Deborah Maccoby (Letters, 13 January) writes that the Board of Deputies of British Jews contributes to the rise in attacks on Jews because it claims “that the majority of Jews support Israel’s policies”. This is completely opposite to a report written by the Board, quoted on 8 May 2014 in the Jewish News, which notes “that communal surveys have pointed to overwhelming support for the two state solution and opposition to settlement construction”. Not to mention that the president of the Board, Vivian Wineman, is a former chair of the UK branches of Peace Now and of the New Israel Fund, each of which is prominent in promoting Jewish-Arab dialogue in Israel and the occupied territories.
Joseph Pearlman
London
• On the day that Jewish victims of a murderous terror attack in a Paris kosher grocery are laid to rest, we read a letter in the Guardian by an executive at “Jews for Justice for Palestinians”, holding Jews responsible for current levels of antisemitism. This is not only disrespectful to the victims at Hyper Cacher, but is also fundamentally wrong, based on the twisted logic that when Jews die, Jews must be to blame; 17 people died this week at the hands of jihadists, four of them simply for being Jewish. Rather than condemn the perpetrators, “Jews for Justice for Palestinians” choose to blame the victims. For shame.
Yiftah Curiel
Spokesperson, embassy of Israel
• Your report (Mentor of Charlie Hebdo gunman has been UK-based, theguardian.com, 11 January) says the Muslim Council of Britain is supporting the case of Sylvie Beghal. The truth is that she brought a legal action against the director of public prosecutions that raises a number of important issues with wide-ranging implications for the civil liberties of British citizens, and in particular for the Muslim community. The MCB, together with other human rights organisations such as Liberty, successfully applied to be joined as an intervener in this case. We have no involvement in the conduct of Beghal’s case. Despite the heightened sensitivities, your story states nowhere that the MCB has robustly and loudly condemned terrorism. Our interest in this case is purely for the upholding of human rights.
Nasima Begum
Muslim Council of Britain
