20 Facts About Meir Weinstein

Meir Weinstein announced on July 9,2021, that he was leaving the JDL.

Meir Weinstein joined the JDL at the age of 20, after reading Meir Kahane's book Never Again.

Previously an assimilated Jew, Weinstein began attending synagogue regularly, began studying Jewish texts and became more involved in the Jewish community as a result of reading Kahane's book.

Meir Weinstein's plans fell through at the last minute and he did not join them.

Meir Weinstein noted the Arab population was rejoicing at the terror attack, which he escaped by chance.

The group became dormant until Meir Weinstein revived it in 2006 in the wake of the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war.

Meir Weinstein is a trained bodyguard and served in the Israel Defense Forces.

Meir Weinstein received national media attention in 1986 when he picketed "AryanFest" when it was held on Long's Alberta compound.

The previous year, Meir Weinstein had held meetings in Edmonton in an attempt to organize a JDL branch there.

In 2002, during the Canadian JDL's inactive period, Meir Weinstein organized another group called the United Israel Action Committee which organized two demonstrations outside of Palestine House in Mississauga, Ontario.

In 2007, Meir Weinstein helped organize a town hall session to raise questions about the connections of a mosque in Newmarket, Ontario with Zafar Bangash.

Meir Weinstein told the Toronto Star that he was invited by Ron Banerjee, one of the organizers, but would have "called in with the flu" had he known Weinstein would be there because of his association with the JDL.

Meir Weinstein found himself on the defensive at the meeting, according to the National Post, after he implied that a town councillor had accepted a bribe.

Meir Weinstein, himself, was not reported to have been involved in the incident.

In 2009, Meir Weinstein's JDL issued an "open letter" to the Canadian government calling for the British politician George Galloway to be barred from entering Canada.

The government did so and Meir Weinstein appeared on Britain's Channel 4 News to debate with Galloway over the issue.

Meir Weinstein reported that many members of the JDL were interviewed extensively, at home and at work and suggested that the RCMP was surveilling their activity.

Meir Weinstein denied that the plot existed and accused the RCMP of political bias.

Meir Weinstein organized a group of JDL members and supporters to go to Washington, DC in March 2017 to counter-protest against anti-Zionist groups protesting the annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference, resulting in several brawls.

In July 2021, several weeks after the JDL was involved in a melee with Palestinian activists following a pro-Palestinian rally, Meir Weinstein dissociated himself from the JDL and formed a new organization called Israel Now.