There’s a part of me thinking that Donald Trump’s inauguration can’t come soon enough. I’m impatient for him to enter the Oval Office, I’m looking forward to his cronies taking over the West Wing. It’s the part of me that thinks everything will be so much easier once the Donald is in charge. Have I lost my mind? Shouldn’t we be mourning the death of truth? Aren’t the lights of liberal reason being snuffed out? In many respects the fear... Read more
Okay, here goes. I’m renouncing my right to Jewish national self-determination. OMG! There. I’ve done it. It didn’t hurt. I’m still here. I’m still Jewish. But what was it? And how did I get it in the first place? And just why do our Jewish leaders like to talk about it so much? I understand, thanks to various pronouncements from the Jewish community, that as a Jew I have the right to something called Jewish national self-determination. Thanks chaps. It... Read more
A leading member of the British Jewish establishment has written: “Zionism and Zionistic activities not only depress Judaism by putting nationality first and religion second, but they injure Judaism by combining religion and nationality.” The same Jew, who also happens to be President of the Anglo-Jewish Association, is convinced that non-Jews who support Zionism are, as often as not, “antisemitic”. Meanwhile, The Times newspaper has published a letter co-signed by the President of the Board of Deputies saying: “Zionist theory... Read more
How do you explain the tragedy of Palestinian history in just two and half minutes? How do you convey to those new to the subject what has happened to the Palestinian people over the last 70 years? Is it possible to galvanise concern and change people’s perceptions just through writing a folk song? It’s a challenge taken up by Jim Boyes, one third of the English Folk acapella group Coope Boyes and Simpson. Their name may sound like a firm... Read more
Inspired by a visit to the Jewish Museum in Berlin, August 2016 1. As your Synagogue President It is my honour To make this years’ High Holidays Appeal As I said on Rosh Hashanah, Thanks to your generous donations last year We have been able to raise the money To build the extension To our Jewish Museum I think we can all agree That the international design competition Although controversial Has been a great success It... Read more
This is the text of my talk given on Friday 30 September 2016 at Victoria Methodist Church to the Sheffield Kairos group, part of the Kairos Britain movement for church solidarity with Palestine. My thanks to Garth Hewitt, founder of Amos Trust, for inviting me to share the stage with him. Kairos [Pronounced: Kai-ros] is a Greek word meaning ‘the right time’ or ‘the moment of truth’. Labels When we met briefly at the Greenbelt Festival in August Garth said to me... Read more
With 2017 marking 50 years of the Israeli Occupation of the West Bank and the annexation of East Jerusalem you can guarantee that the debate over boycotting Israeli Settlements, whether by ordinary consumers or by businesses, will be a strong feature of the anniversary. It may also be its most peculiar feature unless we succeed in reframing the terms of the debate and challenge the self-appointed gate-keepers of the discussion – the diaspora Jewish leadership. Topsy-Turvy Boycotting the Settlements is... Read more
When it comes to antisemitism and the impact of Israel-Palestine on our daily lives, the Jewish community in the UK asks the wrong questions, counts the wrong data and debates the wrong issues. That’s what comes to mind when reading “What’s changed about being Jewish in Scotland” research published this summer by the Scottish Council of Jewish Communities following an upsurge in reports of antisemitism during and following Israel’s summer 2014 assault on Gaza. There are around 6,000 Jews living in... Read more
I’ve noticed, that in Britain at least, those Jews most willing to raise a critical voice on Israel are secular in outlook and find their home on the political left on most issues. That’s understandable. After all, so much of organised religion (Judaism very much included) is politically and socially conservative and happy to align itself with the status quo and the power elites of the day. There are of course notable religious Jewish individuals who are exceptions to the... Read more
I doubt I will have a more significant vote to cast in my lifetime than the one taking place this Thursday, 23 June. As a UK citizen, as a European Jew, and as an advocate for Palestinian rights, this vote matters. Here in Britain the debate has become polarised between those who fear the economic consequences of leaving and those who fear the immigration consequences of staying. In the last few days of the campaign, the inspiring life and violent... Read more
Writing from the Edge
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