Deputy who signed FT letter hits back at critics

One of the signatories of the letter published in the Financial Times by 36 members of the Board of Deputies has hit back at critics.

Rebecca Singerman-Knight, who represents Kingston Liberal Synagogue said that in the past few weeks, she and her colleagues had been called “kapos”, “self-hating Jews”, “traitors” and “Hamas supporters” since the letter attacking Netanyahu was published in April.

The signatories, who described themselves as “members of the Board of Deputies of British Jews” and who represent about 12 per cent of all deputies, are now facing an investigation by the Board, whose code of conduct states that deputies must not “represent their own views as the views of the Board to third parties”.

Speaking at a We Democracy rally outside Downing Street on Sunday, Singerman-Knight said the reaction from the letter’s critics was “somewhat odd as I consider myself to be a very proud Zionist. I literally have ‘Am Yisrael Chai’ tattooed on my arm.

“Welcome to the world of cognitive dissonance when trying to speak about Israel in the Diaspora. The debate has become so binary, so divisive.”

We Democracy rally, where images of both hostages and children killed in Gaza were held up (Photo: Democracy Now)[Missing Credit]

Singerman-Knight said that she was at the rally to convey the message that “it is possible to love Israel, to identify as a proud Zionist – and to say enough is enough with this current extremist government and this devastating war”.

She said that while she was not opposed to the war at the beginning as “Israel has a right to defend itself” and that Hamas “must be dismantled”, the resumption of war was “no more than a cynical attempt to keep this government in power” and that the hostages “have been abandoned”.

She called on demonstrators to “not be afraid to say that we are Zionists and explain what this can mean”, adding: “We must continue to fight for an Israel as it must be – a society of freedom, justice, peace for the benefit of all its inhabitants.”

We Democracy demonstration in London (Photo: We Democracy)[Missing Credit]

We Democracy is a grassroots organisation of Israelis and members of the UK Jewish community, originally set up to campaign against the Israeli government’s proposed judicial reforms. More recently, the group has also been calling for a ceasefire and the resumption of negotiations to bring home the remaining 58 hostages.

Also speaking was Rabbi Lea Mühlstein from The Ark Liberal Synagogue in Northwood, who said that “all red lines are being crossed” following the attack by extremists on the Reform Beit Samueli Synagogue in Ra’anana during an Israeli Palestinian Memorial Day ceremony earlier this month.

She said: “My friend, Orly Eretz-Likhovsky, the director of the Israel Religious Action Centre, needed medical care after the window of her car was smashed in with a rock, hitting her shoulder. Jews attacking Jews in the Jewish homeland. With the police barely taking action and still no charges filed against the violent mob.”

Rabbi Mühlstein, who also chairs the Zionist Federation, said she was “devastated” that the Knesset had voted to abolish the reasonableness clause, which allowed the Supreme Court to review government decisions based on whether they were "reasonable".

With hostages still in Gaza after 583 days, “a never-ending war with an ever-increasing death toll, without any hope of achieving any of its stated goals”, she said that her “optimism [was] waning” but that she “cannot give in to the sadness”.

She pledged to continue to “show up” for her Israeli colleagues and friends and said she was already planning her next trip to Israel with members of her synagogue.

We Democracy (Photo: We Democracy)[Missing Credit]

Other speakers included Dr Ruvi Ziegler, a professor in international refugee law, Hannah Weisfeld from Yachad UK and Sharone Lifschitz, whose parents were taken hostage on October 7. Her mother, Yocheved, now 86, was released at the end of October 2023, but her father, Oded, 83, was murdered in captivity.

A spokesperson for We Democracy said after the rally: “It was incredibly moving to see our community come together in the name of democracy and humanity, united in the call to end the war and starvation in Gaza and demand the immediate release of all hostages.

“We urge all who care about Israel’s future to stand with us in rejecting a government that puts messianic agendas and political survival ahead of the will of the people, the lives of the hostages, and the democratic and Jewish values.”