OPINION: From respect to rejection: silencing rabbis is not our way

A prominent rabbi who heads one of the major religious movements in British Jewry speaks out, saying that Israel cannot continue to ‘lord it over’ the Palestinians and that there is a necessity for an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel.

‘For the sake of peace, for the sake of security, for the sake of saving Jewish lives as well as other lives, territorial concessions can be made. ‘Life is worth more than land,’ so said the rabbi.

The leader in question was none other than the late Chief Rabbi, Lord Immanuel Jakobovits. He was a towering figure in the British Jewish community and a highly respected presence in the Jewish world.

And while his sentiments, uttered in 1991, did provoke strong reactions for and against his views, his authority and position remained unquestioned.

There was no prospect of him being figuratively or literally de-platformed.

The example of Rabbi Jakobovits is worth recalling in considering the shameful treatment meted out to Rabbis Josh Levy and Charley Baginsky at the ironically titled ‘Stop the Hate’ march last weekend.

In the middle of a speech calling for the Israeli hostages held in Gaza to be brought home and for an end to the war, the microphone was unceremoniously taken from Rabbi Baginsky, and the pair were told by organisers to ‘get off the stage’.

In their speech, the Rabbis – who are co-heads of Progressive Judaism – also said, ‘The idea of a Palestinian State is not the problem. The Palestinian people, like the Jewish people, have the right to self-determination.’ Their sentiments clearly echoed those of Lord Jakobovits almost 35 years before.

It would have been unthinkable, even in recent years, for any rabbi to have been silenced in the way that occurred last weekend

And where the late Chief Rabbi spoke of being ‘alarmed at the prospect of Jewish religious fundamentalism’, Rabbis Levy and Baginsky articulated their fears about ‘Jewish extremist violence’, which is ‘doing lasting damage to Israel, its standing in the world, and the prospects of peace for all Israelis and Palestinians’.

The views expressed by these three rabbis – past and present – were similar, but the atmosphere over the passing decades has changed for the worse. It would have been unthinkable, even in recent years, for any rabbi to have been silenced in the way that occurred last weekend. The threatening behaviour from elements within the crowd, along with the rough treatment from the organisers towards Rabbis Baginsky and Levy, vividly highlights growing intolerance within our community when some people’s views don’t slavishly support the policies of the current Israeli government.

Like many British Jews, I grew up in the United Synagogue, where a broad spectrum of religious observance was accepted and even welcomed. The US expressed the idea of gentle orthodoxy, rejecting absolutism and promoting civility.

There were broad religious differences with other non-Orthodox streams of Judaism, but the Chief Rabbi – as head of the United Synagogue – was given latitude on many occasions to be the religious representative of the community to the outside world. That position is earned, not granted. It can only exist where there is an overt acceptance of different views and a rejection of intolerance.

Today we see narrower views taking hold of parts of the community, where particular religious and political orthodoxies are trying to dominate the discourse, literally shouting down those who don’t follow their particular line.

This is not the way the Jewish community has acted in the past, and it must not be allowed to happen in the future.

In the days since the shameful rally last weekend, we have seen how different community figures – lay and religious, including from non-orthodox and some orthodox streams of Judaism – have come together to condemn the actions of the organisers and behaviour of parts of the crowd. These individuals stand for true leadership and represent a long, proud tradition – that includes Chief Rabbis Jakobovits and Sacks – where differing views were voiced and heard.

Silence in the face of intolerance – such as we saw directed at Rabbis Levy and Baginsky – is taken as acceptance of such behaviour, and that has no place in our community.

• Richard Miron is a former BBC reporter, UN Middle East spokesman and senior World Bank communications official