Holocaust Memorial Day organiser dismissed over link to grassroots Israeli group accusing state of genocide
EXCLUSIVE: Melanie Goldberg departs as Scottish support worker over link to Standing Together organisation
The Holocaust Memorial Day Trust (HMDT) has terminated the contract of its Scottish representative, Melanie Goldberg, over her association with a left-wing grassroots organisation that has accused Israel of committing genocide.
Jewish News understands that Goldberg was asked to leave her role at the HMDT with immediate effect this week because her post as a committee member of Scotland Friends of Standing Together (SFoST) was deemed a “clear conflict of interest” with the Trust.
Despite acknowledging Goldberg’s contributions as a freelance Scottish Support Worker, HMDT argued that Standing Together’s statements supporting claims of genocide by Israel in Gaza were incompatible with the Trust’s values.
Her dismissal came as she was organising the official Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) Ceremony for Scotland, scheduled for January at the Scottish Parliament.
Goldberg told Jewish News: “When an impromptu Teams meeting was arranged with senior management on Monday, I thought nothing of it. I was completely shocked when they informed me that I was being fired.
“There was no warning, no prior discussion—just a message that all the Trustees, none of whom I’ve ever even met, had decided over the weekend that terminating my contract was apparently the only option. I was given no opportunity to negotiate or defend myself; the decision was final.”
She added: “I was told that there was nothing I had personally said or done that was antithetical to the Trust’s values, but that any form of connection with Standing Together apparently contravenes the work that HMDT does.”
Asked for comment on Goldberg’s departure a spokesperson for HMDT said they would not be commenting on confidential legal matters.
Last year, HMDT faced controversy after invitations to the Holocaust Memorial Day ceremony referred to “devastating violence against Palestinians.”
The wording drew criticism from figures including Lord Carlile KC and Baroness Deech, who argued it was offensive to compare the Shoah with the actions of the IDF against Hamas in Gaza.
Former HMDT chair Laura Marks apologised, calling the language inappropriate. Marks has since been succeeded by former Tory minister Sajid Javid.
Under its chief executive Olivia Marks-Woldman, the work done by HMDT in encouraging people of all ages to learn the lessons of history, from the Holocaust and from other genocides, has been widely praised.
Standing Together (Omdim Beyachad), founded in Israel in 2015, seeks to unite Arab and Jewish Israelis in pursuit of Israeli-Palestinian peace, equality, and social justice. The group has consistently advocated an anti-occupation stance and gained support in Israel and abroad, especially after the October 7 Hamas attacks.
While initially seeking to counter anti-Arab sentiment in Israel, Standing Together has adopted a more critical approach to the Gaza war. Statements put out by the group included refusing “our government’s genocidal war”.
But Standing Together has also been criticised by hardline Palestine campaigners for allegedly “normalising” Israel’s actions, and now faces a call for it to be boycotted from the BDS movement.
Standing Together supporters in the UK have included the Labour MP Alex Sobel. The UK and Scotland “Friends of” branches were established as part of wider attempts to boost support for the group outside of Israel.
Goldberg described her shock at the dismissal, especially given her positive relationships within HMDT and recent recognition of her work: “I regularly received positive feedback from my manager and others in the organisation, and had just been informed last week that I was to be flown down for the official UK HMD Ceremony in January. Another reason why my dismissal came as such a shock.”
She insisted HMDT had been aware of her involvement with Standing Together from the outset: “They were aware of it throughout the hiring process, and nobody ever flagged it as a concern. I just don’t understand why this is happening now.”
Goldberg also emphasised her own commitment to Holocaust education and combating antisemitism, saying: “The implication that Holocaust education and antisemitism are not hugely important issues for me, and that my values somehow do not align with the Trust, is entirely tenuous. I have never said or done anything to encourage the misuse of the terms ‘genocide’ and ‘Holocaust’, and it is deeply hurtful that this has been suggested.”
In a statement, UK and Scotland Friends of Standing Together called on HMDT to reinstate Goldberg, and claimed her dismissal was “an attack on her right to free speech and association outside of the workplace.”
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