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Arab News
28-05-2025
- General
- Arab News
Board of Deputies of British Jews member resigns over stance on Gaza
LONDON: A member of the UK's Board of Deputies of British Jews, the largest official Jewish organization in the country, has resigned over its position on Gaza. Daniel Grossman, 21, is among 36 elected members of the BoD who signed an open letter last month saying 'Jewish values compel us to stand up and to speak out' about Israel's war on the Palestinian territory, adding: 'Israel's soul is being ripped out.' Grossman, a student at Bristol University, subsequently left the organization, and said that the BoD had 'failed to act morally and failed to represent the increasing diversity of opinion within the British Jewish community' on the issue, adding it was trying to 'stifle dissent.' He told The Guardian: 'It's very simple. They (the BoD) are refusing to explicitly and publicly condemn Israel's genocidal assault in Gaza and to criticize the (Israeli) government for abandoning the hostages, who have been in captivity for far too long. 'Increasing numbers of people are recognizing that Israel's actions in Gaza cannot be justified as purely self-defense. They seemingly want to declare a perpetual war against Palestinian civilians with the goal of ethnically cleansing them from the Gaza Strip.' Following the publication of the letter, the BoD, which has 300 elected representatives, began disciplinary proceedings against the 36 signatories. An investigation into their conduct is expected to conclude in the coming weeks. Grossman, who said that he grew up in a normal Jewish community in the UK, described the months since the attack on southern Israel by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, and the subsequent war in Gaza, as 'a journey for me,' adding it had become 'increasingly clear that the way the Israeli government is acting is not acceptable by any measure.' Following his resignation from the BoD, he told the Guardian: 'More people were sympathetic than I expected, and it has genuinely astonished me. Lots of these people may not feel able to speak out themselves, they might find it difficult with friends or family. But people have reached out to me. 'A huge shift is happening. The diversity of opinion in the Jewish community is becoming increasingly clear,' he said. 'My 89-year-old grandmother, who was a refugee during the Holocaust, said I had done the right thing and she is proud of me for speaking up.' A BoD spokesperson told The Guardian: 'Daniel's term as a deputy was due to end in a few weeks with him having been replaced by another representative from the Union of Jewish Students. We wish him well with his future endeavours.'
The Independent
23-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Criticising Netanyahu is not antisemitic – this Jewish rebellion shows why
Beside Israel 's devastating continued assault against a Gaza Strip on the brink of famine, the public reaction to 18 months of war by a small group of UK citizens might seem unimportant – all the more so after the senseless and indefensible killing of two young Israeli embassy staff in Washington DC on Wednesday evening. But last month's declaration by 36 members of the Board of Deputies of British Jews against an escalation of the war in which "Israel's soul is being ripped out" is not only still reverberating through their own community, but has a much wider significance. The case, put by the 36, has become all the more salient since it was first aired. And because it was issued by practising Jews representing their local synagogues and prominent in their own communities, it inevitably undermines the argument – repeatedly promoted by Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu – that any criticism of his government's policies is ' antisemitic.' The groundbreaking letter, which the 36 sent to the Financial Times in mid-April – saying their 'Jewish values compel us to stand up and to speak out' against the 'unbearable' events unfolding after the decision to restart the war in March and then impose a total blockade – has triggered a serious backlash. It was immediately addressed by the Board's president, Phil Rosenberg. The Deputies' leadership has opened disciplinary proceedings against the signatories after receiving 'multiple complaints'; one executive board member, Harriet Goldenberg, has been suspended as vice chair of the Board's international division for signing the letter. Another signatory, Rebecca Singerman-Knight, told the Jewish Chronicle that she and her colleagues had been called, among much else, 'kapos' – the term originally used about those who supervised their fellow concentration camp inmates on the Nazis' behalf. This reaction seems all the more hyperbolic given that for the signatories, the existence of Israel is a sine qua non. All see themselves as Zionists – and many originally supported Israel's war in the wake of the October 7 2023 attack. Indeed, the complaint of one signatory, Philip Goldenberg, in a BBC radio interview on the day the letter was published, was that 'more damage is being done to Zionism by Netanyahu than by Hamas.' What the 36 deputies are highlighting is the difference between support of the state of Israel and its government – in this case, by far the most ultra-nationalist and right-wing in Israel's history. Most belong to the Reform or Liberal streams of British Jews – which, after lengthy dialogue covering issues unconnected with the Gaza war, merged last week into a new single one Progressive Judaism. Many of the complaints are from the United Synagogues, the largest body representing Orthodox British Jews. Yet this isn't some mere inter-denominational dispute, but is over a fundamental question which may surface at what had promised – at least before the fatal shooting in Washington – to be a lively plenary meeting of the Board this Sunday: whether it is the Board's collective duty to stand by Israel's government, right and wrong. While the meeting will be precluded from discussing the ongoing investigation into the 36, some have intended to challenge the Board's executive on whether they should not also be calling out the Netanyahu government for its unprecedentedly lethal and prolonged assault on Gaza. Israeli military forces are currently killing well upwards of 50 people a day, as part of an overall death toll of 53,000 in the past 19 months – according to Palestinian health authorities. Netanyahu's aid blockads have pushed the Gazan population to the brink of famine in an attempt to 'wipe Hamas off the face of the earth' (and in reaction to the militant group failing to release the 58 Israeli hostages, alive and dead, still held in Gaza). The Board has stressed that the letter's signatories are only 10 per cent of its membership, while admitting that there will be others who agreed but didn't sign. Even last September, polling showed widespread concern – around three quarters (74 per cent) either strongly agreed or "tended to agree" that Netanyahu was pursuing his own political interests, rather than Israel's. Some of those complaining about the FT letter may regard any criticism of Israel's government as a betrayal of Zionism. But there is anecdotal evidence that many UK Jews, agonised – even appalled – by Netanyahu's conduct of the war nevertheless feel they should not be 'washing their dirty linen in public'. What's most baffling about this is its insular neglect of what has been happening in Israel. Would they say the same about the tens of thousands of Israelis who march almost daily calling for a hostage deal and an end to war (in effect representing the 68 per cent who tell pollsters they want just that)? Or about Yair Golan, the leader of the opposition Democrats, a former Israel Defence Forces deputy chief-of-staff, who – on October 7, 2023 – bravely went to the battleground and personally rescued young Israelis fleeing the Nova massacre, but this week accused the 'failed' government of turning into a 'pariah' like apartheid era South Africa, fighting civilians, aiming to expel the Gaza population and even killing Palestinian children as a 'hobby'? In reality, many British Jews publicly criticise the Gaza war – some joining the marches against it. Numerous rabbis have signified their support for the 36. Na'amod and Yachad are just two Jewish organisations with the goal of justice and security for Palestinians in their DNA. But the 265-year-old Board of Deputies is British Judaism's parliament, each member elected from their local synagogue, and is invariably treated by governments and the media as what it describes itself – the collective 'voice' of British Jews. Some, at least, of the FT signatories believe the Board's failure to condemn Netanyahu's current war leadership imperils their objectives of enhancing the Jewish community's reputation in the wider public, promoting inter-faith dialogue, faltering because of the war, and showing solidarity with the many Israelis who were against it restarting. In an ideal world, given what has happened since their letter was written, the investigation should be dropped. But the board's constitution precludes that without the complaints being withdrawn (of which there is no sign). Meanwhile, the 36 have been given no details of who will sit on the independent three-person panel reviewing the complaints; or whether they can be assured of an impartial process – up to (and including) appeal. Moreover, while they agreed to accept mediation, their opponents have not (rather damagingly for their argument that it's the signatories who are dividing British Judaism). And yet, the letter may eventually prove a tipping point for the view that the Board needs to defend the Israeli government, whatever it does. It may be too much to say that it gave Sir Keir Starmer the domestic space he needed to join Mark Carney and Emmanuel Macron i n – at last – taking a more robust line on the Israeli decision to abrogate the January hostage deal and re-start this gruesome offensive. Netanyahu's response to which was to accuse the UK prime minister of being on the 'wrong side of humanity' and siding with Hamas. But it's striking that it preceded that decision by a month. History will surely judge that it was the 36 – and not their opponents – who were ahead of this particular curve.
Telegraph
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Rupert Lowe ‘made anti-Semitic remark' in leaked video
Rupert Lowe has been accused of making an anti-Semitic remark at a meeting in Parliament. The former Reform UK MP, who split from the party in March, appeared to suggest the comment could end his career 'in a second' if it were ever released to the public, according to a leaked recording. Mr Lowe, the Great Yarmouth MP, is said to have made the remark to parliamentary staff earlier this year. According to The Guardian, which claims to have a recording of the session, he could be heard describing a camera as 'Jewish' because it was 'small'. Commenting on the size of the device, he reportedly said: 'In days gone by you'd call it a Jewish camera, but that would be politically incorrect. Because it's so small.' This has been interpreted by some as anti-Semitic on the basis the word 'small' could imply the camera is cheap, therefore playing into the false trope that Jewish people are reluctant to spend money. A spokesman for the Board of Deputies of British Jews said: 'This is bizarre and outdated anti-Semitic language, which has no place in our politics. Mr Lowe should apologise for the offence this remark has caused.' The comments are said to have sparked laughter in the room, with the person filming appearing to reassure Mr Lowe they would be edited out of the video. Someone out of shot could reportedly be heard saying 'career over in a second', which was repeated by Mr Lowe, who laughed. The MP dismissed the claim as a 'ludicrous smear attempt', telling The Guardian: 'I don't recall saying that, but if it was said it was clearly a joke, as anybody reading it can understand.' The incident was said to have taken place in February or March, about the time Mr Lowe entered into an extraordinary public spat with Nigel Farage. Mr Lowe was suspended from Reform and reported to police in March for allegedly making verbal threats to Zia Yusuf, the party's chairman. Days before details of the accusations emerged, he had given an interview in which he accused Nigel Farage, the party leader, of acting like a messiah. The Crown Prosecution Service confirmed last week that Mr Lowe would not be charged, prompting him to call Mr Farage a 'coward and a viper'. The two had been trading blows for weeks, with the Reform leader insisting there was 'no way back' for his former colleague. Mr Lowe vowed there would be an alternative to Reform on the Right of British politics 'very soon', promising that a new movement would be 'decent, democratic and honest'. He is still facing a parliamentary investigation into allegations he and members of his team bullied two former members of his staff – claims he has categorically denied.
Daily Mail
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Former Reform MP Rupert Lowe 'caught on camera using antisemitic language' as campaign groups call on him to apologise
Former Reform UK MP Rupert Lowe has allegedly been caught on camera using 'antisemitic language'. The Great Yarmouth MP was filmed supposedly remarking on the size of a camera which is about to start filming him, describing it as a 'Jewish camera', in a video obtained by The Guardian newspaper. In the footage, understood to have been recorded in February or March, Mr Lowe is seen sitting on a green sofa in a meeting with parliamentary staff. As he noticed the camera, Mr Lowe said: 'In days gone by you'd call it a Jewish camera, but that would be politically incorrect. Because it's so small.' Following laughter from the room, someone out of sight of the video can be heard to say: 'Career over in a second.' Mr Lowe appeared to agree, repeating: 'Career over in a second.' Asked about his comments, Mr Lowe told the PA news agency the video was a 'ludicrous smear attempt'. But the Board of Deputies of British Jews, one of the UK's largest Jewish community organisations, branded the remarks antisemitic. 'This is bizarre and outdated antisemitic language which has no place in our politics. Mr Lowe should apologise for the offence this remark has caused,' a spokesperson for the board said. Mr Lowe was suspended from Reform UK in March after he was accused of making verbal threats against party chairman Zia Yusuf, and of bullying. The Crown Prosecution Service said no criminal charges would be brought against the independent MP earlier this month in relation to alleged threats towards Mr Yusuf. Mr Lowe has since accused his ex-colleagues of engaging in a 'sinister' attempt to use the police to silence him, and branded Reform's leader Nigel Farage a 'coward and a viper'. The MP has hinted in interviews since his suspension he would be interested in setting up his own challenger political party on the right. He has also suggested he would be open to joining the Conservatives, if the party were to undergo reform.
The Independent
21-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Rupert Lowe caught on camera using ‘antisemitic language'
Rupert Lowe, the former Reform UK MP, appears to have been caught on camera using 'antisemitic language'. The Great Yarmouth MP can be heard remarking on the size of a camera which is about to start filming him, describing it as a ' Jewish camera', in a video obtained by The Guardian newspaper. Mr Lowe was suspended from Reform UK earlier this year following a string of allegations about his conduct, which he has strenuously denied. In the footage obtained by The Guardian, understood to have been recorded in February or March, Mr Lowe is seen sitting on a green sofa in a meeting with parliamentary staff. As he noticed the camera, Mr Lowe said: 'In days gone by you'd call it a Jewish camera, but that would be politically incorrect. Because it's so small.' Following laughter from the room, someone out of sight of the video can be heard to say: 'Career over in a second.' Mr Lowe appeared to agree, repeating: 'Career over in a second.' Asked about his comments, Mr Lowe told the PA news agency the video was a 'ludicrous smear attempt'. But the Board of Deputies of British Jews, one of the UK's largest Jewish community organisations, branded the remarks antisemitic. 'This is bizarre and outdated antisemitic language which has no place in our politics. Mr Lowe should apologise for the offence this remark has caused,' a spokesperson for the board said. Mr Lowe was suspended from Reform UK in March after he was accused of making verbal threats against party chairman Zia Yusuf, and of bullying. The Crown Prosecution Service said no criminal charges would be brought against the independent MP earlier this month in relation to alleged threats towards Mr Yusuf. Mr Lowe has since accused his ex-colleagues of engaging in a 'sinister' attempt to use the police to silence him, and branded Reform's leader Nigel Farage a 'coward and a viper'. The MP has hinted in interviews since his suspension he would be interested in setting up his own challenger political party on the right. He has also suggested he would be open to joining the Conservatives, if the party were to undergo reform.
