Simon Schama says UK Jews must not be afraid to speak out over Israel democracy threat
The historian says the community must not be 'lily-livered' in showing support to those in Israel left 'anguished' by their government's drift towards being a "nationalist theocracy."
Lee Harpin is the Jewish News's political editor
The influential historian Simon Schama has urged the UK community to join with Jews “all over the world” in speaking out against Israel’s drift towards becoming a “nationalist theocracy.”
The television presenter insisted that speaking out against the most right-wing government in the Jewish state’s history was “not a betrayal of Israel” but “a passionate declaration of support for the enormous number of people who feel as anguished as we do. ”
Jewish history expert Schama added the community “should not be lily-livered” about making its objections to the threats to democracy posed by Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government.
He told The Observer:“This is of concern to Jewry all over the world.
Schama said it was” absolutely, utterly horrifying” that Israel’s 1948 declaration of independence – “a noble document, which promised equal civil rights to all religious and ethnic groups” – was disintegrating.
Mass protests continue to take place in Israel against sweeping reforms giving the government total control over the appointment of judges and to allowing parliament to override supreme court rulings.
Jewish News revealed last week how Israelis living in the UK will be joined by allies from this country when they stage a second “Defend Israeli democracy” protest in London next Sunday.
As a newspaper we have reflected growing disquiet over Israel’s direction within the UK community with a succession of front pages over recent weeks.
In another powerful intervention Dame Margaret Hodge, the Jewish Labour MP, also wrote an op-ed for the Guardian warning an “assault on democracy” combined with “vicious attacks on Palestinian rights” was creating a “dangerous moment” for Israel.
The Jewish Labour Movement’s parliamentary chair added:”There are so many wonderful things about Israel but the deeply anti-democratic proposals being considered by Benjamin Netanyahu’s new extreme rightwing government, alongside a renewed assault on the homes and most basic rights of Palestinians living in the occupied territories, will only deepen division and heighten tensions.
“They will end the dreams of the postwar idealistic Zionists who sought to build a new Jerusalem in the Middle East.”
Hodge had recently visited Israel as a “critical friend” of Israel, but said she and other British Jews must now be “more vocal” in voices their opposition to the “excesses” of the increasingly far-right government there.
“The voice of the Jewish diaspora must be stronger, we must exert what pressure we can to curtail the excesses of the Israeli government,” Hodge wrote.
Anthony Julius, one of the UK’s most prominent Jewish lawyers, also said the Israeli government incorporated “the worst features of the populist, anti-liberal democratic parties that operate in Europe and in America as well, but with a special kind of antinomian Jewish intensity”.
Rabbi Jonathan Romain added the “vast majority” of his congregation in Maidenhead, Berkshire, was “deeply worried” about what’s happening in Israel.
“The extremist faction in the government is anti-gay, anti-women, anti-civil liberties, anti-pluralism, hostile to Palestinians,” he said.
Romain added:”“The mood is shifting from British Jews being out-and-out supporters [of Israel] to being critical friends – and voicing that criticism publicly.”
Hannah Weisfeld, the director of Yachad, a UK organisation that advocates for a political resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, said: “There is real disquiet in the community over Smotrich and Ben-Gvir. The settler attack on Hawara was quite a game changer.”
She told The Observer:“It’s very painful for British Jews, particularly those from an old-school Zionist background. Many have family in Israel who are telling them that a dictatorship is coming. We’re not quite at a tipping point yet, but I think we’ll get there.”
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