It became known as a vigilante group which later progressed to terrorism against allegedly anti-Semitic targets. JDL sees itself as defending Jews against their enemies; but they are widely viewed as extremists, including by many Jews.
JDL members have been accused by the FBI and CIA of 37-50 terrorist attacks, including: bombing of the San Francisco branch of Melli, an Iranian Bank, in 1981; bombing the Iraqi UN mission in 1982; bombing the offices of Sol Hurok, who organized performances of Soviet ballet in the United States (resulting in one death); bombing the Los Angeles offices of the Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee in 1985 (killing its director, Alex Odeh); and bombing and killing Tsherim Soobzokov (a Wafen-SS veteran) in 1985. In these cases an anonymous caller would claim JDL responsibility for the bombing, which was then denied by the JDL leadership, although often they would say that, although they had nothing to do with it themselves, they were happy the attacks had occured: for example JDL chairman Irv Rubin said Odeh "got what he deserved", although they insist the attack was done by Arabs, not by them. (Sources: [1], [2])
After 1987, when several JDL members were convicted on terrorism charges, JDL terrorist activity appeared to have ceased. More recently however, its chairman, [Irv Rubin]?, 56, and another member were arrested by members of a federal anti-terrorism task force (reported on December 12, 2001) on suspicion of plotting to bomb a Los Angeles mosque and the office of US Congressman Darrell Issa, a Christian of Arab-American descent.
JDL has also defended the massacre of 29 Arabs in Hebron by Dr. [Baruch Goldstein]?, a former JDL activist, in February 1994, saying "we feel that Goldstein took a preventative measure against yet another Arab attack on Jews. We understand his motivation, his grief and his actions. And we are not ashamed to say that Goldstein was a charter member of the Jewish Defense League." ([2]).
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