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Elie ben Cramer is weary of saying, "I told you so" over the corpses of dead Jews. He fears the recent uprising of Jews and Palestinians in Israel will force him to utter those words again.

But this time the self-defined right-winger has the weight of the Jewish Defense League behind him.

With the support and urging of Irv Rubin, JDL's executive director, Cramer recently formed the Northern California chapter of the JDL. The last local chapter formed in 1986, but "went inactive" about two years ago, said Cramer, 51.

He is optimistic this time will be different.

Politically, Cramer described the Bay Area Jewish community as left-wing. "That's always been a challenge for us," he said. "Surprisingly enough, as word has gotten around that we're established again, we've gotten a lot of interest."

Founded in Brooklyn in 1968 by Rabbi Meir Kahane, the JDL organized to teach Jews to defend themselves. Among its tenets is that every Jew should own a weapon and know how to use it for self-protection and preservation.

"There's a lot more anti-Semitism out there than the mainstream Jewish community realizes. The B'nai B'rith, the Anti-Defamation League, the United Jewish Appeal -- they're giving a false sense of security to the American Jewish community," Cramer said.

"The Bay Area Jewish community has blinders on. The classic spraying of swastikas on shuls aside, there's this very nasty business going on with Farrakhan's people. Anyone on the Internet knows about the Shoah-deniers, the Jew-bashers who are upset about foreign aid to Israel," he said.

"It would take a very little shift to create a dangerous situation for Jews in this country. Some people think we're paranoid, but that's our position."

Barbara Bergen, ADL regional director, vehemently disagreed with Cramer's contention that the ADL and other Jewish organizations downplay anti-Semitism. "The ADL's record of defense of the Jewish community is clear. Open any newspaper. We take a strong position to protect the rights and liberties of Jews in this country and around the world," she said.

In response to the JDL's formation of a new chapter, Bergen added, "Given the history of the JDL, we hope they will conduct their activities within the boundaries of law and reason."

Currently the new JDL chapter is busy just getting organized. Among its projects are producing a video about themselves for public access television and establishing a shelter for battered Jewish women.

This latter project is in line with the JDL's modus operandi that all Jews must protect themselves.

Meanwhile, the video "helps get the truth out," Cramer said. It includes a 1990 event at which Tikkun magazine publisher Michael Lerner was scheduled to debate Kahane. Lerner did not show up, but Kahane debated himself as if his opponent were there.

"Over the years, the JDL has gotten a bad rap. Kahane has been demonized. Now that he's dead, he's no longer around to answer the critics," Cramer said.

Kahane was murdered in 1990. However, the controversy surrounding the JDL dates back further than the gunning down of its leader at a New York hotel.

In 1988, U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall II (D-West Virginia) requested that JDL offices be closed due to the group's "terrorist activity." The JDL has been tied to a number of violent actions throughout its history. Nevertheless, then-Secretary of State George Shultz denied the request.

When the JDL organized a San Jose chapter in 1986, local police departments expressed concern and told the San Jose Mercury News they would monitor the organization's activities. However, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Department is not alarmed by the new JDL chapter operating under its jurisdiction.

The JDL "is not seen as a potential safety hazard," said Santa Cruz County Sgt. Richard Ross.

Cramer, who will not disclose the number of members in the new chapter, agreed. The JDL's mission is as much political as practical, he said.

"Part of our goal is to turn around stereotypes of Jews and of firearms. We're rallying for [firearms'] safe use and our own self-defense," he said.

"The main point which differentiates us from other Jewish organizations is our concern of 'Is it good for the Jews?' rather than 'What will the goyim think?' It's a much more in-your-face approach."

A Follow-Up Letter to the Editor:

Your recent article on the Jewish Defense League was biased, and was written in a condescending, negative tone.

While some of the methods of the JDL might seem extreme from the liberal Northern California viewpoint of the Jewish Bulletin, anti-Semitism does exist.

There are many valid ways to fight it. Sometimes, the best method is not what Jews tend to excel at -- talk.

There seems to be a tendency to minimize anti-Semitism, especially given it is not "politically correct" to criticize some of the groups who are the most guilty of anti-Semitic behavior.

Gary Kremen, San Francisco

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