For the 1,500 British Jews and Israeli expats rallying in Parliament Square on Sunday against the judicial reforms being pushed through the Knesset, protest has become a moral imperative.

Rabbi Lea Mühlstein, senior rabbi of The Ark Synagogue, told the JC she attended the demonstration because she felt a “duty” to ensure Israel remained true to its founding principles.

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Dame Margaret Hodge addressing the protests in London (Alamy)

“We do believe Israel as a Jewish and democratic state would be seriously undermined by the reforms,” she said.

It was strong language that voices an angst running through Anglo-Jewry, particularly among the young. Joel Rosen, president of the Union of Jewish Students (UJS), said that students have been increasingly vocal in their concerns.

“Thirty per cent of students I represent belong to progressive denominations, so to see people in position of power inciting hate against Jews as well as other groups creates a sense of worry,” he said.

The student leader, who attended the Parliament Square protest with a UJS banner, said he was not concerned about generational disunity emerging among British Jews. “There are generational divides but part of that is younger people being more prepared to voice concerns that the wider community share,” he said.

Credit Romi Around (3)

Last Sunday's protests (Romi Around)

But other sections of the community — the Orthodox and Scottish Jewry, for example — take a different view from the demonstrators.

Yitzchak Schochet, the Orthodox rabbi at Mill Hill shul, said he would consider public criticism of Israel “profound chutzpah and wrong” because it would bolster the “anti-Zionists”.

He told the JC: “If you want to critique, make aliyah. Then you can yell and scream all you like, as indeed many are doing. But from the UK, just be seen to give support to Israel and otherwise — to put it nicely — stay schtum”.

North of the border, protests are yet to take place.

One Scottish community figure said: “What I can say is that it’s not a major topic of conversation… I have had conversations with lots of people about travel arrangements for Pesach and Israel has not cropped up at all.”

Demonstrators wave flags flags at one of the protests (Photo: Alamy)

Demonstrators wave flags flags at one of the protests (Photo: Alamy)

The rally at Parliament Square on Sunday — where Star of David flags knocked against banners insisting “B******* to Bibi” — proved a striking contrast to the last Jewish demonstration on the same site, which condemned Jeremy Corbyn’s “systematic failure” to deal with Labour antisemitism in 2018.

Five years on, community leaders have been moved once again to intervene.

The Board of Deputies, while staying quiet on the judicial reforms, has condemned Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s call for the Palestinian town of Huwara to be “wiped out”, while Jewish Leadership Council chair Keith Black has declared that Israel’s democracy is in peril.

Speaking to the JC, Rabbi Deborah Blausten said the protesters see the legislation as a “corruption” of Jewish ideals.

“Each of us in a position of leadership has a responsibility to uphold the image and ideal of Judaism,” she said.