Meir David Kahane (Hebrew: הרב מאיר דוד כהנא‎) (/kəˈhɑːnə/; August 1, 1932 – November 5, 1990) was a controversial American-Israeli rabbi, ultra-Zionist political figure, and writer, whose work became either the direct or indirect foundation of most modern Jewish militant and extreme right-wing political groups. He was an ordained Orthodox rabbi and later served as a member of the Israeli Knesset. Kahane gained recognition as an extreme advocate for Jewish causes, such as organizing militias in Jewish neighborhoods and demanding the Soviet Union to help its Jews migrate to Israel.