The Movement for Reform Judaism

The ‘boycott’ is alarming and sickening.  It is also a loud wake up call for British Jewry. 

Let us start with the facts.  At the end of June the University and College Union Executive launched a campaign to persuade its members to mount an academic boycott of Israeli universities.  Since then, several other unions – the NUJ, UNISON and the TGW section of UNITE – have shown similar tendencies.

According to their website, the UCU is "the largest trade union and professional association for academics, lecturers, trainers, researchers and academic-related staff working in further and higher education throughout the UK".  That a boycott call should come from such a group is horrifying in the extreme.  No Jew with any sense of history could fail to be sickened.

But what is going on?  Is this an example of the infiltration of Islamists backed by Middle Eastern money?  Of the recrudescence of anti-Semitism? 

There is no evidence of Islamic complicity whatsoever.  At the heart of what is going on are the machinations of the Socialist Workers Party.  Remember them from the 60s?  

The Socialist Workers Party reached their zenith of influence with the anti-Apartheid movement, originally called ... the Boycott Movement.  Ever since then, they have been in decline and looking for a cause.  Though there are no serious comparisons between South Africa then and Israel today, there are sufficient superficial points of similarity for a case to be made by those without principles in search of a cause.

There is no evidence of blatant anti-Semitism - though the campaign provides a fertile recruiting ground for angry young Muslims. 

But the SWP couldn't have done this all on its own.  First, there are individuals dotted around the country who are well known for their rabid, fanatical opposition to Israel.  They make firm allies, joining far right to far left.  They do include some very unpleasant people.  Second, and much more importantly, there are thousands of seemingly intelligent but frustrated citizens ‘out there' - even in our universities and colleges - who feel hopeless about the ever rising tide of conflict in the world and are prepared to be seduced by the proposition that it must all be down to Israel's struggle with the Palestinians:  If a boycott against Israel is the way forward, then it's worth giving it a try since it is the only strategy on the table.  What we have are the politics of despair fed by the hard left in search of a cause.

Horrifying.  Sickening.  But why is it a wake up call to the Jewish community - as ever the scapegoats or the proxy scapegoats?

It is a wake up call because it underlines the withdrawal of our community in recent years from the grass roots of political and civic life.  It is true that at the commanding heights of British society - our government, the leadership of British universities, UN affiliates in Britain - there is universal condemnation of the UWU.  As a community, we are well connected.  But when it comes to the grass roots - in the local branches of the Labour Party, in the trade unions, in the common rooms, in the plethora of political and civic organisations where activists build support and alliances, we are no longer well represented. 

It has something to do with the size of the Jewish community - there aren't enough of us to go round.  But it is more fundamental than that.  It is largely a function of excessive reliance on the shtatdlan (court Jew), the illusion of our self-sufficiency and of our introversion, our continuing self-perception as victim.

Let us apparently change track for a few paragraphs.

Next spring will see the launch of a major new British Jewish institution.  It will be called ResponsAbility and it will address the cutting edge ethical issues of our time - particularly in the areas of the environment, the developing world, poverty, human rights, medical and business ethics.  Just as CST provides us with security and Jewish Care concerns itself with our welfare, so ResponsAbility will develop Jewish values, responses and action.

ResponsAbility has a strap line from the second paragraph of the Amidah:  "Shutafim kulanu b'Tikkun olam.   We are all partners in the repairing of our world".  Therein lies the key to the Jewish future.

As we have often pointed out, there are 2 billion Christians in the world, 1.2 billion Muslims and 14 million Jews.  In Britain the Jewish population is less than one half of one percent of the population.  It is ludicrous to suppose that we can repair the world on our own.  Our smallness of numbers reveals both a pragmatic and spiritual reality.  Partnerships are always essential.  Which is why ResponsAbility will have people of other faiths and from secular agencies on its Advisory Board.  Which is why ResponsAbility will place the highest priority on working with others, networking, forming alliances and collaborating. 

Which brings us back to the boycott.  We cannot fight Israel's cause on our own.  We can only resist our enemies and those who think that the Palestinians have high political sympathy ratings by being able to call upon relationships, partnerships, networks forged at a grass roots civic level in a wide range of areas.

It may be tough out there in the staff rooms, common rooms, branches and shop floors but we have to engage - in this case advocating cooperative projects that help Palestinians and Israelis alike - emphasising the politics of hope rather than despair.

On a wider level, we need to engage with a broad range of civic, social and ethical issues - ResponsAbility will point up a large number - wherever public opinion is being formed.  We must do this predominantly because it is what Judaism is all about, it is what Jews do, it is what being a blessing to all the families of the earth actually means.  But, as it so happens, it is also our best form of protection.  As ‘the smallest of nations', we need all the allies and partners we can get.  We must wake up and wise up.  You need friends and allies in this world.

 This article was first published in issue 96 of Manna - The Forum for Progressive Judaism

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