Trump ‘inciting and legalising hatred’, say 30 leading progressive rabbis

More than 30 progressive British rabbis have accused president Donald Trump of “inciting and legalising hatred”, following his executive order effectively banning Muslims from entering the United States from seven Islamic countries.

In a letter published in The Times on Tuesday, Rabbis from Liberal and Reform Judaism, warning about the dangers of “institutionalised hatred” going “unchallenged”, in light of Holocaust Memorial Day last week.

The signatories said: “We stand alongside our Muslim cousins as they face the consequences – both direct and indirect – of President Trump’s executive order. By effectively banning many Muslims from entering the United States, Donald Trump is inciting and legalising hatred.”

They then make a call to action to the British Prime Minister, urging “Theresa May to convey to the president the lessons of history and the potential consequences of deliberately directing the tools of state against a minority”.

The letter is signed by figures including Laura Janner-Klausner, Senior Rabbi to Reform Judaism, and Rabbis Alexandra Wright, Richard Jacobi, Dr Jackie Tabick and Jonathan Romain.

This comes after British and American Jewish groups criticised President Trump’s decision, with the Board of Deputies president branding it “indiscriminate and unjust”.

Jewish human rights groups, The Jewish Council for Racial Equality (Jcore) and refugee charity René Cassin also condemned the president’s move.