MEP candidates debate hot topics for Europe’s Jews
Issues of interest to the Jewish community took centre stage on Sunday as candidate for the upcoming European Parliamentary elections joined 30 faith leaders in Finchley for a lively debate on Britain’s role in the EU.
Co-hosted by Faith Forum and London Jewish Forum, it featured Lynee Hack (Conservative), Ivana Bartoletti (Labour) and Jonathan Fryer (Liberal Democrat) in a discussion chaired by Reform Rabbi Laura Janner-Klausner.
Alongside such staples as the economy and immigration were issues such as the national and continental response to calls to ban animal slaughter (shechita) and the wearing religious symbols in public.
Ahead of the 22 May election, Tory candidate Hack said: “I disagree with the banning of religious symbols, but I believe member states should be responsible for managing such issues locally rather than the EU interfering.”
On the threat to shechita, the Lib Dem’s Fryar said: “Whichever method is being used to slaughter animals for food, it should be done in the best supervision to reduce pain for animals.”
Labour’s Bartoletti meanwhile warned of the “great risks in particular with far rights parties in the EU, so it is important that we consider our challenges and work by enforcing against hate crimes.”
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.
