Ending Betar Violence: New York report

Last week New York State forced a nonprofit that “repeatedly targeted individuals based on religion and national origin” to dissolve.

Betar-US, based in New York, gained attention over the last couple years, as it created a ‘deportation list’ which included Mahmoud Khalil, an Columbia University student detained by ICE likely because he advocated for Palestinian rights and an end to the destruction of Gaza.

Betar is considered a “racist ultrazionist movement” by the Center for Constitutional Rights. CCR continues to represent Mahmoud, as the United States still makes efforts to deport him due to his advocacy.

The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) in New York began an investigation into Betar-US in March, 2025, “after receiving multiple complaints alleging that Betar and its members engaged in violent and threatening conduct directed at Muslim, Arab, Palestinian, and Jewish individuals, particularly in connection with protests related to Israel and Palestine.” Note that being a Jew who supports protests in favor of human rights for Palestinians will still make Betar target you.

Drop Site News, which takes some credit for the dissolution of Betar-US, describes the origins of Betar and it’s offshoot in New York:

Founded as a paramilitary Zionist organization in 1923, Betar Worldwide has a prominent far-right chapter in the US that has aided the Trump administration’s deportation efforts by doxxing and agitating against pro-Palestine organizers. Betar US largely operates out of New York City

I’ve written about the origins of Betar in A Minor Betar Dispute.

OAG continues to describe Betar’s methods in in New York, and around the United States:

Betar also used its public platform to threaten individuals with deportation and attempt to suppress protected speech. The organization repeatedly threatened to report protesters to immigration enforcement officials and publicly claimed that it used facial recognition software to compile deportation lists for the federal government. Even though Betar later disavowed these claims, OAG found that this conduct was designed to intimidate protesters and unlawfully chill the exercise of First Amendment rights.

Attacking and dissolving nonprofits because they advocate for a different worldview than the one you support is a dangerous idea. There’s current legislation in Congress – nicknamed the nonprofit killer bill – that could force a nonprofit to dissolve if the Secretary of Treasurer wishes to. Advocacy groups are concerned that the bill would be used to crush free speech.

However, I don’t think that the settlement against Betar-US goes far enough. New York OAG summarizes that the settlement “subjects the organization to a suspended $50,000 penalty that will be enforced if Betar violates the agreement”. In other words, they get could get away without paying anything for instigating or encouraging violence.