Letters to the Editor, January 9 2026 - The Jewish Chronicle

Recognising Palestine

Stephen Pollard writes (This was the toughest year for British Jews, JC January 2) that Sir Keir Starmer “rewarded Hamas” by recognition of the State of Palestine. This is far from the truth. Is this perhaps the same Mr Pollard who wrote that such a move would make “a ceasefire and the release of the hostages less likely” (the JC leader, September 22). This diplomatic manoeuvre, which was in the Labour manifesto and therefore not a surprise, together with identical actions by our allies, was in the event a significant catalyst for the ceasefire and the release of hostages. Far from rewarding Hamas it represents the ultimate defeat of Hamas because by implication it recognises that there will be two states. What realistic alternative does Mr Pollard suggest?

Peter Prinsley MP

House of Commons

London SW1 1AA

(Stephen Pollard was not in fact the author of the JC leader on September 22)

New York’s mayor

Zohran Mamdani states that he would not recognise any state’s right to exist with a system of hierarchy on the basis of race or religion.

I wonder if he will apply the same logic to any Islamic country?

Janice Luby

Sweden

Palestinian identity

It was interesting to read Melanie Phillips’s article about the term Zionism (Judaism without Zionism is a shield for antisemites, JC January 2) and intriguing that she suggests that Israel’s defenders should react by “reclaiming the language” concerning what is now a “dirty word” in some circles. She also refers to “Palestinian Arabs” and it occurs to me that Jews should also reclaim the term “Palestinian”, which the Arabs appear to have hijacked. After all, there were Palestinian Jews long before there were Palestinian Arabs.

Joe Hayward,

Stanmore

Weekend justice

In his article (Our poll tells of a Jewish community feeling betrayed by those trusted to protect us thejc.com December 22), Gideon Falter of the CAA complained of a two-tier system whereby police, prosecutors and judges had been aligned to hold weekend trials in the wake of Southport but not deployed to protect the Jewish community. No trials were ever held on weekends. Defendants appeared in custody on weekends and bank holidays for bail hearings but, like all other defendants and witnesses, had lengthy waits for trials. If such trials were held on Shabbat, surely the CAA would be concerned at the potential exclusion of Jewish lawyers and witnesses?

Jonathan Black

London N2

Jewish pride

At the end of a powerful and defiant article affirming her determination to continue living as a Jew, despite the Manchester synagogue and Bondi Beach atrocities, and the plot to carry out a deadly gun attack on the Manchester Jewish community, (Manchester’s Jews stand strong against those who plan to harm us, thejc.com December 24), Angela Epstein rightly appeals to the government to root out extremism, deport hate-mongers, and shut down places where violent hatred foments and is cultivated.

As I gazed through the flickering flames of my eighth-night menorah, I remembered childhood days when my mother would proudly display our Shabbos and Chanukah candles through the dining room window, for all to see. How things have changed. The shul hosting our annual latke party was protected by shomrim, police officers, identity checks, and a high, electronically controlled wrought-iron gate. What an absurd way to live in a free country.

Stan Labovitch

Windsor

Healthy lifestyle

Your editorial this week rightly welcomes the return of BRCA testing. It also offers the NHS a lesson it would do well to absorb. Israel’s health system does not merely treat illness; it works actively to prevent it. Perhaps Wes Streeting has at last recognised that a genuine “shift from sickness to prevention” is the only sustainable path forward for the NHS.

We recently made aliyah and accordingly needed to register with a GP. Online searches suggested that there were no vacancies in any of the local practices.

Rather than accept this, I took a distinctly Israeli approach and went in person to the nearest clinic. The receptionist confirmed the list was closed, but said that she would speak to the doctor. Minutes later, we were accepted. On joining, the doctor insisted on comprehensive baseline health checks – not because there was a problem, but precisely to ensure there would not be one. These tests identified a condition in my wife that had gone undetected in the UK, despite her having been registered with the same GP practice for more than 40 years.

This is not a marginal difference but a fundamental one. Israel’s health system is built around preventative medicine; the NHS, increasingly, is not. The consequences are profound. When I later became seriously unwell, the speed, thoroughness and initiative shown by our local clinic quite literally saved my life.

The real tragedy is not only that the NHS is struggling, but that the UK – like many countries – has too often chosen to vilify Israel rather than study and learn from its successes, which is even more clearly evident post October 7. In healthcare, as in so many other fields, ideology has too often replaced evidence – and patients ultimately will pay the price.

David Collins

Tel Aviv

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