Masorti apologises for ‘respect and curiosity’ response to ‘Death to the IDF’ chant
The movement's weekly newsletter appeared to suggest that there was room in the movement for those who backed the hate chant, before issuing a public clarification
Masorti Judaism is understood to have issued an apology after its weekly newsletter appeared to imply that supporting the chant ‘death to the IDF’ was a view worthy of being listened to “with respect and curiosity”.
The denomination’s newsletter, sent out on Friday, included the lines that said: “In our communities, people hold deeply opposing views on Zionism, antisemitism, and even on provocative statements like calls for the ‘death of the IDF’. Masorti Judaism has many communities and many people with different ways of seeing the world.
“We don’t demand agreement; we want us to stay in relationship with one another, even when we profoundly disagree. It’s about creating space to listen to other voices with respect and curiosity, while also speaking up clearly for what we believe in. No one person has more entitlement to their views than another.”
A few hours later, the email was followed up by a letter from Masorti leaders, stating that in its latest newsletter “a bit of copy was published which can be misunderstood. We attempted to describe the reality of our current moment — where we are often debating what the limits of free speech are. When a musical act chants for the death of our soldiers from the stage of Glastonbury however, our opinions on that should not be up for debate.”
The letter went on to state: “We sought to use an example of the free speech debates we face, and chose poorly. The wording of this particular post was ambiguous, and allowed it to be read differently to its intention. We want to be clear: calling for the death of Israeli soldiers is not free speech, it is hate speech. It is incitement and it is dangerous – to the IDF and to Jews here in the UK.”
This is not the movement’s first brush with controversy in the last 21 months. In May 2023, Jewish News reported that Rabbi Lara Haft Yom-Tov, a community rabbi at the movement’s flagship New North London Synagogue, had described Israeli politicians as “war criminals who have forced Palestinian families to flee their homes”.
Writing in ‘Let All Who Are Hungry Come and Eat‘, part of an alternative Haggadah supplement, Yom-Tov, who asks to be referenced using they/them pronouns, also dismissed those who will “lift up their matzah and wax poetic about the Israelites’ rush to escape Egypt”, and said the “same politicians who have manufactured a famine in Gaza, leading millions to the brink of starvation, will proudly declare: ‘Let all who are hungry come and eat.’”
New North London undertook an internal investigation. While the disciplinary process led to a finding of serious misconduct, the shul’s council voted unanimously not to dismiss Yom-Tov.
The community was reminded of their [Yom-Tov’s] “public apology” and told that “it is not the Jewish way to ignore such an apology, especially when made in public. Instead, one looks to what follows.”
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
