadian branch of the JDL disputes this. He says the group’s goals are aligned with those of the JDL — and claims they have disowned the more racist elements within their parent organization in Finland.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

“They disowned racism and they’re against radical Islam,” Weinstein told the Canadian Jewish News.

The Canadian Soldiers of Odin group is primarily focused on Muslim immigration. In a lengthy video on their Facebook page, one spokesman decried Muslims coming into Canada.

“They’re following the code of the Muslim Brotherhood to a tee,” he said. “They’re infiltrating through refugees.”

Bernie Farber, former chief executive officer of the Canadian Jewish Congress, called the JDL’s alliance a “shanda,” Yiddish for “disgrace.”

Email Sam Kestenbaum at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter at @skestenbaum

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’ve started our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we need 1,800 readers like you to step up to support the Forward by April 21. Members of the Forward board are even matching the first 1,000 gifts, up to $70,000.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism, because every dollar goes twice as far.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

2X match on all Passover gifts!

$90 → $180 $180 → $360

$360 → $720

Other amount