Rabbis Dr Jonathan Romain and Laura Janner-Klausner in the Huffington Post

Rabbi Dr Jonathan Romain of Maidenhead Synagogue and Rabbi Laura Janner-Klausner appeared in the Huffington Post commenting on Prime Minister Netanyahu’s invitation to the Jews of France and Europe to move to Israel.

‘Rabbi Laura Janner-Klausner, leader of the British Movement for Reform Judaism who visited communities in Paris and attended the solidarity marches this weekend, said such a narrative was “unhelpful for Jews in Britain and in France”.

“No one I met said they were getting on a plane,” she told HuffPost UK. “We stand, with all our hearts, with French communities. And one of the ways to stand alongside communities is to listen to them, not to push them. You say, ‘I hear your fear and your pain, and it’s not for anyone else to dictate to you what you should be doing.

“There is a difference between saying ‘Israel is here for you’ than saying ‘You ‘should’ be here, should is a problematic word’. There is this ‘oy vey’ the world is against us narrative, which thank god, is not true. It is certainly not true in Britain. So please don’t hurt the fantastic relations between Jews and British society.”

Rabbi Jonathan Romain, of Maidenhead synagogue, said he wanted to encourage European Jewry not to despair. “It maybe true that this particular week, it is easier being Jewish in Israel than in France, but the killing of four Jews in a supermarket, in attacks which also saw the death of a Christian policewoman and a Muslim security guard, does not mean that the vibrant Jewish life in France that has existed up till now cannot continue after this terrible event,” he said.

“Mass evacuation is not the answer and there are many other options to pursue, including attempts to bridge the divide between Jews and Muslims in France.”‘

Click here to read the full piece on the Huffington Post website.