#SaveSheikhJarrah

Kehillah North London is horrified by the violence in Jerusalem in the past week, which has disproportionately affected Palestinians. 

The UK Jewish community is thinking hard about how best to contribute to anti-racism in this country and embed anti-racism within our own institutions. We need to extend our thinking and action to Israel. Kehillah North London is appalled that Muslim Palestinians, who are marking the holiest month in the Islamic year, have been subjected to violence and disruption as they have sought to celebrate Ramadan in and around the Al Aqsa mosque. We stand in support of Palestinians who are taking action to defend their homes in Sheikh Jarrah, and condemn the racist legislation that supports these evictions. We know our community would rightly speak out if Jewish people experienced similar hatred and degradation. We need to speak out for Palestinians too.

We call on all Anglo-Jewish leadership – the Board of Deputies, the Jewish Leadership Council, all national synagogue bodies – to stand up and speak out about this. We call on these leaders to reach out in protest to the Israeli Embassy, and Ambassador Hotovely. We note that Ambassador Hotovely’s views on Palestinians are on record as racist. We ask our collective community leadership to let the Ambassador know that the UK Jewish community categorically rejects racial supremacism in Israel, as in the UK. 

We call on our own national synagogue body, Liberal Judaism, to stand up and speak out on these events that, more than ever, demonstrate anti-Palestinian racism, supremacy and discrimination at the heart of current political life in Israel and the occupied territories. Racial supremacism is both cause and consequence of the Occupation. If our community wishes to have a special relationship with Israel, our leadership must hold the Israeli state to account when its behaviour is incommensurate with our values of racial equality and racial justice.

Kehillah Racial Justice Group