Yoel Lerner

Joel Lerner (Hebrew: יואל לרנר; 1941 - July 2014) was a linguist, translator, and educator, who was convicted of crimes including seeking to destroy the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem.

 Personal life 
Lerner was born in Brooklyn, New York, grew up in South Africa, immigrated to Israel and studied at the Hebrew University, where he earned a BA in Hebrew and Semitic Philology in the 1960s.

He studied under Meir Kahane, leader of Jewish Defense League, whom he worked for as an aide. He was married and had eight children.

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 February 1973, Lerner was arrested in a case of arson involving a fire in a shop selling Christian missionary books. That August, he and JDL secretary Yosef Schneider were both sentenced to six months in prison for arson. Seven other JDL members received suspended sentences ranging from one to six months.

In 1975, Lerner was arrested on suspicion of conspiring to harm United States Secretary of Defense Henry Kissinger. Newspaper reports said that Lerner "had expressed threats to assassinate Kissinger".

 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 and establish a state based on religious law.

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.

 Outlook and legacy 
Mark Juergensmeyer identified Lerner as a Jewish religious terrorist, writing that he "yearned for an exclusive 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.": 45 
Category:Zionists
Category:Israeli activists
Category:Israeli Kahanists
Category:Pages with unreviewed translations