68 rabbis from across UK Judaism sign unprecedented letter condemning Labour antisemitism

These include accusing Jewish citizens of being more loyal to Israel than their own nations, claiming that the existence of the state of Israel is a racist endeavour and comparing Israeli actions to the Nazis.Labour has argued those examples are already covered in the wider new code of conduct.

"The Labour party’s leadership has chosen to ignore those who understand antisemitism the best, the Jewish community," the rabbis' letter says.

"By claiming to know what’s good for our community, the Labour party’s leadership have chosen to act in the most insulting and arrogant way."

Among the signatories were Rabbi Dr Harvey Belovski, Senior Rabbi, Golders Green Synagogue and Vice-Chair, Rabbinical Council of the United Synagogue, Rabbi Joseph Dweck, Senior Rabbi, Spanish and Portuguese Sephardi Community of the UK, Rabbi Laura Janner-Klausner, Senior Rabbi to Reform Judaism and Rabbi Nicky Liss, Highgate Synagogue and Chair, Rabbinical Council of the United Synagogue.

The Jewish Labour Movement coordinated the letter signing and said the 68 rabbis represented the voices of over 30,000 British Jewish households.

As it was published on Monday, Labour MPs gathered to meet at parliament and voted overwhelmingly for a motion calling on the party to adopt the full IHRA definition of Jew hate, defying their leadership.

Rabbi Harvey Belovski, Senior Rabbi, Golders Green Synagogue and Vice-Chair, said: “The spiritual leaders of the Jewish community have spoken with unprecedented unity on this vital issue, and expect the Labour Party to respond to our concerns by immediately adopting the IHRA definition of antisemitism in full.”

Rabbi Laura Janner-Klausner, Senior Rabbi to Reform Judaism, said: “We know that there is the possibly of change of attitude within the leadership of the Labour Party, and we expect the Leader of the Opposition to show moral leadership in respecting the rights of minority communities to self-define.”

The letter and list of signatories in full:

As British Rabbis, it is with great regret that we find it necessary to write, yet antisemitism within sections of the Labour Party has become so severe and widespread that we must speak out with one Jewish voice.

The Labour Party’s leadership has chosen to ignore those who understand antisemitism the best, the Jewish community. By claiming to know what’s good for our community, the Labour Party’s leadership have chosen to act in the most insulting and arrogant way.

It is not the Labour Party’s place to rewrite a definition of antisemitism accepted by the Crown Prosecution Service, College of Policing, the Scottish Parliament, the Welsh Assembly, National Union of Students, and 124 local authorities, including scores of Labour-held councils, including Haringey and Greater Manchester – but above all else – accepted by the vast majority of Jewish people in Britain and globally.

On behalf of our communities, members and congregants, we, the undersigned Rabbis, urge the Labour Party to listen to the Jewish community, adopt the full and unamended International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism including its examples, and like the organisations listed above, use the IHRA definition alone as their working definition of antisemitism.

Yours sincerely,

Rabbi Dr Harvey Belovski, Senior Rabbi, Golders Green Synagogue and Vice-Chair, Rabbinical Council of the United Synagogue

Rabbi Joseph Dweck, Senior Rabbi, Spanish and Portuguese Sephardi Community of the UK

Rabbi Laura Janner-Klausner, Senior Rabbi to Reform Judaism 

Rabbi Nicky Liss, Highgate Synagogue and Chair, Rabbinical Council of the United Synagogue

Rabbi Avrohom Pinter, Principal of the Yesodey Hatorah schools

Rabbi Danny Rich, Senior Rabbi and Chief Executive of Liberal Judaism

Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg, Senior Rabbi to Masorti Judaism

Alongside the Undersigned Rabbis:

1.        Rabbi Stuart Altshuler, Belsize Square Synagogue

2.      Rabbi Larry Becker, Sukkat Shalom Reform Synagogue

3.      Rabbi Yoni Birnbaum, Hadley Wood Jewish Community & Executive, Rabbinical Council of the United Synagogue

4.      Rabbi Yehuda Black, Kenton United Synagogue

5.      Dayan Ivan Binstock, Senior Rabbi, St John’s Wood Synagogue

6.      Rabbi Janet Burden, Ealing Liberal Synagogue

7.       Rabbi Baruch Davis, Chigwell and Hainault Synagogue and Past Chair, Rabbinical Council of the United Synagogue

8.      Rabbi Hadassah Davis, Member of the Liberal Rabbinic Conference

9.      Rabbi Colin Eimer, Emeritus Rabbi, Sha'arei Tsedek North London Reform Synagogue

10.   Rabbi Daniel Epstein, Cockfosters & North Southgate Synagogue

11.     Rabbi Elchonon Feldman, Senior Rabbi, Bushey and District United Synagogue

12.    Rabbi Yisroel Fine, St Johns Wood Synagogue

13.    Rabbi Paul Freedman, Senior Rabbi, Radlett Reform Synagogue

14.   Rabbi Dr Moshe Freedman, New West End Synagogue

15.    Rabbi Ariel J Friedlander

16.   Rabbi Yoni Golker, Assistant Rabbi, St John's Wood Synagogue

17.    Rabbi Michael Harris, Hampstead Synagogue

18.    Rabbi Simon Harris, Wembley Synagogue

19.   Rabbi Frank Hellner, Emeritus Rabbi, Finchley Progressive Synagogue.

20.  Rabbi Jonny Hughes LLB, Radlett United Synagogue

21.    Rabbi Geoffrey Hyman, Rabbi, Ilford United Synagogue

22.  Rabbi Dr Margaret Jacobi, Birmingham Progressive Synagogue

23.  Rabbi Richard Jacobi, East London and Essex Liberal Synagogue

24.  Cantor Zoe Jacobs, Finchley Reform Synagogue

25.  Rabbi Oliver Spike Joseph, Elstree & Borehamwood Masorti Community

26.  Rabbi Chaim Kanterovitz, Senior Rabbi Borehamwood and Elstree Synagogue & Chair Vaad Harabonim Mizrachi UK

27.   Rabbi Dov Kaplan, Hampstead Garden Suburb Synagogue

28.  Rabbi Yuval Keren, Southgate Progressive Synagogue

29.  Rabbi Michael Laitner, Senior Rabbi of United Synagogue Jewish Living and Assistant Rabbi, Finchley Synagogue

30.  Rabbi Jeremy Lawrence, Senior Rabbi, Finchley United Synagogue

31.    Rabbi Barry Lerer, Barnet Synagogue

32.  Rabbi Judith Levitt, Sha'arei Tsedek North London Reform Synagogue

33.  Rabbi Mendel Lew, Stanmore & Canons Park Synagogue

34.  Rabbi Shlomo Odze, Associate Rabbi, South Hampstead United Synagogue and Vice Chair, Rabbinical Council of the United Synagogue

35.  Rabbi Alan Mann

36.  Rabbi Rodney Mariner, former Rabbi, Belsize Square Synagogue

37.   Rabbi David Mason, Rabbi at Muswell Hill Synagogue and Executive Member, Rabbinical Council of the United Synagogue

38.  Rabbi David Mitchell, West London Synagogue

39.  Rabbi Lea Mühlstein, Northwood and Pinner Liberal Synagogue

40.  Rabbi Rene Pfertzel, Kingston Liberal Synagogue

41.   Rabbi Hershel Rader, Brighton and Hove Hebrew Congregation

42.   Rabbi Dr Jonathan Romain MBE, Maidenhead Synagogue

43.   Rabbi Michael Rosenfeld-Schueler, Jewish Chaplain, University of Oxford & Oxford Brookes

44.  Rabbi Sylvia Rothschild, Past Chair of the Rabbinic Assembly of Reform Judaism

45.   Rabbi Elli Tikvah Sarah, Brighton and Hove Progressive Synagogue

46.  Rabbi Dr J Shindler, Executive Director, Rabbinical Council of the United Synagogue

47.  Rabbi Yitzchak Schochet, Mill Hill Synagogue

48.  Rabbi Irit Shillor, Harlow Jewish Community

49.  Rabbi Yitzchok Sufrin, Enfield & Winchmore Hill United Synagogue

50.  Rabbi Lee M Sunderland, Romford & District Synagogue

51.    Rabbi Dr Jackie Tabick, Convenor of the Beit Din, The Movement for Reform Judaism

52.  Rabbi Roni Tabick, New Stoke Newington Synagogue

53.  Rabbi Sam Taylor, Community Rabbi, Western Marble Arch Synagogue

54.  Rabbi Pete Tobias, The Liberal Synagogue Elstree

55.  Rabbi Alexander Tsykin, Jewish Chaplain, Bristol and Western Region

56.  Rabbi Dr Martin van den Bergh, Childwall Hebrew Congregation

57.   Dayan Elimelech Vanzetta, Rabbi, Ahavas Yisrael

58.  Rabbi Charles Wallach, Bournemouth Reform Synagogue

59.  Rabbi Chaim Weiner, Director of Masorti Europe and European Masorti Bet Din

60. Rabbi Roderick Young, former Principal Rabbi, Finchley Reform Synagogue 

61. Rabbi Dr Andrea Zanardo, Brighton and Hove Reform Synagogue