Having been in the community leadership and headed some of our largest organisations for more than 50 years, and having been asked to comment on what is going on at the moment, I feel it appropriate to do so.

Anglo-Jewry seems to be more polarised than ever. It is crucial that we do not allow this polarisation to affect the wellbeing of our community.

We have lived and prospered in this country for many generations.

We have created a very special infrastructure, whether that be in social welfare, education, employment or security. It is crucial that we do not allow the polarisation currently taking place on so many issues to affect everything we have built up for so long.

We can differ in our political views. We can differ in the football teams we support. There are differences between strictly Orthodox Judaism and liberal Judaism and everything in between.

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The London protest against Israel's planned legal reforms (Alamy)

But we have always managed to have a united front by sticking together, in particular fighting issues of racism and antisemitism.
Israel has historically helped us to remain united. Tragically, it is now helping to divide us.

We all have opinions on what is happening in Israel.

Of course, it not only affects Israeli society, it affects us as Jews in Britain and all over the world. But we are a small community and we must not let these divisions break down our bonds.

When it comes to Israel, we all have different views and different ways. Some are more Zionist than others, and people think differently on world issues and events in the Middle East. We have every right to air those views.

But when it comes to how we express those differences, the bottom line is that we have to protect Anglo-Jewry and its infrastructure.

We must not let this polarisation destroy our community. Voicing our opinion is our right.
And if that opinion is a critical one, that too is justified.

But however we choose to do it, expressing our views, criticisms and anxieties must not be at the detriment of the very thing has made us into such a vibrant Jewish community in this country. The divisions in Israel are breaking up friendships and in some cases even families.

I pray that our community will continue to stand together on the large numbers of crucial issues that affect us as British Jews.

Lord Levy is a Labour peer