Kahane Begins Jail Term

Rabbi Meir Kahane, founder of the Jewish Defense League, left a group of 20 JDL members staging a sit-in at the office of the Israel Consulate here to turn himself in Brooklyn federal court to start serving a one-year prison term. The JDL members, led by Kahane, went to the Consulate reception office yesterday morning and remained through the night, according to Russ Kellner, JDL operations officer.

Kellner said Barry Slotnick, Kahane’s attorney, went to the Consulate this morning and accompanied Kahane to the federal court. The JDL leader had been scheduled to surrender to federal authorities this morning to start serving the sentence imposed on him on conviction of violating a five-year probation. Kahane was sent to an unidentified community treatment center in Manhattan so that he can observe Passover. On April 4 he will be sent to an Allenwood, Pennsylvania federal prison to serve out his sentence.

Kahane was given a five-year probation term by federal Judge Jack Weinstein on charges of being involved in arms smuggling. He was convicted last month of violation of the terms of his probation. Judge Weinstein imposed a one-year prison term.

The JDL demonstrators continued their sit-in in the Consulate reception office this afternoon, Kellner said there were “a lot of” policemen present but that the Consulate officers had instructed the police not to act against the JDL members. He said the police had remained with the demonstrators through the night.

Kellner said the sit-in would continue until the JDL was assured that its demand for a national unity government in Israel and for assurances that the Israel government would not yield to the “demands” of the Arabs in current negotiations for a second Egyptian-Israel accord were conveyed to the Israel government.