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The National
30-07-2025
- Politics
- The National
UK Jewish body calls for open Gaza aid amid Starmer row
The UK's largest Jewish body has called for across-the-board access for aid shipments into the Gaza Strip in a statement critical of Israeli restrictions. The message on the plight of Gazans came as the community group pushed back against UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer's pledge to recognise Palestine. The Board of Deputies of British Jews said the Israeli pause in fighting to allow aid was 'essential if long overdue', after a special meeting on Tuesday was called following Mr Starmer's announcement. 'We need to see a rapid, uninhibited, and sustained increase in aid through all available channels, and we need to see all agencies co-operating in this endeavour,' said the board's president, Phil Rosenberg. It is the BoD's first statement on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, weeks after internal rifts over the organisation's position on the war deepened. However, it also challenged Mr Starmer's pledge that he would recognise a Palestinian state next month if Israel does not agree to a ceasefire. The board said the promise risked 'putting gestures ahead of substance', which could also 'empower or reward Hamas'. 'We are therefore seeking clarification that the UK Government will not recognise a Palestinian state while Hamas fails to meet UK demands, including accepting a ceasefire and releasing the hostages,' Mr Rosenberg said. 'Recognising a Palestinian state without a diplomatic agreement risks putting gestures ahead of substance. 'However, our primary concern regarding the government's announcement is to avoid empowering or rewarding Hamas, or giving it incentives to continue evading a ceasefire,' he added. The pushback is shared by former hostage Emily Damari, a British-Israeli who was held in Gaza by Hamas for more than a year. Ms Damari said Mr Starmer's pledge was not 'on the right side of history'. 'Prime Minister Starmer is not standing on the right side of history. Had he been in power during World War II, would he have advocated recognition for Nazi control of occupied countries like Holland, France, or Poland?' she wrote on social media. 'This is not diplomacy – it is a moral failure. Shame on you, Prime Minister.' The board has faced escalating internal tension in the past three months over its public stance on the Israel-Gaza war, which critics say failed to reflect the diversity of views among British Jews regarding the conflict. Last month, five members of the BoD who had written an open letter to the FT criticising Israel's renewed military campaign in Gaza from March this year were suspended for two years. The BoD said at the time that it did not take issue with members' criticism of the war, but with the fact that their letter had been presented as a statement from the organisation itself. Yet the rift has caused a small but growing number of British Jews to feel disillusioned with the organisation, which has historically been the community's representative to British officialdom. The campaign group Na'amod, a movement of British Jews seeking an end to the war and a solution to the Palestinian issue, organised a protest outside the Foreign Office earlier this week calling for 'forceful action' on Israel 'to stop Israel's starvation, displacement and bombing of Palestinians in Gaza'.
The Guardian
30-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
British Jewish leaders call for rapid increase in Gaza aid
The UK's largest Jewish organisation has called for a 'rapid, uninhibited, and sustained increase in aid through all available channels' in Gaza in a rare implicit criticism of the Israeli government. The Board of Deputies held an emergency meeting on Tuesday evening amid growing horror among British Jews at the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, with children malnourished and starving and desperate parents being killed as they try to secure food for their families. In a statement issued after the meeting, Phil Rosenberg, the board's president, said the Israeli government's recent moves to allow limited aid into Gaza in response to mounting international pressure was 'long overdue'. He said: 'The suffering we are witnessing in the Gaza Strip demands a response. The new measures announced by Israeli authorities to address the humanitarian crisis are essential if long overdue. 'We need to see a rapid, uninhibited, and sustained increase in aid through all available channels, and we need to see all agencies cooperating in this endeavour. As we have been saying for months, food must not be used as a weapon of war, by any side in this conflict.' Rosenberg's statement came a month after the board took disciplinary action against 36 elected representatives who signed an open letter that was strongly critical of Israel's actions in Gaza. Five of the 36 were suspended for two years. Before Tuesday's emergency meeting, dozens of deputies had written to the board leadership saying it must appeal to the Israeli government to 'end this suffering'. Their letter said: 'Nothing could be more damaging to the British Jewish community than staying silent in this moment.' Last week, Marie van der Zyl, a former president of the board, wrote: 'Hunger and human suffering, on this scale, are incompatible with the core values of our faith.' In an article in Jewish News, she called for 'urgent action to alleviate the conditions affecting civilians in Gaza'. She added: 'This is not a time for silence. It is a time for compassion.' More than 400 rabbis from around the world, including Jonathan Wittenberg, the leader of Masorti Jews in the UK, and other leading UK rabbis, called on the Israeli government to cease its 'callous indifference to starvation'. Their letter warned that 'the Jewish people face a grave moral crisis', adding: 'We cannot condone the mass killings of civilians, including a great many women, children, and elderly, or the use of starvation as a weapon of war'. Under the headline 'Jewish moral clarity means saying: Enough', an editorial last week in the Jewish News, one of the two main Jewish news outlets in the UK, said the war in Gaza must end now. The co-leaders of Progressive Judaism said in an open letter last Friday the 'deepening humanitarian catastrophe' in Gaza was 'not in our name, and not in line with the Judaism we teach, live and pass on'. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Rabbi Charley Baginsky and Rabbi Josh Levy said: 'This is not just a political moment, it is a moral and religious one.' In his statement, Rosenberg said the board supported a two-state solution but the UK government's plan to recognise a Palestinian state without a negotiated agreement 'risks putting gestures ahead of substance'. The board's 'primary concern regarding the government's announcement is to avoid empowering or rewarding Hamas, or giving it incentives to continue evading a ceasefire'. The statement added: 'It is clear that our community overwhelmingly rejects the appalling rhetoric and unacceptable proposals from some Israeli ministers, particularly in relation to the forced displacement of Gazans, as well as the intolerable violence perpetrated by extremist settlers in the West Bank, all of which are in complete contradiction to our values.' The war in Gaza was taking a toll on Israeli citizens and the UK Jewish community, 'including through the unacceptable proliferation of hatred and discrimination directed at Jews in this country'.
ITV News
15-07-2025
- Health
- ITV News
Antisemitism an ‘urgent issue' for all of British society, Penny Mordaunt warns
Dame Penny Mordaunt has said she was 'stunned into silence' as she undertook a government-backed review into antisemitism in British society. The former Conservative minister joined Lord John Mann, the government's antisemitism adviser, in chairing an independent commission on antisemitism on behalf of the Board of Deputies, Britain's largest Jewish community organisation. Writing in the Telegraph newspaper, the pair described themselves as 'hard-nosed politicians' who are 'used to dealing with the extremes of human emotions and catastrophe'. Despite "decades of these experiences", however, they said they were "still stunned into silence" by the evidence they had received as independent chairs of the Board of Deputies Commission on Antisemitism, "particularly from young people in the Jewish community". 'This is an urgent issue not just for the Jewish community but for the United Kingdom as a whole,' the pair added. 'We are all harmed if we tolerate the abuse of some of our fellow citizens by those who hold warped or extreme views.' Their warnings of growing antisemitic prejudices across British society, from the NHS to arts organisations and the police, comes as the report they authored is set to be published on Tuesday. Among its recommendations are that the NHS should hold a summit to tackle the 'specific unaddressed issue of antisemitism' within the health service. Lord Mann and former defence secretary Dame Penny set out 10 recommendations calling for educators, public services and trade unions to do more to tackle antisemitism, including "basic training on contemporary antisemitism" for every NHS trust. "From evidence that we heard, we can identify that there is a specific unaddressed issue of antisemitism within the NHS," they said. "We recommend that a summit should be held with NHS leaders across the UK to begin to address this." They noted an 'identifiable lack of consistency and capacity in antisemitism training' and recommended the creation of a specific antisemitism training qualification, adding that such training should be included within equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in organisations and institutions. Government doesn't know how many migrants could be returned under France deal Baseline US tariffs on most UK goods 'here to stay', Lord Mandelson says Efforts to teach primary school teachers how to avoid passing on antisemitism and anti-Jewish tropes in their lessons should be rolled out in faith schools across the UK, the commission said. It added that professional organisations and trade unions should ensure that all Jewish members are treated equally and with respect, while there must be a consistent approach taken by police when dealing with antisemitic crimes. The commission said it had seen evidence of 'hidden barriers being put in front of Jewish involvement within the arts' and said there must always be a 'robust response for those who choose to discriminate and government at every level should ensure this'. Lord Mann said: 'It is unacceptable that the Jewish community has faced an onslaught of antisemitism since October 7th. 'Whilst this is not new, the commission heard shocking experiences that we will not ignore. Antisemitism is racism and it must be treated as such. We hope these recommendations will provide additional guidance and action for civil society.' Dame Penny said: 'No person should face abuse or discrimination whilst going about their business, whether it is pursuing the career of their choice or accessing public services. 'We wanted to suggest some very practical things that can be dealt with swiftly and will dramatically improve people's experiences.' Board of Deputies president Phil Rosenberg said: 'Overall, the challenge in civil society can be summarised as one of a failure to apply the protections rightly afforded to different vulnerable groups equally to Jewish people in the same positions. 'Many sectors promote strong Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) processes, which are very important, but too often, these protections seem to exclude Jews.' He said the board will insist that 'Jews must count' and will use the recommendations of the commission's report 'to ensure that they do'. An NHS spokesperson said: 'It is completely unacceptable for anyone to experience racism, discrimination or prejudice in the health service, whether staff or patient, and the NHS takes any instance of antisemitism or discrimination extremely seriously. 'The NHS provides care and treatment for everyone regardless of race, faith, or background and all NHS healthcare providers should have policies in place to address issues like this in the workplace.'
North Wales Chronicle
13-07-2025
- Health
- North Wales Chronicle
Antisemitism an ‘urgent issue' for all of British society, Penny Mordaunt warns
The former Conservative minister joined Lord John Mann, the Government's antisemitism adviser, in chairing an independent commission on antisemitism on behalf of the Board of Deputies, Britain's largest Jewish community organisation. Writing in the Telegraph newspaper, the pair described themselves as 'hard-nosed politicians' who are 'used to dealing with the extremes of human emotions and catastrophe'. But they added: 'Even with decades of these experiences, we were still stunned into silence by the evidence that we received as independent chairs of the Board of Deputies Commission on Antisemitism, particularly from young people in the Jewish community.' 'This is an urgent issue not just for the Jewish community but for the United Kingdom as a whole,' the pair added. They also said: 'We are all harmed if we tolerate the abuse of some of our fellow citizens by those who hold warped or extreme views.' Their warnings of growing antisemitic prejudices across British society, from the NHS to arts organisations and the police, comes as the report they authored is set to be published on Tuesday. Among its recommendations are that the NHS should hold a summit to tackle the 'specific unaddressed issue of antisemitism' within the health service. Lord Mann and former defence secretary Dame Penny set out 10 recommendations calling for educators, public services and trade unions to do more to tackle antisemitism. Among them was a recommendation for every NHS trust to have 'basic training on contemporary antisemitism'. They stated: 'From evidence that we heard, we can identify that there is a specific unaddressed issue of antisemitism within the NHS. We recommend that a summit should be held with NHS leaders across the UK to begin to address this.' They noted an 'identifiable lack of consistency and capacity in antisemitism training' and recommended the creation of a specific antisemitism training qualification, adding that such training should be included within equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in organisations and institutions. Efforts to teach primary school teachers how to avoid passing on antisemitism and anti-Jewish tropes in their lessons should be rolled out in faith schools across the UK, the commission said. It added that professional organisations and trade unions should ensure that all Jewish members are treated equally and with respect, while there must be a consistent approach taken by police when dealing with antisemitic crimes. The commission said it had seen evidence of 'hidden barriers being put in front of Jewish involvement within the arts' and said there must always be a 'robust response for those who choose to discriminate and government at every level should ensure this'. Lord Mann said: 'It is unacceptable that the Jewish community has faced an onslaught of antisemitism since October 7th. 'Whilst this is not new, the commission heard shocking experiences that we will not ignore. Antisemitism is racism and it must be treated as such. We hope these recommendations will provide additional guidance and action for civil society.' Dame Penny said: 'No person should face abuse or discrimination whilst going about their business, whether it is pursuing the career of their choice or accessing public services. 'We wanted to suggest some very practical things that can be dealt with swiftly and will dramatically improve people's experiences.' Board of Deputies president Phil Rosenberg said: 'Overall, the challenge in civil society can be summarised as one of a failure to apply the protections rightly afforded to different vulnerable groups equally to Jewish people in the same positions. 'Many sectors promote strong Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) processes, which are very important, but too often, these protections seem to exclude Jews.' He said the board will insist that 'Jews must count' and will use the recommendations of the commission's report 'to ensure that they do'. An NHS spokesperson said: 'It is completely unacceptable for anyone to experience racism, discrimination or prejudice in the health service, whether staff or patient, and the NHS takes any instance of antisemitism or discrimination extremely seriously. 'The NHS provides care and treatment for everyone regardless of race, faith, or background and all NHS healthcare providers should have policies in place to address issues like this in the workplace.'
South Wales Guardian
13-07-2025
- Health
- South Wales Guardian
Antisemitism an ‘urgent issue' for all of British society, Penny Mordaunt warns
The former Conservative minister joined Lord John Mann, the Government's antisemitism adviser, in chairing an independent commission on antisemitism on behalf of the Board of Deputies, Britain's largest Jewish community organisation. Writing in the Telegraph newspaper, the pair described themselves as 'hard-nosed politicians' who are 'used to dealing with the extremes of human emotions and catastrophe'. But they added: 'Even with decades of these experiences, we were still stunned into silence by the evidence that we received as independent chairs of the Board of Deputies Commission on Antisemitism, particularly from young people in the Jewish community.' 'This is an urgent issue not just for the Jewish community but for the United Kingdom as a whole,' the pair added. They also said: 'We are all harmed if we tolerate the abuse of some of our fellow citizens by those who hold warped or extreme views.' Their warnings of growing antisemitic prejudices across British society, from the NHS to arts organisations and the police, comes as the report they authored is set to be published on Tuesday. Among its recommendations are that the NHS should hold a summit to tackle the 'specific unaddressed issue of antisemitism' within the health service. Lord Mann and former defence secretary Dame Penny set out 10 recommendations calling for educators, public services and trade unions to do more to tackle antisemitism. Among them was a recommendation for every NHS trust to have 'basic training on contemporary antisemitism'. They stated: 'From evidence that we heard, we can identify that there is a specific unaddressed issue of antisemitism within the NHS. We recommend that a summit should be held with NHS leaders across the UK to begin to address this.' They noted an 'identifiable lack of consistency and capacity in antisemitism training' and recommended the creation of a specific antisemitism training qualification, adding that such training should be included within equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in organisations and institutions. Efforts to teach primary school teachers how to avoid passing on antisemitism and anti-Jewish tropes in their lessons should be rolled out in faith schools across the UK, the commission said. It added that professional organisations and trade unions should ensure that all Jewish members are treated equally and with respect, while there must be a consistent approach taken by police when dealing with antisemitic crimes. The commission said it had seen evidence of 'hidden barriers being put in front of Jewish involvement within the arts' and said there must always be a 'robust response for those who choose to discriminate and government at every level should ensure this'. Lord Mann said: 'It is unacceptable that the Jewish community has faced an onslaught of antisemitism since October 7th. 'Whilst this is not new, the commission heard shocking experiences that we will not ignore. Antisemitism is racism and it must be treated as such. We hope these recommendations will provide additional guidance and action for civil society.' Dame Penny said: 'No person should face abuse or discrimination whilst going about their business, whether it is pursuing the career of their choice or accessing public services. 'We wanted to suggest some very practical things that can be dealt with swiftly and will dramatically improve people's experiences.' Board of Deputies president Phil Rosenberg said: 'Overall, the challenge in civil society can be summarised as one of a failure to apply the protections rightly afforded to different vulnerable groups equally to Jewish people in the same positions. 'Many sectors promote strong Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) processes, which are very important, but too often, these protections seem to exclude Jews.' He said the board will insist that 'Jews must count' and will use the recommendations of the commission's report 'to ensure that they do'. An NHS spokesperson said: 'It is completely unacceptable for anyone to experience racism, discrimination or prejudice in the health service, whether staff or patient, and the NHS takes any instance of antisemitism or discrimination extremely seriously. 'The NHS provides care and treatment for everyone regardless of race, faith, or background and all NHS healthcare providers should have policies in place to address issues like this in the workplace.'
