The Board of Deputies has throughout its existence been criticized of not fully representing the views held in the community. Most recently it has been attacked for both not acting forcefully enough to condemn anti-Semitism and support Israel, and at the same time of disregarding the fact that the huge majority of British Jews (77 percent according to a survey made in 2010) are in favor of a two-state solution - and therefore to the left of Israels current government. Allowing Yachad to join the Board may help to conduct a wider and more open debate, though there is at the least a slight suspicion that some of Yachads members would have actually preferred to lose the vote and continue presenting themselves as outsiders, martyrs to the lack of freedom of speech on Israel within the Jewish community. Being part of the community mainstream, as they have now been accepted, could stifle their enthusiasm and lessen their appeal to younger members. The right wing-dominated Zionist Federation did them exactly this favor a couple of years ago when it decided not to accept Yachad on the basis of a secret vote of its membership. It is interesting to speculate whether the Board vote today would have gone differently had it not been an open one. But it certainly did itself a massive favor and prevented a huge embarrassment by conducting the debate, which at times was passion-filled and uncharacteristically relatively raucous for the normally staid Jewish establishment, in the way it did. Some are already rushing to compare todays vote with the decision earlier this year of the U.S. Conference of Presidents not to accept to it ranks J street, which is widely seen as Yachads inspiration. The two cases, however, are not analogous as J Street is a lobbying group operating also outside the American Jewish community while Yachad prefers to focus on education and advocacy within. But the conclusion that British Jews have shown a maturity on the Israel debate lacking in the American community is unavoidable. That doesnt mean that British Jewry is engaging with all its issues however. The furor over the Yachad vote overshadowed a much briefer debate that took place at the end of the Boards session over the problematic relationship between the community and the anti-immigration United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP). UKIPs decision last month to allay itself in the European Parliament with a Polish far-right party - which includes Holocaust-deniers among its leadership - has caused consternation among the Jewish leadership and a rare denunciation from the Board. In the short debate, wildly diametrical opinions from speakers who said that UKIP was no worse from the other British parties since they all included critics of Israel, and those saying that a community descended from immigrants must be extremely suspicious of a party such as UKIP - and that its policies toward Israel must not be the only consideration. Yet another Israel-related debate British Jews lack the security to hold.
Posted on: Sun, 16 Nov 2014 17:59:22 +0000
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