Letter supporting BAME groups signed by 50 communal organisations, 130 people
Jewish Council for Racial Equality's initiative has backing of the Board, JLC and CST, as well as leaders from across the religious spectrum
Tali is a reporter at Jewish News
A statement of solidarity with black and Asian communities in the UK has been signed by nearly 50 organisations and over 130 individuals from across the Jewish community.
The statement, led by the Jewish Council for Racial Equality (JCORE) and endorsed by the Board of Deputies, the Jewish Leadership Council and the Community Security Trust, looks at action that can be taken in the UK to combat racism. You can read the statement and see its signatories here.
Dr Edie Friedman, Executive Director of JCORE said that the coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the inequalities faced by black and Asian British communities, or BAME communities (Black, Asian, and minority ethnic.)
“In the UK, we continue to see inequalities faced by black and Asian people in health, education, housing, employment and the criminal justice system as well as a disregard for the human rights of the Windrush generation. These injustices have no place in the 21st century”, the statement notes.
“As Jewish individuals, organisations, schools and synagogues across Britain, we stand in solidarity with black and Asian communities to say unequivocally that black lives matter.”
Lord Simon Woolley, director of Operation Black Vote, an organisation which seeks to improve black political representation in the UK, said he welcomed the statements support: “With so many seeking to wreak division and hatred amongst different communities, there has never been a more important moment in our recent history to come together in solidarity and unity”
The latest announcement comes after a similar statement from more than 600 American Jewish organisations following the murder of George Floyd in the US.
Marie van der Zyl, President of the Board of Deputies said: “We are pleased to support this important statement of solidarity with Black and Asian communities. The Board of Deputies is clear that fighting the racism experienced by Black and Asian people must be a priority for the Jewish community, alongside tackling antisemitism.”
The statement ends: “an attack on one minority is an attack on us all.”
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