Dozens of Rabbis present letter protesting Bedouin treatment
Dozens of Rabbis from all the main streams of Judaism have signed up to a letter protesting against the Israeli legislation seeking the forcible eviction of up to 40,000 Bedouin residents from their villages in the Negev.
Senior Reform Rabbi Laura Janner-Klausner presented the letter to Israeli Ambassador HE Daniel Taub after it was signed by 65 Rabbis from the Orthodox, Liberal, Reform and Masorti movements.
“A democratic, Jewish state cannot discriminate against any minority, particularly an impoverished and marginalised minority,” it said, asking: “Why should the Bedouin be denied recognition of ownership of their land, water, sewage systems, electricity, education and health services?”
The letter in it’s entirety reads as follows,
“Dear Prime Minister Netanyahu,
We write on behalf of over sixty UK Rabbis, drawn from Orthodox, Progressive and Masorti denominations, to protest in the strongest of terms against the continuation of the legislative process of the Bill on the Arrangement of Bedouin Settlement in the Negev. If passed, the Bill would result in the forcible eviction of 30,000-40,000 Bedouin residents from their villages in the Negev into existing townships.
The Bill represents a great injustice towards Bedouin citizens of the State of Israel. Why should the Bedouin, living in 46 towns and villages, occupying just 5% of the entire land of the Negev region, be denied fundamental human rights accorded to other citizens: recognition of ownership of their land, water, sewage systems, electricity, education and health services?
A democratic, Jewish state cannot discriminate against any minority, particularly an impoverished and marginalised minority. In the name of our Judaism and democracy, in the name of justice and fairness, we are writing to protest against the Bill and its assumption that it is somehow democratic and fair to evict a section of the Israeli population from their historic homes and lands. In addition, the Bill’s proposal to resettle the Bedouin in development towns disregards traditional family and kinship ties of the Bedouin and the communal and social fabric of their villages and has already been shown to result in disastrous levels of unemployment, destitution and disillusion.
We protest also in the name of our Judaism whose central values are justice and compassion. ‘Righteousness exalts a nation’ (Proverbs 14:34) is the principle by which a nation should exercise leadership.
Please stop the passage of the Bill through the Knesset. Instead a proper consultative process should be established with Bedouin men and women to settle land claims and recognise the Bedouin’s historic rights to their lands, leading to the provision of proper services for their villages. In addition, care should be given to the long-term needs of the Bedouin. Such a process will benefit the State of Israel as a whole
As it stands, the Bill is likely to do serious damage to the international reputation of the State of Israel. A just and proper process will enhance Israel’s international standing.
Yours sincerely,
1 Shulamit Ambalu
2 Neil Amswych
3 Charley Baginsky
4 Rachel Benjamin
5 Miriam Berger
6 Francis Ronald Berry
7 Barbara Borts
8 Janet Burden
9 Howard Cooper
10 Frank Dabba Smith
11 Janet Darley
12 Colin Eimer
13 Warren Elf
14 Helen Freeman
15 Paul Freedman
16 Ariel J. Friedlander
17 Amanda Golby
18 David J. Goldberg
19 Mark Goldsmith
20 Aaron Goldstein
21 Andrew Goldstein
22 Jeremy Gordon
23 Anthony Hammond
24 Frank Hellner
25 Michael Hilton
26 Harry Jacobi
27 Margaret Jacobi
28 Richard Jacobi
29 Zoe Jacobs
30 Laura Janner-Klausner (Chair)
31 Deborah Kahn-Harris
32 Josh Levy
33 Jonathan Magonet
34 Monique Mayer
35 Maurice Michaels
36 Charles H. Middleburgh
37 Kathleen Middleton
38 David Mitchell
39 Lea Mühlstein
40 Julia Neuberger
41 Jeffrey Newman
42 Michael Pertz
43 Rebecca Qassim Birk
44 Danny Rich (Chair)
45 Sylvia Rothschild
46 Elli Tikvah Sarah
47 Marc Saperstein
48 Haim Shalom
49 Sybil Sheridan
50 Sheila Shulman
51 Gershon Silins
52 Reuven Silverman
53 David Soetendorp
54 Mark Solomon
55 Zvi Solomons
56 Celia Surget
57 Jackie Tabick
58 Daniela Thau
59 Pete Tobias
60 Jonathan Wittenberg
61 Charles Wallach
62 Lee Wax
63 Alexandra Wright (Spokesperson)
64 Roderick Young
65 Debbie Young-Somers”
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.
