“No one attended this event in any capacity whatsoever as representing Reform Judaism nor [the youth movement of Reform Judaism] RSY-Netzer.”
The Kaddish outside parliament was recited was promoted on social media by a number of organisations, including RSY Netzer.
Reform Judaism said that “when… RSY-Netzer, discovered that most of those killed in Gaza were claimed as Hamas operatives, they acknowledged that had they known, they would not have shared this on Facebook.”
More than 50 activists turned up on the evening of May 16 outside Parliament to say Kaddish for the dead Palestinians, including members of the far-left anti-Zionist Jewdas group, and movement workers for LJY Netzer, the youth movement of Liberal Judaism.
Rabbi Leah Jordan, the Progressive Chaplain for Students for Liberal Judaism, led the Kaddish, and later wrote she had been “proud” to do so.
Earlier that day, Hamas had stated that 50 of the 62 Palestinians killed in the previous two days during clashes on the Gaza border had been members of the organisation.
In a statement, Rabbi Charley Baginsky, director of strategy and partnerships for Liberal Judaism, sought to “make absolutely clear, despite social media claims to the contrary, that this was not a Liberal Judaism supported event.
“There was no organisational sponsored involvement and no one considered themselves to be there representing Liberal Judaism or our affiliated youth movement, LJY-Netzer.
“Liberal Judaism has always supported the right of individual members of Liberal Judaism to voice their own personal opinions, even when they differ from others.
"We have within our membership a spectrum of views, which are always particularly visible in regards Israel and Palestine. Our ability to hear different voices and respect the other continues to be one of our strengths.”
She added she “personally would not have participated in this event and know that many of our members are disturbed by the actions of this group, I equally refuse to be drawn into the violent abuse that has been levelled at those who did participate”.
A spokesperson for Liberal Judaism also confirmed that Rabbi Leah Jordan would be leaving her role as a Liberal Judaism chaplain, but stressed that the timing was “pure coincidence – she was accepted onto a study programme in Jerusalem months ago and is leaving her role this month to live and study there.”
Yachad, the left-wing Israel advocacy group, said it was not involved in the Kaddish for the Gaza dead.
“No staff participated and there was no organisational involvement. A staff member shared the event on his Facebook page without making it sufficiently clear that it was not our event,” they said in a statement.
However, the statement went on to say that “we will not be drawn into conversations with those wishing to vilify those that did participate. Many of these individuals are deeply involved in communal life and deeply committed to Israel.”
The JC understands that an attempt to organise a retaliatory Kaddish outside St John’s Wood Liberal Synagogue, in memory of an IDF soldier killed during the Gaza violence, failed as not enough people showed up to make the minyan quorum necessary to say the memorial prayer.
