"…Rav Steinman spoke that lemayseh [in actuality], we have today Haman and Amalek, all this [Israeli] government, and really the way is to take knives and to kill them, just as with the Yevanim [Greeks at the time of Hanukkah more than 2,000 years ago]. This is what Rav Steinman said. You have to take a sword and to kill them. So why are we not doing it? Because, he said, I don't know yet who is the [suitable replacement] general who could run the war. But if I would know who's the general, we'd go out with knives.…"
Above: Rabbi Aharon Leib Steinman
Rabbi Natan Slifkin writes that Rabbi Nissan Kaplan, one of the most popular teachers in the Mir Yeshiva in Jerusalem, the largest haredi yeshiva in the world, said in a lecture that Ashkenazi haredi leader Rabbi Aharon Leib Steinman openly discussed killing government leaders.
Here is the relevant quote from Kaplan:
"…On Shabbos I spoke to my kids, and I said that Rav Steinman spoke that lemayseh [in actuality], we have today Haman and Amalek, all this [Israeli] government, and really the way is to take knives and to kill them, just as with the Yevanim [Greeks at the time of Hanukkah more than 2,000 years ago]. This is what Rav Steinman said. You have to take a sword and to kill them. So why are we not doing it? Because, he said, I don't know yet who is the [suitable replacement] general who could run the war. But if I would know who's the general, we'd go out with knives. This is what Rav Steinman said. There's a war against religion... I explained this to my kids... then, in the middle of the meal, my kid, five years old, says, "Aba, we don't have a sword in the house, I'm looking... maybe a hammer is also good?" I was very happy, I gave him a kiss... I was so proud of my son, he's looking for a sword to kill all these government ministers..."
You can hear it yourself at 36:50 of the recording found here.
Update 12:47 pm CDT – The recording of Kaplan talking about killing government leaders is missing from its original webpage and from Hirhurim, and Slifkin has pulled down his post without explanation. Meanwhile, Kaplan told his classes that listeners had heard what they wanted to hear, not what he actually said or meant, and accused some listeners of lying.
Here is the original audio courtesy of David of OMGWTFBIBLE. The key part starts at 36:50. You can right click and open it in a new window or tab to get access to controls to fast forward to that point. (TypePad's built-in mp3 player has no controls, even though users have asked for that to be fixed for several years already.) Or left click to listen here:
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