British Jews break away from 'pro-Israeli' Board of Deputies

I have long known from conversations with Jewish friends in this country that the universal approval of Israel's actions from Jews in the Diaspora (implied in the charge that any criticism of Israel is merely anti-Semitism under another guise) was false. Indeed, it is simply another way of ending any serious discussion of Israel's shortcomings.

Now, a group of British Jews are forming a new organisation to counter the perceived pro-Israeli bias in existing Jewish bodies in the UK.

The founders of Independent Jewish Voices, IJV, which will include such luminaries as the Nobel Prize-winning playwright Harold Pinter and the historian Eric Hobsbawm, say that the group is being established as a counter-balance to the uncritical support for Israeli policies offered by established bodies such as the Board of Deputies of British Jews.

More than 100 high-profile British Jews have already signed the group's founding declaration: "Those who claim to speak on behalf of Jews in Britain and other countries consistently put support for the policies of an occupying power above the human rights of the occupied people."

Other signatories include the film director Mike Leigh, human rights lawyer Geoffrey Bindman, fashion designer Nicole Farhi and the actors Stephen Fry and Zoe Wanamaker. The initiative was born out of frustration with the assumption by non-Jews that Jewish opinion in the UK is monolithic in its support for Israel's policies.

Professor Hobsbawm told The Independent: "It is important for non-Jews to know that there are Jews ... who do not agree with the apparent consensus within the Jewish community that the only good Jew is one who supports Israel."

Supporters hope to create an opportunity for Jews of different political affiliations to express opinions "without being accused of disloyalty or being dismissed as self-hating", said a spokeswoman. "The idea is to create a platform for critical debate about the situation in the Middle East that until now has not existed."

This is long overdue. And although the IJV is not positioning itself as a replacement for the Board of Deputies of British Jews, its charter includes an implicit rebuke for the Board.

"The broad spectrum of opinion among the Jewish population of this country is not reflected by those institutions which claim authority to represent the Jewish community as a whole," it says.

The Board of Deputies of British Jews has long given the impression that support for Israel's policies is almost guaranteed amongst Britain's Jewish population, a claim that I have always found to be false from arguments I have had with my Jewish friends, some of whom support Israel no matter what and many more who are vehemently opposed to Israel's actions towards the Palestinians.

It will be interesting to see how quickly this group are labelled as irrelevant, as the pro-Israeli groups usually waste no time in dispensing with perceived enemies. However, the charge of anti-Semitism will not stick, so I imagine we will soon be reading about how they are "self hating Jews". The charge that is usually levelled at any Jew in the Diaspora who dares to speak out against Israel's actions.

I already notice that some are claiming that such criticism is "fuelling anti-Semitism by challenging the existence of Israel." This furore started early this year when the AJC published an article which urged the community to 'confront' those Jews who had joined in the 'verbal onslaught against Zionism and the Jewish state':

On one side is an array of prominent Jewish community leaders and institutions saying that such criticism plays into the hands of Muslim radical groups and other extremists.

On the other side, left-wing Jewish writers and academics insist that basic freedom of expression is at stake. Some British Jewish voices have warned of an atmosphere of 'McCarthyism' reminiscent of the anti-Communist witchhunts in 1950s America.

The current dispute erupted earlier this year in the United States, home to the world's largest Diaspora Jewish community, with an essay published by the American Jewish Committee. The AJC urged the community to 'confront' those Jews who had joined in the 'verbal onslaught against Zionism and the Jewish state'. The essay denounced some critics by name, including prominent historian Tony Judt and Tony Kushner, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of the play Angels in America

The heated argument escalated further with a feature on the dispute in the New York Times. Judt, who was criticised in the article for having denounced Israel as 'arrogant, aggressive, anachronistic, infantile... [and] immoral,' told the New York Times he was convinced that leading Jewish voices simply wanted to stifle any harsh criticism of Israel.

But in a separate article, Boston-based sociologist Shulamit Reinharz - wife of the president of America's leading Jewish university, Brandeis - rejected the idea that Jewish left-wingers could question the very existence of Israel without imperilling Jews. 'Most would say they are simply anti-Zionists, not anti-Semites. But I disagree, because in a world where there is only one Jewish state, to oppose it vehemently is to endanger Jews.'

Many members of the IJV have countered the claim that their stance is harming Israel by arguing that it is actually the unstinting support for Israel's policies that represents the more serious challenge to Israel's well being.

The psychologist Susie Orbach, who has also signed the IJV declaration, said: "As a Jew, I feel a particular duty to oppose the injustice that is done to Palestinians ... The Israeli government does not speak for me."

Mr Bindman said: "The easy assumption that all Jews support Israel and its ill-treatment of Palestinians is an insidious form of racism. I, like many Jews in and outside Israel, am appalled and disgusted by the illegal occupation by Israel of Palestinian territory and its brutal treatment of Palestinians."

At the height of the bombardments of Lebanon and Gaza last year, the Board of Deputies organised a rally to support Israel.

David Goldberg, the author and emeritus rabbi of the Liberal Jewish Synagogue, said: "When Israel's Jewish supporters abroad don't speak out against disastrous policies, that neither guarantee safety for her citizens nor produce the right climate in which to try and reach a just peace with the Palestinians ... then they are ... acting against Israel's own long-term interests."

Independent Jewish Voices are a welcome addition to the British political scene. The very fact that a group of British Jews will be willing to publicly challenge the consensus that criticism of Israel is a disguised form of anti-Semitism will make that charge much harder to sustain and, hopefully, pave the way for a broader and more open discussion regarding Israel's disgraceful treatment of the Palestinians.

Shorn of the implication that only anti-Semites oppose Israel's actions, one can only hope that the Israelis would have to engage more seriously in any future peace negotiations.

However, as the argument raging in the US proves, the pro-Israelis are not going to allow that perception to be removed without a long and bloody fight.

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tag: Board of Deputies of British Jews, Independent Jewish Voices, Israel, Palestine, Road Map