Independent Jewish Voices say 'not in our name'

On 26 July 2018, Independent Jewish Voices posted a statement on its website, and called on "other concerned Jews" who agreed with it to add their signatures.

The statement, titled Not In Our Name, reads as follows:

"This week, the Jewish Chronicle, Jewish News and Jewish Telegraph are publishing the same front page, headed 'United we stand' on what they describe as the community’s anger over 'Labour’s anti-Semitism row' and its 'refusal to adopt the full International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of anti-Semitism'.

"The heading suggests that these papers speak for the whole community. We, the undersigned members of the UK Jewish community, take strong exception to the statement and disassociate ourselves from it. Whatever our views on the Labour Party and its handling of the antisemitism allegations, we consider that the demand to 'implement IHRA in full or be seen by all decent people as an institutionally racist and anti-Semitic party' and the prediction of 'the existential threat to Jewish life in this country that would be posed by a Jeremy Corbyn-led government' go beyond the boundaries of acceptable political discourse. Worse, they could help to create a climate of fear among many in the Jewish community and by conflating real antisemitism with what they call 'political anti-Semitism targeting Israel', jeopardise prospects for a just and peaceful solution in the Middle East.

"We call on other concerned Jews to join us in holding these newspapers to account by adding their signatures below."

At the time this report was written, there were over 200 signatories, including several Rabbis and numerous academics.

Independent Jewish Voices describes itself as "a group of Jews in Britain from diverse backgrounds, occupations and affiliations who have in common a strong commitment to social justice and universal human rights. We come together in the belief that the broad spectrum of opinion among the Jewish population of this country is not reflected by those institutions which claim authority to represent the Jewish community as a whole. We further believe that individuals and groups within all communities should feel free to express their views on any issue of public concern without incurring accusations of disloyalty."

* See the updated list of signatories here

* Independent Jewish Voices https://ijv.org.uk/

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