Cameron’s re-election as PM hailed as ‘very encouraging’ for Jewish community
David Cameron’s re-election as prime minister was this week hailed as “very encouraging” for the Jewish community, after voters returned a Conservative government with a slim majority.
Community leaders said Cameron’s record on Israel and other issues of interest to British Jewry may have swung Jewish voters, adding that there were already “excellent relations” with several ministers who are set to stay.
“The re-elected government has form on Israel-Palestine, and we should all be very encouraged by the result,” said Board of Deputies’ Vice-President Jonathan Arkush, who is one of three candidates fighting to lead the organisation.
“David Cameron is not just pro-Israel, he really appreciates the whole range of issues facing the community, and I fully expect him to play a positive role in any new negotiations in the Middle East, which will one day have to happen.”
Similarly, Jewish Leadership Council chief executive Simon Johnson said: “The community can take great comfort from the excellent relations we’ve had with this government, with many ministers still in senior positions.”
Both men said that work was now needed to repair relations with Labour and the Liberal Democrats, with Arkush saying a “good line of communication needs to be quickly opened up” with whoever now leads them.
“We have many good friends there,” he said. “Whatever our differences may have been in recent times, both parties have always appreciated the issues at the heart of the community, such as tackling anti-Semitism.”
While both said work was needed to engage individual MPs in the new-look House of Commons, Johnson dismissed fears of a pro-Palestine bloc of SNP politicians, and said the new parliament would present less problems than the last.
“If there is an emerging issue, we need to have a number of MPs who we can call and express our concerns, and I think we’re better placed for that with this parliament than we were the last,” he said.
Board of Deputies’ Senior Vice-President Laura Marks said: “The results show just how important it is that the leadership of British Jewry keeps close to all sections of national leadership rather than supporting in a partisan way. Our relationships with every MP really matters.”
Senior Reform Rabbi Laura Janner-Klausner, whose father was a Labour MP, congratulated Cameron, adding that the Jewish community had “an outstanding relationship with the [previous Tory-led] government.”
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.
