Booing the heads of Progressive Judaism off stage at hostage march was ‘disgraceful’, BoD says

However, Rabbis Levy and Baginsky were faced with shouts of “Get off the stage!” and “How dare you!” when they addressed the crowd and touched on the issue of Palestinian statehood.

Prior to the pair being booed off, Rabbi Levy said: “The idea of a Palestinian state is not the problem. The Palestinian people, like the Jewish people, have the right to self-determination.

“What we reject is a methodology that tries to force this future through violence, terror, and the suffering of civilians. Statehood cannot be built on the blood of innocents, and peace will never grow from the soil of fear.”

Footage shows a man wearing a Stop the Hate T-shirt removing the microphone from the rabbi and appearing to ask the duo to leave the stage amid boos from some members of the crowd.

Commenting on the rabbis’ treatment, the Board said: “Confronting the challenges we face as a community will only be done successfully if we can do it in a united and cross-communal way.

“We deplore the way a section of the crowd treated the co-chief executive of rabbis of Progressive Judaism today, and that they were asked to leave the stage.

“It was disrespectful and self-defeating and should have no place in our communal life.”

It added: “those indulging in this disgraceful behaviour should reflect that if we cannot even hear and speak to other Jews with respect then they have no chance of convincing wider society.”

Masorti Judaism has also released a statement saying it “condemns the abusive behaviour on display…towards Rabbi Josh levy and Rabbi Charley Baginsky”.

The rabbis were “invited to speak at the march for hostages outside Downing Street in good faith. We agreed to co-sponsor this event on the basis of the collective power of Jews coming together with a single voice was worth transcending our differences. We regret that it appears rather than demonstrate our shared voice of unity focused on the release of the hostages, the event resulted in abusive voices from a segment of the crowd stopping Rabbis Charley and Josh from speaking,” the statement continued.

It added: “Nothing they said should have earned such very troubling disrespect and if we wish to marshal the full force of the diverse Jewish world, we cannot be encouraging divisions which only detract from the pain and anguish we all feel for the hostages and the shocking and inhumane conditions they are being kept in.”

A flyer issued ahead of the event by Stop the Hate said: “We are united in one clear, urgent demand: the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages. Regardless of our diverse political views, this is not a political issue – it is a human one. It transcends party lines, ideologies and national borders.”

In an apparent nod to the disagreements within the Jewish community regarding the Israeli government’s actions and policies, it continued: “Just as in British society, where differing views on government coexist, so too in Israel, a vibrant democracy, where debate is a sign of strength not weakness.”

Stop the Hate was approached for comment.