Opinion
We are a family – and there is far more that unites us than divides us
The tragedy of October 7 and the ordeal of the hostages has brought the UK Jewish community together in grief, but also in determination
April 10, 2025 11:38
2 min read
The tragedy of October 7 and the ordeal of the hostages has brought the UK Jewish community together in grief, but also in determination
April 10, 2025 11:38The ceasefire in Gaza raised hope that an end could be in sight to the nightmares of the days that have passed since October 7, 2023.
We celebrated when hostages, including our fellow Brit Emily Damari, have been released. We were acutely concerned as a number of others emerged emaciated and unwell. And as a community we were appalled at the grotesque spectacle created by Hamas when they released the bodies of the murdered Bibas family and Oded Lifshitz.
We felt this all the more when it was discovered that Shiri Bibas’s body had been switched with that of a Palestinian woman, with no regard for either the Bibas family or indeed the Gazan family of the unidentified woman, again showing the depravity of Hamas even towards their own people.
The tragedy of October 7 and the ordeal of the hostages has brought the UK Jewish community together in grief, but also in determination.
The Board of Deputies represents communities that cover the spectrum of British Jewry and when we asked them to “adopt” a hostage to support the families and to publicise their plight, synagogues of all denominations stepped forward. Our national events have drawn out tens of thousands, and our weekly vigils in Westminster and outside the Scottish parliament show our steadfast commitment to the cause.
As a community we share a love for Israel and a concern for its wellbeing. An enormous number of us have friends and family there who have been in physical danger over the past 18 months. We all pray for peace, security, prosperity and equality for all of its citizens, regardless of their religion or ethnicity.
This is not to say that there is no diversity in our community over Israeli politics and the future of the region. As the saying goes, “Two Jews, three opinions”.
However, while it is OK to disagree le-shem shamayim, “for the sake of heaven”, it is even better to agree le-shem shamayim.
And there is so much on which we do agree. Whether it is the urgent need for the return of hostages, our concern over the menace of Iran and its proxies, the desirability of expanding the circle of peace in the region through the Abraham Accords and, hopefully, one day, securing that elusive but necessary peace with the Palestinians.
Furthermore, we share much in our vision for Israel’s future. A huge majority of British Jews want to see Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, a state for all its citizens, including Arab citizens, and a Jewish state that is inclusive of all streams of Judaism.
At this time of danger for Israel and unprecedented antisemitism at home, there is a fundamental agreement that we need to support each other more than ever before, and put our differences aside wherever possible to pursue our common goals.
In the end, we are a family, and there is far more that unites us than divides us.
Phil Rosenberg is President of the Board of Deputies of British Jews