Five elected representatives to the largest body representing British Jews have been suspended for two years after criticising the Israeli government’s actions in Gaza.
All 36 signatories to an open letter published in April have been found to have breached the Board of Deputies’ code of conduct after a two-month investigation.
The letter said “Israel’s soul is being ripped out” by military action that renewed in March, and that the signatories could no longer “turn a blind eye or remain silent” on the issue.
It caused a furore within the UK’s Jewish community amid growing divisions over the war and distress at the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza.
Statements from the Board of Deputies issued since the war began after the atrocities committed by Hamas on 7 October 2023 have been broadly supportive of the Israeli government’s actions.
The board released the findings of its investigation on Tuesday evening. It said “many media outlets, individuals and other community stakeholders initially understood [the letter] to be a statement of the board”.
Its code of conduct required deputies not to misrepresent the position of the board and not to bring the institution into disrepute, it added.
The investigative panel unanimously found the 36 signatories to be in breach of the code.
After considering the panel’s findings, the board’s executive body decided to send a “notice of criticism” to 31 of the 36 signatories.
But five deputies have been suspended from the board for two years and, where applicable, removed from elected positions. In three cases, the suspension may be reduced to six months “by way of apology to affected parties”, the board said.
Michael Wegier, its chief executive, said: “We are a democratic organisation that welcomes debate, diversity and free speech. Managing diversity of opinion within our organisation depends on our code of conduct.
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“That code ensures deputies do not create misunderstandings about the position of the board or its members, do not bring the institution into disrepute, and treat one another and the institution with respect.”
The letter, published by the Financial Times on 16 April and signed by about one in eight of the board’s elected representatives, said: “The inclination to avert our eyes is strong, as what is happening is unbearable, but our Jewish values compel us to stand up and to speak out.”
It added: “We know in our hearts we cannot turn a blind eye or remain silent at [the] renewed loss of life and livelihoods, with hopes dwindling for a peaceful reconciliation and the return of the hostages.
“This most extremist of Israeli governments is openly encouraging violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, strangling the Palestinian economy and building more new settlements than ever … Israel’s soul is being ripped out and we, members of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, fear for the future of the Israel we love and have such close ties to.”
The signatories said: “We stand against the war … it is our duty, as Jews, to speak out.”
The board launched its investigation after receiving an unspecified number of complaints about the letter.
Many of the complaints reportedly came from members of the United Synagogue, the largest communal denomination in the UK. Most of the letter’s signatories belong to Reform, Liberal or Masorti communities.
