UK’s largest Jewish group punishes members who broke silence on Gaza genocide

Five elected members of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, the UK’s largest Jewish representative body, have been suspended for two years after publicly criticising Israel’s military assault on Gaza, an act they described as incompatible with Jewish values and morally indefensible.

The suspensions follow an open letter signed by 36 deputies and published in the Financial Times on 16 April.  “Israel’s soul is being ripped out” said the signatories expressing their opposition to the genocidal war in Gaza. The letter, which came amid mounting civilian deaths and growing global calls for accountability, urged Jewish leaders to break their silence in the face of war crimes and mass suffering.

“We cannot turn a blind eye or remain silent,” the deputies wrote. “This most extremist of Israeli governments is openly encouraging violence against Palestinians… Israel’s soul is being ripped out, and we fear for the future of the Israel we love.”

The Board of Deputies, a key proponent of Isarel, initiated an internal investigation after receiving complaints about the letter. Many of the complaints reportedly came from members of the United Synagogue, the largest Orthodox Jewish body in Britain, while the signatories are primarily from Reform, Liberal, and Masorti communities.

The findings of the investigation, released on Tuesday evening, concluded that all 36 signatories had breached its code of conduct by allegedly misrepresenting its official stance and bringing the institution into disrepute.

Read: The Board of Deputies of British Jews missed a possible turning point

Thirty-one deputies are said to have received formal notices of criticism, but five have been suspended from the Board for two years and stripped of any elected roles. In three of those cases, the suspension could be reduced to six months if the deputies issue public apologies.

The original letter was a landmark moment, marking the first time a significant bloc within the Board publicly challenged Israel’s military assault. It also directly contradicted Israeli government claims that mass killing of Palestinians was necessary to secure the release of hostages. The deputies noted that more hostages were released through negotiation than through military means, and that at least three were killed in Israeli bombings.

Their letter denounced not only the Gaza massacre but also Israel’s political direction under the ultra-right coalition of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which the signatories accused of dismantling democratic institutions and fuelling settler violence in the illegally occupied West Bank.

The dissent against the Board echoes several prominent Jews warning about the rise in anti-Semitism fuelled by Israel’s behaviour. “This Israeli Government Is a Danger to Jews Everywhere” said Thomas L Friedman writing in the New York Times earlier this month.

Australian Jewish commentator Josh Szeps raised what has been a taboo subject within Jewish communities outside Israel: Should Jews continue to support Israel?  “My grandmother fled the Holocaust. Now it’s time for Jews to abandon Israel,” said Szeps in an article that has sparked polarising debates about Isael’s relationship with Jews.

“The Israel which my grandmother dreamt of does not exist,” Szeps concluded. “What exists is illegal settlement building. What exists is a discriminatory occupation. What exists is a political establishment so eager to undermine Palestinian statehood that it bolstered Hamas. What exists is the jailing of moderates like the Palestinian lawmaker Marwan Barghouti in order to keep Palestinian leadership either moribund or radical. What exists is a state that’s preparing to annex or reoccupy all the lands of the Palestinian people indefinitely. What exists is the obliteration of Gaza.”

Read: Board of Deputies slammed for ‘victim-blaming’ response to Gaza massacre

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