Jewish split over Gaza deepens in the UK

The UK’s largest representative body for British Jews has come under pressure to end its support for Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, as dissenting voices in the community become mainstream.

The Board of Deputies of British Jews faces a crucial juncture on Sunday when it wraps up an investigation into a bloc of its own members accused of public dissent in violation of its rule book.

Those members wrote a public letter condemning Israel’s war in Gaza in the Financial Times in April. The publication has left the board − historically the representative for the Jewish community to UK officialdom − facing unprecedented public divisions between the deputies, who are elected by their synagogues or charities.

The fracture is expected to cast a cloud over the board's role as the community representative, especially during a time of tensions. “The board can’t claim to speak in one Jewish voice any more,” said one supporter of the letter.

The letter marked the first open rupture within the British Jewish establishment, causing a backlash and the suspension of deputy director Harriett Goldenberg, who led the 36 signatories.

But supporters of the letter – who spoke on condition of anonymity – say opposition to the war and frustration with the board’s position is far-reaching, and expect more pressure to emerge in larger numbers once the investigation is over.

There are added concerns about how the board responds − or does not − to recent changes in UK government policy on the conflict.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy announced the suspension of trade talks with Israel on Monday, using his strongest language yet to condemn the country's “intolerable” and “repellent” actions in Gaza.

Illegal settlers were also placed under sanctions, and the Israeli ambassador Tzipi Hotovely summoned.

“If [the board] speak up against [UK criticism and measures] they will lose trust from the [British] government. It's in their interest to stay quiet,” a supporter of the letter of dissent said.

The Board of Deputies diverged from its policy of not taking a stance on Israeli politics in 2023, when it refused to meet far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich during a visit to the UK.

Since the October 7 Hamas-led attacks on Israel, it has issued statements in support of the war, including criticism of the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrants for Israeli leaders Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant.

Though debates about the war are commonplace among British Jews, the 36 deputies − about a 10th of the board − have also been criticised for “airing dirty laundry” in public. At the very least, the tensions are shattering an image of unity which the Board of Deputies has sought to project.

The board's president, Phil Rosenberg, also said the letter had misled the public as it was presented as an official statement from the organisation.

“The impression that has now been put forward … is that yesterday’s letter … is the position of the Board of Deputies as an organisation, and therefore the position of the UK Jewish community as a whole. This is emphatically not the case,” he wrote in the letter's aftermath.

Supporters of the letter say they take their cue from Israeli society – where support for a deal with Hamas to return the hostages has grown to about 70 per cent, and families of the remaining hostages are calling for an end to the war.

They say their aim is not to create a split from the board. “There won’t be a split. It’s about how the board comes to represent the diversity of views [on the war],” one supporter told The National.

Some put the board’s reaction down to Mr Rosenberg's political agenda. The former Labour councillor and interfaith advocate campaigned on a message of “unity” ahead of his election in May last year.

“I urge us all to remember that unity is strength. Division serves only our enemies,” Mr Rosenberg wrote in response to the letter in April.

Powerful caucus

The fallout comes as two Jewish movements, Reform and Liberal, announced they had merged on Monday to create one single Progressive Movement, which would represent 30 per cent of British Jews.

The two movements had diverged from orthodox or conservative counterparts by allowing female rabbis, mixed-faith couples and same-sex marriage. Though the merger is unrelated to Jewish positions on the Israel-Gaza war, it is expected to give critics a stronger platform.

Ed Kessler, who chaired an advisory board overseeing the merger, said: “This is the biggest change and most significant development in British Judaism since the second world war.” Progressive Judaism would provide a voice and a space that brought together “timeless Jewish tradition with the diversity and values of 21st-century Jewish life”, he added.

There is also growing disillusionment with the Board of Deputies from a younger generation of British Jews who view it as an arcane structure that lacks the ability to represent them.

Ripples across Europe

The fallout in the UK is being watched by other Jewish communities in Europe.

French historian Marc Knobel, who recently broke his silence on the Israel-Gaza war, described the suspension of the signatories as “absolutely unacceptable”.

Mr Knobel was one of four prominent French Jews last week to speak out against Israel's military campaign in Gaza for the first time.

“Those who hold a more universalist view of Judaism believe that this situation cannot continue and that it is time to take action,” he told The National.

More than 40 Jewish and non-Jewish writers, philosophers, and actors also wrote an opinion article on May 11 saying that Israel’s war against Gaza was disproportionate and did not respect the laws of war.

The Representative Council of French Jewish institutions (Crif) has highlighted in its response that open debate is part of Jewish tradition.

Mr Knobel emphasised that French Jews who recently spoke up had previously feared fuelling a wave of anti-Semitism – which nearly quadrupled in France in 2023 – as well as exposing internal divisions within the Jewish community that could be exploited by the pro-Palestinian left.

With nearly 450,000 members, France's Jewish community is the largest in Europe. “Today, the debate is marked by excessive polarisation; there is no longer any room for rationality when it comes to discussing the conflict,” Mr Knobel said. “We are all deeply disoriented, and many of us fear for Israel's survival. A great number of us are working tirelessly towards a resolution of this conflict.”

Remarks made on May 6 by Mr Smotrich, who declared that Gaza would be “totally destroyed”, have caused particular alarm among members of the diaspora.

“It was like a ticking time bomb. Now, many believe the situation has become untenable,” Mr Knobel said. He added that the diaspora is also following, with a mixture of perplexity and concern, the growing opposition to the war within Israeli society itself.

French Jews fear being systematically identified with Israel and many find it difficult to be constantly called upon to express their views on the policies of the Israeli government. “We live 3,500km from Israel. We are, above all, French, and our children are not fighting there,” Mr Knobel said.