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December 9, 2015
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By Isi Leibler
Reviewing the status
of Anglo-Jewry can lead to diametrically opposing conclusions. Residing in a
northwest London Jewish suburb, one can easily be deluded that life for Jews in
the U.K. is rosy. Jewish cultural and religious life is thriving, as
exemplified by the mushrooming of synagogues and kosher facilities, not to
mention the highly successful educational initiatives like Limmud. Indeed,
insulated from the outside world and living and socializing primarily in a
Jewish “ghetto,” it is not difficult to convince oneself that life in this
Anglo-Jewish Diaspora is almost idyllic.
But this picture is
delusionary and a far cry from reality. The demographic projections reflect
snowballing intermarriage offset by the high birthrate of the ultra-Orthodox
— which will make them the dominant element in the Jewish community
within the not too distant future.
More importantly,
even though British Jews have not yet suffered from the bloody jihadi violence
and murders of their French counterparts, as European Jews they will ultimately
face the same threat, and if they believe they are in a different category,
they are in denial.
Although Muslim
jihadi elements are currently less dominant in the U.K. than in France, they
face very similar threats from ISIS followers and homegrown terrorists.
Moreover, indigenous anti-Semitism in the form of feral anti-Israelism is as
blatant in the U.K. as in France.
One need only peruse
the vicious anti-Jewish talkbacks to appreciate the extent of the problem. The
media, especially the BBC, effectively incites hatred against Israel by its
biased and distorted reporting, which at best portrays Jewish victims of terror
and the perpetrators with moral equivalence and frequently condemns Israelis
for defending themselves.
The regular mass
support for anti-Israel demonstrations headed by leftist and human rights
groups — for whom Israel-baiting is considered axiomatic — confirm that hatred
of Jews has become a central feature of the British political system. Some of
the banners and placards at these demonstrations, such as “Jews to the gas,”
resemble Nazi anti-Semitic campaigns.
The situation at
universities is appalling, with BDS being promoted at all levels and
pro-Israeli speakers denied the opportunity of expressing their views and
frequently facing violence. This has led to the intimidation of Jewish students
and the exclusion of lectures or activities relating to Israel.
This has led to the
atrocious situation in which cowardly Jewish student leaders even justify their
refusal to engage in pro-Israel advocacy so as to cater to “non-Zionist”
members and avoid confrontation with anti-Israeli student unions.
The most shocking
developments are at the parliamentary level, despite the presence of the
pro-Israel Prime Minister David Cameron, who consistently displays friendship
toward Israel. For over 20 years, until Ed Miliband headed the Labour Party, a
tepid but overall bipartisan positive approach toward Israel prevailed. Labour
leaders including Tony Blair proved to be among Israel’s staunchest supporters.
However, the tide
has turned as Labour has now elected as its leader Jeremy Corbyn, who after a
visit to the Middle East in 2015, characterized Israeli policies as “immoral”
and “illegal” and related to the genocidal terror groups Hamas and Hezbollah as
his “friends,” insisting they be recognized as key negotiating partners.
Corbyn was accused
by the London Jewish Chronicle and others of links with – and even in one case
funding of – Holocaust deniers, terrorists and outright anti-Semites. In July
2015, Corbyn described as “a very good friend” the fundamentalist Islamic
preacher Ibrahim Hewitt, who believes apostates and adulterers should be killed
and is considered by the U.S government as a promoter of Hamas funding.
The change in
attitude by the Labour Party toward Jews was recently reflected by an outburst
from the hostile Jewish Sir Gerald Kaufman, a veteran Labour MP who accused the
Conservatives of being influenced by “Jewish money” and claimed that the
stabbing attacks on Israeli civilians were fabricated by the Israelis in order
to “execute Palestinians.” It took a week for Corbyn’s party to respond to
protests and then it merely expressed concern over Kaufman’s obscene remarks
but failed to condemn or censure him.
Although opinion
polls show that under Corbyn’s leadership, Labour would be overwhelmingly
defeated in an election, the fact that the alternative party to government
could elect such a person should have sent chills throughout the Jewish
community. That is particularly so because, in these volatile times, unexpected
upheavals could bring about the downfall of the government and the opposition
could assume control by default.
The Board of
Deputies of British Jews, the representative body of Anglo-Jewry founded over
250 years ago, today finds itself in a difficult position. It is vastly
underfunded and understaffed to cope adequately with the complex challenges
facing the community.
In recent years, its
leaders have been subject to major criticism and dubbed “trembling Israelites”
for insisting that silent diplomacy or shtadlanut is more effective than
public activity. It has been accused of pursuing a policy of not “rocking the
boat,” opposing public demonstrations and generally seeking to retain a low
profile.
The former
president, Vivian Wineman, was head of the far-left New Israel Fund and linked
the Board with a number of dubious projects. He was strongly supported by
Yachad, a group with similar objectives to the U.S. J Street and which
demonizes the Israeli government and urges British tourists to Israel to join
their Ramallah tours designed to promote the Palestinian cause. It recently
commissioned an opinion poll based on biased sampling methods, which falsely
stated that over 70% of British Jews believe Israel’s approach to peace is
damaging. Needless to say, this group is embraced and hailed as courageous by
the anti-Israel media and pro-Palestinian activists.
This year, the Board
of Deputies elected Jonathan Arkush as its 47th president. Arkush is
a lawyer, a traditional Jew and a passionate Zionist, two of whose children
have made aliyah. He cannot be expected to revolutionize the Board overnight,
but there is little doubt that he represents a new leadership style. Hopefully,
he will generate support among grass-roots activists previously alienated by
Jewish leaders who failed to speak out forcefully against the prevailing
anti-Israel stream. Arkush has already vigorously condemned Yachad for calling
on the British government to exert pressure on Israel over settlements.
The greatest
obstacle facing the Board of Deputies is the so-called Jewish Leadership
Council, which primarily comprises a group of wealthy Jews, many of whom
bankroll and control charities.
The power of some of
these tycoons provides them with ready access to politicians, but instead of
using this to support the official umbrella body or engage directly with them,
they have created an organization with absolutely no accountability to anyone.
The Council frequently bypasses and undermines the Board of Deputies and takes
initiatives that are not in synch with the official roof body.
To make matters
worse, this body is headed by Mick Davis, the South African-born mining tycoon
who has a long record of using public platforms to castigate Israeli
governments. In 2010, he accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “for lacking
the courage to take steps” to advance the peace process, blaming Israel for
being the obstacle to peace and predicting “an apartheid state.” His arrogance
was reflected in the statement that “the government of Israel has to recognize
that their actions directly impact on me as a Jew living in London. … The
impact on me is as significant as it is on Jews living in Israel. I trust them
to recognize this.”
Last week, in his
capacity as chairman of the Jewish Leadership Council, Davis called for the
cessation of settlement activity, demanded “voluntary resettlement” of those
resident over the Green Line, and stated that “Israel has simply not done
enough” for peace and that “the consequences of that failure are enormous and
growing.”
Needless to say, the
role of the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the standing of Israel are
deeply compromised when wealthy Jewish “supporters” of Israel exploit communal
platforms in order to promote such negative views.
Anglo-Jewry faces
enormous challenges and is only marginally less vulnerable than most European
communities. Official leaders must wrest control from the unaccountable tycoons
seeking to displace them.
But if they view
themselves dispassionately, Anglo-Jews who place a premium on a meaningful
Jewish life should recognize that their status is unfortunately only likely to
deteriorate. They should at least encourage their children to make aliyah.
