The BBC has apologised to a rabbi after ambushing him live on air about Israel in an interview which was pitched to be about Chanukah, the JC has learnt.

Rabbi Gideon Sylvester, the United Synagogue’s Israel Rabbi based in Jerusalem, was approached by a BBC producer about taking part in a series of interviews with faith leaders based in Israel about how the holy period would be celebrated given the ongoing war.

But during his interview with journalist Ben Brown on December 23, Rabbi Sylvester was not asked once about Chanukah.

Instead, he was asked about a two-state solution, if Israel was responding proportionally to October 7, and questioned over whether the country is striving for peace.

In an email to Rabbi Sylvester seen by the JC, a senior news editor at the BBC said: “I am sorry that your interview with us last week was not what you were expecting.

“It was always our intention to discuss recent news events as well as faith, and challenge views as necessary. However, having watched your interview back I can see that we focused a little too much on politics and should have allowed you more time to explain the impact of the conflict on Hanukkah,” the email said.

Speaking to the JC, Rabbi Sylvester said it was “outrageous” that Brown implied Israel was responsible for starting the war it’s currently in.

He was referring to Brown’s last question about how Israel is responsible for bringing peace.

Brown said: “I’ve frequently interviewed people like Gideon Levy from Ha’aretz Newspaper who said Israel cannot keep living in a state of war – it has to make peace.”

Referring to attacks on Israel by Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis and Iran, Rabbi Sylvester told the JC: “Its unclear what [Brown] thinks Israel should do in the face of these attacks and whether he thinks 10 million Israelis should just pack up their bags and be redistributed around the world.”

He went on: “What was bitterly unfair about the [last question] was that it implied Israel was the barrier to peace and that Israel was the one who started the wars.”

Before Rabbi Sylvester could answer the question, time ran out in the segment.

“What I meant to say is that the enemies we’re fighting are dedicated to Israel’s destruction. This isn’t a battle about borders. That’s what makes the question so ridiculous, because there is no compromising with people who want your complete destruction.”

He told the JC that blaming Israel for “attacks on its citizens” was “grotesquely unfair”.

“I had no problem at all facing the tough line of questioning. I am used to it. But when the BBC puts the blame on Israel for the attacks on its citizens, that is grotesquely unfair.”

He accused the broadcaster of promoting anti-Jewish attitudes and misinformation about the Middle East.

“Their words carry weight and provoke evermore antisemitism, sometimes leading to physical attacks on the street. So I was happy to talk about the current situation and to correct the misinformation which is spread about Israel.”

Rabbi Sylvester’s appearance on the BBC was the final in a series of three interviews with other faith leaders, including Reverend Dr Munther Isaac and Dr. Imam Mustafa Abu Sway.

Isaac is the Palestinian pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem. Sway, also Palestinian, is a member of the Islamic Council at the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

While the reverend and the imam were speaking, visuals of religious celebrations and buildings were shown on screen. Meanwhile, when the rabbi spoke, visuals of IDF tanks and military operations were shown.

Investigative journalist David Collier accused the broadcaster of engaging in anti-Israel bias across the three segments.

He said that while the interviews with the reverend and the imam were conducted respectfully, and their statements about Israel went largely unchallenged, the rabbi “faced hostile political questions”.

Marie van der Zyl, the former president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, accused the BBC of anti-Israel bias and called the interview “inappropriate”.

“The purpose of the interview was to talk about the Chanukah festivities in Israel. It was entirely inappropriate, that no questions were asked about Chanukah and that visuals of tanks and soldiers were in the background,” she told the JC.
“This treatment was in complete contrast to the interviews with other faith leaders.
“Unfortunately, the BBC‘s anti-Israel bias continues unabated. No mention was made of the trauma inflicted on Israel since Oct 7 nor the plight of the hostages.
“The BBC has a duty under its Charter and Ofcom’s Broadcasting Code to contribute to the public good which, includes promoting an understanding of different cultures and diversity.
“There is a continuing blind spot when it comes to Israel. Our audiences have a right to expect high-quality, impartial and accurate content.”

Writing on Facebook after the interview, Rabbi Sylvester said: “I was told that I was there as a rabbi to talk about celebrating Chanukah while Israel is at war. When I got on for the live broadcast, there was no mention of Chanukah, just a barrage of aggressive political questions.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) condemned the BBC for “anti-Jewish” bias and said it would be writing to the broadcaster.

A spokesperson for CAA called the interview “absolutely despicable”.

"This is one of the starkest examples of anti-Jewish BBC bias that we have ever encountered. When you invite a Rabbi to discuss Chanukah in wartime, the bare minimum is to ask questions about Chanukah.

“Instead, Rabbi Sylvester was subjected to an aggressive interrogation about Israel accompanied by images of war before being cut off in mid-sentence, in glaring contrast to the respectful and sympathetic treatment of the Imam and Reverend interviewed earlier in the day.

“Not a single question about Chanukah or Jewish suffering in the region right now. Absolutely despicable. The only silver lining is that Rabbi Sylvester acquitted himself very well in the circumstances.”

It comes after a report compiled by Danny Cohen, the former director of television at the BBC, accused the BBC of making “false and damaging claims about Israel’s conduct of this war” and having fuelled “the flames of antisemitism that have spread across the world”.

A spokesperson from the BBC told the JC: “The BBC News channel interviewed leaders of different faiths seeking to reflect how the ongoing conflict is having an impact on their communities, as well as looking ahead to their hopes for 2025.

“We interviewed the leaders live from the Middle East and challenged their views where necessary. While the interviews intended to cover recent news events as well as matters related to faith, we acknowledge that we should have allowed more time to speak with Rabbi Gideon Sylvester about his religion and the impact of the conflict on Hanukkah.

“We deplore antisemitism, and we are committed to reporting the conflict with accuracy, impartiality and transparency.”