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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.
News24
28-04-2025
- Politics
- News24
Silence is not neutrality, it is complicity
The executive of the Jewish Democratic Initiative highlights the moral and ethical crossroads Jewish institutions face for their silence and inaction amid the policies of Israel's extremist government. Recently the president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, Phil Rosenberg, wrote: "The Board of Deputies is a democratic organisation. It is a broad tent, containing 300 representatives from all denominations of Judaism and spanning a wide range of political opinion. Deputies regularly speak out in public on a range of issues and often take positions which are at odds with the official policy of the Board itself." A tolerant organisation. But not too tolerant. A few days later, Rosenberg initiated disciplinary proceedings against 36 deputies who had written a letter of dissent to the Financial Times, suspending two of the most senior members. The Financial Times letter, written during Pesach "as we mark the festival of freedom" was couched in the mildest language: "We write out of love of Israel and deep concern for its future", it began and often repeated. The emphasis was on a mainstream Jewish issue: the collapse of the agreement to free the hostages. But the letter touched a raw nerve, best summed up by its last paragraph: We stand against war. We acknowledge and mourn the loss of Palestinian life. We yearn for the day after this conflict when reconciliation can start. Should we in South Africa care about this long-distant kerfuffle? We should, because the letter and the high-handed response raise an issue that affects us too: the refusal of our major Jewish institutions to utter a word of criticism against what the letter correctly described as "the most extremist of Israeli governments". Jewish leadership in the diaspora remain largely supplicant, even though in Israel itself, hundreds of thousands, including prominent retired political and military figures, have demonstrated against that government for months. Discreet silence Our own Board of Deputies is among those who have chosen discreet silence. Which raises the question: Is there a red line somewhere that the government of Israel would have to cross before our board would speak up? Or is there no government action, neither word nor deed, too heinous to break the pact of silence? The return to hostilities after the ceasefire, as the Financial Times letter points out, was a cynical ploy to end a viable and carefully brokered pact and to bring the warmongering Itamar Ben Gvir faction back into government to pass a budget and avoid defeat in new elections. "Since then," says the letter, "no hostages have been returned. Hundreds and hundreds more Palestinians have been killed; food, fuel and medical supplies have once again been blocked from entering Gaza; and we are back in a brutal war where the killing of 15 paramedics and their burial in a mass grave is again possible and risks being normal … this most extremist of Israeli governments is openly encouraging violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, strangling the Palestinian economy and building more settlements than ever. This extremism also targets Israeli democracy, with the independence of the judicial system again under fierce attack, the police increasingly resembling a militia, and repressive laws are being advanced as provocative partisan populism is bitterly dividing Israeli society." As the letter continues, silence is not neutrality. It has become complicity. The inclination to avert our eyes is strong … Israel's soul is being ripped out … Silence is seen as support for policies that run contrary to our Jewish values … As we mark the festival of freedom with so many hostages still in captivity, it is our duty as Jews to speak out. Our own Board of Deputies is well aware of its awkward silence during the apartheid era, and has apologised for failing to speak out on behalf of Jewish values. Today, the Board is at a similar crossroads, and history will judge it. Is the board on the side of Jewish values? Will it join hundreds of thousands of Israelis calling for the release of the hostages? Or will it continue to remain on the side of the "most extremist government in Israel's history"?? - The executive of the Jewish Democratic Initiative.
Times
27-04-2025
- Politics
- Times
Inside the Gaza row splitting the British Jewish board
When Phil Rosenberg became president of Britain's largest Jewish representative body, he vowed to become a 'unifying figure' and stressed that he was 'not frightened' by the community's diverse views on difficult issues, including Israel. Under his leadership, he pledged that the Board of Deputies of British Jews would proudly echo every corner of the community as it grappled with the fallout of the October 7 attacks. 'I'm not scared to speak to people on my right or on my left, because I often find, genuinely, you learn something from people, if you listen,' he told Jewish News after his appointment last May. • British Jewish leaders condemn Netanyahu's Gaza offensive Almost a year later, however, the board is facing an unprecedented challenge amid signs
Arab News
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
UK Jewish group investigates members for condemning Israel's renewed Gaza offensive
LONDON: A major body representing Jews in the UK has suspended one of its senior figures and is investigating dozens of others after they signed a letter condemning Israel's renewed offensive in Gaza. The Board of Deputies of British Jews said it had launched the probe after 'multiple complaints' in response to the letter published in the Financial Times last week. The letter, signed by 36 members of the group, said they could not 'turn a blind eye or remain silent in the face of this renewed loss of life and livelihoods' in Gaza. Among the signatories was Harriett Goldenberg, vice chair of the organization's international division. Members of the group's executive committee voted to suspend her while the complaints procedure is underway, a statement on Tuesday said. The Board of Deputies is the largest representative body of Jews in the UK with 300 deputies elected by synagogues and communal organizations. The group previously criticized the UK government for putting pressure on Israel over the military campaign in Gaza that has killed more than 51,000 people. The recent letter represented a significant break from the official position of the Board of Deputies, which has offered support for Israel since the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023 that killed 1,200 people and led to the capture of 250 hostages. Board of Deputies President Phil Rosenberg said: 'We take alleged breaches of the code of conduct very seriously. 'The Board of Deputies is clear: Only our democratically elected honorary officers and authorized staff speak on behalf of the organization.' Goldenberg told the Financial Times last week that British Jews run the risk of being complicit if they do not speak up. 'In Jewish history, silence is not a good thing,' she said. The letter condemned Israel for breaking a ceasefire in Gaza, which had led to the killing of 'hundreds and hundreds more Palestinians.' It also said this 'most extremist' Israeli government was openly encouraging violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Dozens of members of UK Jewish body facing disciplinary action over criticism of Israel
Three dozen members of the largest body representing British Jews are facing disciplinary action after signing an open letter criticising Israel over the war in Gaza. Amid signs of deepening divisions among British Jews over the 18-month long war, the Board of Deputies announced this week that all 36 signatories to the letter were now 'subject to a complaints procedure' after 'multiple complaints'. One, Harriett Goldenberg, was suspended as vice-chair of the board's international division pending the investigation. She was also asked to step back from her role on the executive until the result of the investigation, according to the Jewish Chronicle. A statement from the board said the letter was 'not representative' of its policy on Israel. A special meeting of its executive committee was convened on Tuesday to 'discuss the ramifications and consequences of this act'. The committee voted unanimously to open a complaints procedure, which is expected to take at least four weeks, the board said. The signatories to the letter, which was published by the Financial Times, said they could no longer 'turn a blind eye or remain silent' over the war in Gaza. 'Israel's soul is being ripped out', they said. They added: 'The inclination to avert our eyes is strong, as what is happening is unbearable, but our Jewish values compel us to stand up and to speak out.' Since the break out of the war, which began after the attacks by Hamas against Israelis on October 7 2023, statements by the Board of Deputies have been broadly supportive of the Israeli government. After the executive committee meeting this week, Phil Rosenberg, the board's president, said: 'We take alleged breaches of the code of conduct very seriously … The Board of Deputies is clear: only our democratically elected honorary officers and authorised staff speak on behalf of the organisation.' Last week, Michael Wegier, the board's chief executive, said a group of deputies had 'aired their views in a national publication, specifically in their capacity as deputies, leading them to an incorrect assumption by a significant number of people in our community and beyond, that this group is putting forward the board's official position, which it is not.' In an article in the Jewish Chronicle, he added: 'Taking the legitimate and often painful debate within our community to the letters pages of national newspapers, and sowing confusion about the position of the community as a whole, is a shortsighted and dangerous precedent.' Most of the letter's signatories belong to Reform, Liberal or Masorti communities. Many of the complaints reportedly came from members of the United Synagogue, the largest communal denomination in the UK. Goldenberg has been approached for comment.
