OPINION: Our challenges lay beyond the Jewish community rather than within
The chairman of the National Jewish Assembly argues that communal divisions show Jewish Britain at its best, not worst.
Alex Brummer’s article in the Jewish News regarding the state of the Jewish community in the UK today and what should be done about it led readers to think that we have some real deep-seated problems which require solutions from within. For the most part, I beg to differ.
It might well be the case that individual shuls and other community institutions have their own local issues, the natures of which might vary, but to assume that there are some generic problems affecting everyone in UK Jewry is a huge exaggeration and overshadows the very real success which our community is achieving.
Alex’s recommendations near the end of his article comprise serious thinking about whether synagogues are welcoming to all including non-Jewish partners, enhancing the role of women, reducing the level of repetition in services, axing liturgy, amending divorce procedures and removing the extra day of holiday at Sukkot, Pesach and Shavuot.
These questions were often debated 50 years ago when I was a shul-going teenager, and will doubtless be debated 50 years from now long after I am gone. Some Jews would like to see change, others not, but in any event none of these issues detract from the overall positive state of our community today.
You do not have to be a prophet to predict that 2023 could well be the most divisive year ever, from a political perspective, within UK Jewry.
Another aspect of our community is our numerous charities and other communal groups. Alex suggests that, as regards charities, there are too many “overlapping organisations and egos”. Most, if not all Jewish charities have their own principled objectives to support those less well off and would argue that their missions are distinct. Their trustees devote inordinate amounts of their time, without remuneration, towards trying to maximise their charity’s effect.
Their efforts are to be praised. If, because of financial or other reasons, a Jewish charity has to close or merge, that is very sad because it entails a lost opportunity to help those in need which had been driven by the vision of the charity’s founders and current trustees.
Alex is also on very weak ground regarding his comments on the communal organisations, especially his apparent preference for a merger between the Board of Deputies and the Jewish Leadership Council. It is foolish to even begin to make such a suggestion without a thorough examination of why, 20 years ago, the Jewish Leadership Council was set up in the first place and whether the issues that were relevant then might still be relevant today or might recur in the near future.
Much more fundamentally, the really key issue here is whether or not our community is healthier with more communal bodies or fewer. I feel passionately that the answer is more. Why? It is simply that different groups in our community have different objectives (and even if a similar objective, different ways of achieving it) and need to have a chance to make their voices heard. This is more important than us trying to speak with one voice and stifling those, often substantial in numbers, who do not agree.
This leads on to community divisions, especially those of a political nature. You do not have to be a prophet to predict that 2023 could well be the most divisive year ever, from a political perspective, within UK Jewry.
There is the huge matter of the new Israeli government which will doubtless occupy Jewish newspapers for the coming year. Additionally, there is the debate about how best to deal with purported BBC antisemitism and concerns about the proposed Holocaust Memorial near Westminster.
Yet I would argue that these divisions show the community at its best, not worst. The arguments need to be made on all sides loud and clear, and not covered up under the umbrella of a small number of leading community organisations, whose own stated views often raise questions as to how truly representative they are.
Alex was, however, absolutely right to make reference to the fantastic vibrancy of our community. Combining this with the successes of Jewish schools and chedarim, the interest in Judaism, the growth in community numbers, the integral part in our national life played by so many Jews in so many spheres and yes, even the continuing popularity of shuls in the internet age, leads me to conclude that there are almost no major difficulties of the type that Alex writes about.
The problems, however, emanate from outside the UK Jewish community, especially antisemitism. Everything needs to be done to seek to minimise Jew-hatred, and although our methodologies might differ, we all have the same ultimate objective.
The more organisations that can play their part in this struggle, be it at governmental, municipal or organisational level, the better.
That has to be our real concern as a community.
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.
