Israeli leaders accused of ‘sowing division’ with Nation State law by WJC head
World Jewish Congress president Ronald Lauder criticised leaders for provoking a 'summer of disharmony' in the diaspora
The president of the World Jewish Congress has criticised Israeli leaders for “sowing division” and provoking a “summer of disharmony” in the Jewish world.
Writing in the New York Times, Ronald Lauder expressed concern about the possible discriminatory effect of Israel’s new ‘Nation State Law, ’ and warns Israeli leaders that they risk losing the younger Jewish generation by their actions.
Lauder, who originally backed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has recently expressed similar concerns, and this week urged Israeli leaders to “rethink their destructive actions” that risked worsening a “generational divide”.
His intervention comes after several high-profile walk-outs of young Diaspora Jews from the ten-day Birthright trip to Israel, as complaints have risen about the reluctance of the trips’ sponsors to show the reality of Israel’s occupation.
Describing new Israeli laws, Lauder said Israeli leaders risked “creating the impression that the democratic and egalitarian dimensions of the Jewish democratic state are being tested”.
Among Israel’s new laws is the Nation State Law, which specifies Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people, demotes Arabic from an official language, declares all of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, and says the development of Jewish settlements is a national value.
Echoing British Jewish grandee Sir Mick Davis, Lauder said the vision of Zionism should be of a “pluralistic Judaism that respects every human being,” adding that it is a movement that “has been unwaveringly democratic from its very start”.
In a nod to the arrest of Conservative American rabbi in Israel last month, Lauder said: “Orthodoxy should be respected, but we cannot allow the politics of a radical minority to alienate millions of Jews worldwide.”
Israeli leaders have recently ditched a law to provide an egalitarian prayer space at the Western Wall, while another law has denied the option of surrogacy to same-sex couples.
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.
