Westminster Shoah Memorial backed by ‘particular type of Jew’, says arch critic
search
home page

The latest Jewish News

Read this week’s digital edition

Click Here
More issues

Westminster Shoah Memorial backed by ‘particular type of Jew’, says arch critic

Barbra Weiss, co-founder of the Save Victoria Tower Gardens Campaign, told Jewish News the project was a way of 'appeasing Jewish donors to the Tories'

By Lee Harpin July 30, 2021, 9:56 am Edit

Lee Harpin is the Jewish News's political editor

Proposed design of Westminster Holocaust Memorial in Victoria Tower Gardens
Proposed design of Westminster Holocaust Memorial in Victoria Tower Gardens
An arch critic of the Westminster Memorial and Learning Centre in a location near to Parliament has labelled it a “vanity project” backed by “a particular type of Jewish person”.
Barbra Weiss, co-founder of the Save Victoria Tower Gardens Campaign, said she believed the Memorial was “a way of appeasing Jewish donors to the Tory Party.”
Weiss, who is Jewish herself, dismissed claims that her comments verged on being antisemitic.
The director of Barbra Weiss Architects also told Jewish News that there was “huge Jewish support” for her opposition to the proposal, which was given the green light on Thursday.
She said: “There are a lot of Conservative people who are financing this memorial – the government isn’t paying for all of it.
“If you look at the names of the major donors – it’s been something that the Jewish community wanted for decades.
“(David) Cameron suddenly said it was going to happen. Our argument is that there are lots of us who don’t want it.”
Weiss, who is the daughter of refugees and who has “lots of Jewish friends”, said the Memorial would lead to the “destruction” of the Victoria Tower Gardens, near Millbank.
The outspoken architect added: “I think there are enough prominent Jews on our side –  Baroness Deech, Lord Carlile. We have a huge Jewish support.
“It’s just that they have gone to a particular type of Jewish person.”
Asked to name these people she considered to be “a particular type”, Weiss singled out Lord Feldman, Sir Mick Davis – who chaired the Commission that recommended the memorial – and Gerald Ronson.
Weiss said her campaign group would now take legal moves to prevent the project going ahead. My objection is the location – why not move it,” she said.
She also insisted that the way antisemitism had been tackled over “past decades” had produced “very poor results.”
Weiss insisted::”The time has come to realise the educational ways of fighting antisemitism are different these days – it has to be countrywide and not London-centred.”
She accepted that Learning Centres at places such as Auschwitz could prove beneficial in teaching how to avoid the horrors of the past.
Weiss added: “I think there are excellent educational buildings (on the Holocaust) – but I am disputing where.
“In the original conception of this Imperial War Museum was one of three sites that were chosen.
“A Memorial and Learning Centre would have added to what they had to offer.
But for whatever reason, maybe south of the river isn’t posh enough. So instead Andrew Feldman, Mick Davis – all of them suddenly wake up.
“It’s a bit of a vanity project now, right next to parliament. But they are destroying a  World Heritage site. It’s not convincing. This area is short of family parks. It will only increase antagonism.”
Support your Jewish community. Support your Jewish News

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.

Read more

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.

read more: