Board passes motion censuring JNF UK over chair's 'bigoted' remarks

President-elect of the Union of the Jewish Students Joel Rosen had proposed the resolution.

He urged deputies to “send a clear message to Muslim communities who have felt incredibly hurt at what they have seen in recent weeks”, adding: “It is time to draw a line under this and send a clear and powerful message that bigotry is not welcome within our community and institutions.”

Maurice Lawson, of Reading Hebrew Congregation, speaking against the “absurd” resolution, said it twisted the context and “deliberately seeks to misinterpret the words of the JNF chairman”.

He said: “These kind of debates are not only irrelevant to the vast majority of the Jewish community.

“But passing a motion of this kind will almost certainly backfire on this organisation and damage its reputation even further.”

Robert Festenstein, of Prestwich Hebrew Congregation, said the motion was a move to censor and vilify those who do not promote the party line.

But Gideon Smith, a deputy for Hampstead Garden Suburb Synagogue, said, “We need to condemn Islamophobic and racist comments from within our community in the same way that we would expect other communities and organisations to condemn antisemitism were individuals to make similar comments about the Jewish community.”

Other speakers in favour of the censure motion included former Board president Vivian Wineman and Adrian Cohen, of Highgate Synagogue, who is a vice-president of the Jewish Leadership Council.

Another proposed resolution calling on the JNF UK to “surrender its membership” was dropped before the meeting.

The Charity Commission has opened a regulatory case on JNF UK after comments Mr Hayek made about Muslims while speaking in a personal capacity were reported in the Jerusalem Post and the Jewish News.


Last week, Mr Hayek responded to criticism of his remarks saying: "I wish to clarify my comments, and in particular to state that I do not believe that most Muslims in the UK are by any definition Islamist extremists."

But he stated he stood by his statement in the Post, saying: “I am not against any minority or against the Muslims in the UK or Europe, but against anyone who spreads hatred that harms Jews.” 

He added: "I sincerely regret that some of my remarks to a reporter from another newspaper who called me out of the blue have been misconstrued and misunderstood and gave the impression I believe otherwise."

The Jewish News reported Mr Hayek to have said: “Our problem in the West is that we do not understand Islam. In Islam there is not a term for ‘peace’.”

He was also quoted as saying that in contrast to Polish migrants who came to the UK to work, “it is not the same when you have immigration that is motivated and guided by the rules of Islam”.


Responding to criticism, Mr Hayek said: “The message that I was trying to convey about the nature of the potential threat to the UK Jewish community… was lost in the hurried context of a media rush to judgement furore.


"The impression of me and who I am that was given in the Jewish News is the opposite of my personal beliefs and values."

He added that he has always been committed "to fighting prejudice in all its forms".

Following the vote, a spokesman for JNF UK said, "We note that Samuel Hayek has clarified his remarks in a detailed article in the Jewish Chronicle, which those interested in his views would do well to read. As we have repeatedly made clear, Mr Hayek was not speaking for the charity or its trustees.”