For British Jews, disagreement is inevitable – but division is not

I have been Chair of the JLC for nearly five years. In that time, I have worked with five Prime Ministers, six Foreign Secretaries and seven Home Secretaries. 

Our members entrust us to engage with politicians, represent their concerns and work to find appropriate solutions. We do that with our community partners in a collaborative way, and our community is respected by successive governments for the way it presents itself.

When we discuss Israel, we find ourselves increasingly in conflict with the government. But when it comes to fighting antisemitism, I have found every politician I meet to be very concerned about the threats we face. They express strong support and indeed demonstrate that support through financial and legislative measures.

The government often talks of the complexity of the Israeli– Palestinian conflict and has certainly ‘reset its relationship with Israel’, but it does not and cannot understand the complex emotions that British Jews feel about Israel. For many in our community, who are so invested in Israel, so steeped in its history and politics, so consumed by what it means to have a Jewish state and so concerned for its future, any criticism can feel like a direct attack on their identity.

For others, the Israeli government’s actions and rhetoric since Netanyahu returned to power with the backing of Ben Gvir and Smotrich in 2022, have felt like a betrayal of Israel’s responsibility to the diaspora.

Differing views and, indeed, criticism of Israel are entirely legitimate, particularly when they arise from a deep concern for the future of the Jewish state.

I have no hesitation in calling myself a Zionist who believes in the essential importance to Jewish life of a sovereign Jewish state in our ancestral homeland. And as we watch Israel, seeking a democratic path to continue nation building with a deeply complex demography, my heart is filled with pride. In a world turning increasingly authoritarian, this tiny Jewish homeland surrounded by those who wish to destroy it, subject to extraordinary tectonic pressure is continuing to hold onto to a democratic ideal.

As a diaspora community, we watch this play out, all of us looking for a result that fits our own outlook. We are all different but by no mean indifferent. We care deeply.

How we manage our own differences, though, is a challenge we face here in Britain. We don’t have a one man one vote democratic ballot to work our division and compromise, instead we have representative bodies, but no organisation can entirely or practically, represent the full diversity of opinion within our community.

How we manage our own differences is deeply important to our future and we must not allow diverse views over Israel to pull us apart. In particular, we must avoid the instinctive reaction to blame each other. Communal cohesion is not the same as communal consensus, our differences must not undermine our unity, and we can all seek to understand other positions without having to endorse them.

And neither should our leadership be expected to be neutral. Positions have to be taken whilst always understanding that there may be many who disagree. Our Rabbis explain that Jewish debate and disagreement are an essential part of our tradition and we must allow them to take place with civility and dignity. We can and will disagree, but doing so with understanding and care is vital, especially when views are in danger of polarising.

There is much to concern us in communal life: growing antisemitism, hatred of Israel, a shrinking community, an education sector short of educators, enormous security costs, a social care structure struggling with financial pressures, and much more. These are the issues that should consume us because, in many cases, it is within our power to bring about positive change.

We will continue to disagree about governments, leaders and policies, both in Britain and in Israel. That is unlikely to change and nor should it. But if we can disagree with respect, resist the temptation to caricature one another, and devote more of our energy to the challenges facing Jewish life here at home, we will emerge stronger. The future of our community will be determined not by the arguments we have, but by what we choose to build together.

Prime Ministers and Foreign Secretaries will come and go, but our responsibility to one another endures. In difficult times, our strength will lie in refusing to let disagreement become division.

Keith Black is chair of the Jewish Leadership Council