In 1968 pamphlets were being handed out in Brooklyn. The slogan “For every Jew a .22.” was emblazoned on each pamphlet, but they were not written by angry Muslims.  They were printed and distributed by Jews who wished to arm themselves against anti-Semetic attack.

The recruitment drive was remarkably successful and by 1972 the organization had over 15,000 members. This was the birth of a group labelled by the FBI as one of the most active terrorist groups in America - the Jewish Defence League.

Our story begins with Ari and Shelley Rubin, a mother and son team who took over the JDL after the controversial death in prison of Ari’s father Irv. Irv was a charismatic leader who in the 1980's tried to carry the JDL away from its violent past. Awaiting trial for allegedly attempting to bomb a major mosque ans assassinate a Palestinian Congressperson in Los Angeles after 9/11, Irv reportedly committed suicide on the day of his trial.

We will follow Ari and Shelley as they continue to arm and empower Jewish exiles against a perceived increase in anti-Semetism after the recent Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We speak with the original members of the JDL who traversed its controversial past, the slick lawyers who cleared them of criminal charges in the 1970’s and the police and FBI officers who would eventually imprison one of the JDL's most influential leaders.