| Background material from | ![]() |
Juifs Européens |
![]() |
European Jews |
Diaspora Jews must pay heed and speak out
ROSH HASHANAH AND YOM KIPPUR this year coincide, alas, with a deepening crisis in the Middle East, which bodes ill for Israel’s long-term peace and security.
Avraham Burg, speaker of the Knesset from 1999 to 2003, wrote last month: “The Israeli nation today rests on a scaffolding of corruption, and on foundations of oppression and injustice... What is needed is a new vision of a just society and the political will to implement it.” And he warned: “Diaspora Jews ... must pay heed and speak out.”
No new vision will come from the Sharon government. That government is betraying its own people by undermining any hope of peace on which the future security of Israelis and Palestinians depends. It is hard to interpret its policies over recent months as anything other than an attempt to destroy the Road Map while paying lip-service to it. Its policy of ‘targeted killings’ of Hamas leaders made the collapse of the recent ceasefire, which had brought new hope to ordinary Israelis and Palestinians, all but inevitable. Its much heralded dismantling of a few settlement outposts has been accompanied by erection of more outposts and expansion of existing settlements. Checkpoint harassment continues unabated.
The construction of the ‘separation wall’ proceeds apace, a land-grabbing operation deep into the West Bank. When the proposed eastern wall is completed Palestinians will be left with no more than 42% of the West Bank, in a ghetto created by Israel. Meanwhile Palestinian villages are separated from their lands, communities divided, olive groves destroyed and expropriated – and resentment fuelled.
Sharon recently claimed to represent all Jews. He does not. We say NOT IN OUR NAME. Nor in the name of Israelis whose courage we salute as they continue their brave struggle for another way: the Refuseniks, who pay a heavy price for following their consciences by refusing to serve in an army of occupation; and those working for civil rights and social justice in Bat Shalom, B’tselem, CheckpointWatch, Gush Shalom, Israeli Campaign against House Demolitions, Peace Now’s Settlement Watch, Physicians for Human Rights, Rabbis for Human Rights, Ta’ayush and other organisations.
We appeal to all Jews to join us in supporting the shared demands of the Israeli and Palestinian peace camps: for the dismantling of the ‘separation wall’; an end to the occupation and withdrawal from the settlements; and an acknowledgement of Israel’s share of responsibility for the Palestinian refugee problem.
Signed
Ann Adler, S Alexander, Ruth & Norma Appleton, I Aronovsky, Martha Jean
Baker, Anthony Bale, Lisa Baraitser, Julia Bard, Zelda Bard, Prof Tony Barnett,
Michael Baron MBE, Bernard Barry, Sue Battersby, Prof Zygmunt & Janina Bauman,
Angela Behrend, Fran & Frank Benatt, Pauline & Tony Benson, Michael
Berlin, Jo Bird, Dr Martin Birnstingl FRCS, Prof Mark Blaug, Cllr Jonathan Bloch,
Simon Block, Jude Bloomfield, Dr Stephen Blumenthal, Susie Bolchover, Dr Jeffrey
Boss, Paul Bragman, Dr Dawn Braude, Dr Eric Brenman, Irma Brenman, Prof Haim
Bresheeth, Judy & Raymond Brown, Susannah Brown, Prof Irene Bruegel, Peter
Bunyard, Rabbi Janet & Jon Burden, Prof David Canter, Rosemarie Cawson,
Gail Chester, Barbara Cohen, Estelle Cohen, Harry Cohen MP, Dr Mike Cohen, Norma
Cohen, Rony Cohen, Ruth Cohen, Ruth Cohen, Sylvia & Norman Cohen, Uri Cohen,
Maggie Cowen, Mike Cushman, Naomi Dale, Ann David, Prof Miriam David, Sara Davidson,
Dr Hyman Davies, Prof Mary Davis, Dr Ruth Davis, Nicky & Tony Defries, Ivor
Dembina, Naomi Diamond, Sally Doganis, Iona Doniach, Dr Elizabeth Dore, Madge
Dresser, Hannah Eady, Susan Egert, Naomi Eilan, Prof Barbara Einhorn, Judith
Elkan, Laurie Elks, Michael Ellman, Caroline Elton, Prof Debbie Epstein, M P
Epstein, Bob Erens, Sheila Ernst, Nina & Moris Farhi MBE, Judy Farrar, Ilsa
Fatt, Prof Paul Fatt, Pia Feig, Dr Rayah Feldman, Iris Festenstein, Kate Figes,
Alf Filer, Prof Robert Fine, Neil Finer, Deborah Fink, Frank Fisher, Sonia &
Michael Fodor, Stanley & Hilda Forman, Mark Forstater, Dr David Fox, Eileen
Fox, Stephen Fox, Peter Fraenkel, Andrew Franklin, Eva Frean, Dr Edie Friedman,
Ruth Friedman, Cynthia Friend, Martin Frishman, Prof Ivor Gaber, Ellen Galford,
Harry Gee, Tony Gee, Anthony Gimpel, Dr Daryl Glaser, Denis & Danya Glaser,
Claire Glasman, Murray Glickman, Sarah Glynn, Cynthia & Brian Godfrey, Ori
Golan, Eva & Martin Goldenberg, Naomi Goldman, Arthur & Paula Goodman,
John Goodman, Karen Goodman, Linda Goodman, Steve Goodman, Jack Gordon, Robert
Gould, Jacky Gruhn, Sue Gutteridge, Martine & Peter Halban, Ruth Hall, Michele
Hanson, Abe & Rosamine Hayeem, Dr Jane Henriques, Prof Susan Himmelweit,
Dag Hirsh, Prof Eric J Hobsbawm, Jill Hoffbrand, Dr Antony Isaacs, Jeremy Isaacs,
David & Diana Iwi, Viv Jackson, June Jacobs, Sandra & Howard Jacobs,
Dr Susie Jacobs, Prof Michael & Fay Jacobsen, Tony Jaffé, Selma James,
Ruth & Douglas Jessop, Riva Joffe, Bette Jones, Dan Judelson, Michael Kalmanovitz,
Miriam Karlin OBE, Paul Kaufman, Ruth Kaufman, Shirley & Saul Kaufman, Prof
Adah Kay, Dan & Hannah Kendall, Michael & Thena Kendall, Yehudit Keshet,
Beeban Kidron, Dr David King, Brenda Kirsch, Sir Aaron Klug OM FRS, Francesca
Klug OBE, Liebe Klug, Dr Tony Klug, Prof Eleonore Kofman, Dr Eric Korn, Robert
Kornreich, Ian & Valerie Kotzen, Marion Kozak, Mark Krantz, Rene & Gus
Krayer, Stevie Krayer, Berry Kreel, Mary Kuper, Richard Kuper, Michael Kustow,
Vivi Lachs, Profs Emeritus Frank & Ailsa Land, Jennifer & Stanley Langer,
Dr John Launer, Myrna Lazarus, Deanna Leboff, Natasha Lehrer, Linda Lennard,
Betty Levene, Dr Mark Levene, Simon Levene, Miriam Levin, Peter Levin, Sue Levin,
Prof Ruth Levitas, Keren Lewin, Nikki Lichtenstein, Vivien Lichtenstein, Sonja
Linden, Stephen Linton, Josh Loeb, Sebastian Loew, Prof Yosefa Loshitzky, Simon
Louvish, Tom Lowenstein, Deborah Maccoby, Alexander Manch, Jenny Salaman Manson,
Jessica Jane Manson, Anthony Marcel, Miriam Margolyes OBE, Profs Emeritus Shula
& Isaacs Marks, Stephen Marks, Mike Marqusee, Katy Marsh, Peter Marsh, Ben
Maschler, Orna Meir-Stacey, David Meron, Monty Meth, Prof Jane Miller, Norma
Miller, Sarah Miller, Carla Mitchell, Adele Mittwoch, Prof Ursula Mittwoch,
Simon Mohun, Claire Morley, Paul Morrison, Chana Moshenska, Gabe Moshenska,
Joe Moshenska, Ruby Moshenska, Lionel Naftalin, Maurice Naftalin, Dr Ted &
Gill Nathan, Prof Mica Nava, Daniel Navon, Jeannette Nelson, Arthur Neslen,
Diana & Chaim Neslen, Esther Neslen, Orna Neumann, Ines Newman, Rabbi Jeffrey
& Bracha Newman, Prof Mike Newman, Dr Paul Oestreicher, Nogah Ofer, Michael
Oppenheim, Susie Orbach, Margaret Owen, Kathy Panama, Martin Parnell, Dr Benita
& Bill Parry, Dr Nurit Elhanan Peled, Stewart Permutt, Ilona Phombeah, Anat
Pick, Ray Pinder, Harold Pinter, Alix Pirani, Alberto Portugheis, Charlie Pottins,
Alison Prager, Peter & Sylvia Prager, Judy Price, Stanley Price, Renate
Prince, Gloria Randall, Hilde Rapp, Danielle Rappaport, Rabbi John Rayner, Lawrence
& Maddalena Rayner, Jacki Reason, Edith Redstone, Lynne Reid-Banks, Lorna
Reith, P G Reti, Dr Esti Rimmer, Dr Michael & Prof Norma Rinsler, Susan
Roberts, Sheila Robin, Dr Brian Robinson (Milton Keynes), Lee Robinson, Dr Paul
Robinson, Zina Rohan, Lennie & Bubbles Rolnick, Prof Steven Rose, Mike Rosen,
Matthew Rosen Marsh, David Rosenberg, Prof Jonathan Rosenhead, Leon & Ruth
Rosselson, Ruth & David Roth, Chris Rubinstein, Michael Sackin, Lisa Saffron,
Richard Saffron, Michael Safier, Sabby Sagall, Margo Sagov, Prof Raphael Salkie,
Wendy Saloman, Ella Saltmarshe, Prof Andrew Samuels, Larry Sanders, Rabbi Elizabeth
Tikvah Sarah, Prof Anne Showstack Sassoon, Prof Donald Sassoon, Ian Saville
& Pam Laurence, Alexei Sayle, Betty Scharf, Irene Schwab, Joseph Schwarz,
Miriam Sedacca, Irene Sedler, Prof Lynne Segal, Ronald & Susan Segal, Muriel
Seltman, Ruth & Tom Selwyn, Michael Shak, Linda Shampan, Jack & Marie
Shapiro, Diana Shelley, Elisabeth Shendge, Dr Peter Sheridan, Cllr Sybil Shine,
Jo Silver, Clifford Singer, Ruth Sirton, Dr Jonathan Sklar, Ruth Smith, Gaby
Smol, Ben Soffa, Philip Spencer, Lawrence Speyer, Mrs M J Speyer, Prof Annabelle
Sreberny, Jon Stein, Rebecca Steinfeld, Henry Stewart, Anthony Stoll, John Strawson,
Vivien Sunlight, Janet Suzman, Risa Tabatznik, Tony Tabatznik, Rabbi Jacqueline
Tabick, Rabbi Larry Tabick, Barbara Tayler, Eric Taylor, Martin & Jean Taylor,
Ruth Teddern, Sue Teddern, Ruth Tenne, Gemma Thomas, Dr David Toke, Inge Trott,
Tanya Ury, Miriam Usiskin, Tirza Waisel, Johnny Wallman, Cathy Ward, Carla Wartenberg,
Rabbi Lee Wax, Naomi Wayne, Deborah Weil, Ruth & Meir Weiss, Tom Wengraf,
Donna Werbner, Prof Pnina Werbner, Prof Richard Werbner, Martin Wilson QC, Naomi
Wimborne-Idrissi, Devra Wiseman, Walter J Wolfgang, Emil Wolk, Clara Wood, Anne
Woolf, Miriam Yagud, Nedira Yakir, Sheila Yeger, Prof Nira Yuval-Davis, Dr Pam
Zinkin
THIS ADVERTISEMENT WAS ORGANISED BY EUROPEAN JEWS FOR A JUST PEACE, A NETWORK
OF EIGHTEEN JEWISH GROUPS IN NINE COUNTRIES
EMAIL ejjp@ejjp.org OR WRITE TO EAJG, POSTBUS
59506, 1040 LA AMSTERDAM. WEBSITE: www.ejjp.org
The UK signatures above were collected by the UK groups:
EMAIL jfjusticefp@yahoo.co.uk OR WRITE TO PO BOX 37402, LONDON N3 2XG