MEMBERS of the board of the largest Jewish representative body in the UK who broke ranks to condemn the “most extremist of Israeli governments” are being investigated by a complaints committee.
Thirty-six members of the Board of Deputies of British Jews (BDBJ) penned a letter to the Financial Times last week, where they called out Benjamin Netanyahu’s government for a “provocative partisan populism [that] is bitterly dividing Israeli society”.
On Tuesday, executive board members from the BDBJ said that all 36 signatories are to be investigated as the letter was “not representative of the Board of Deputies' policy on Israel”.
The statement added that the Board of Deputies convened an “extraordinary meeting” of the executive committee to discuss the “ramifications and consequences” of the letter's publication.
The vice-chair of the international division has also been temporarily suspended pending an investigation into the complaints.
Board of Deputies President Phil Rosenberg said only honorary officers and authorised staff are allowed to speak on behalf of the organisation.
“We take alleged breaches of the Code of Conduct very seriously,” he said.
“I am grateful to the Constitution Committee for the speed with which they have reviewed the initial complaints, and it is right that they are now given the time and space to review the cases with due process and impartiality.
“The Board of Deputies is clear: Only our democratically-elected Honorary Officers and authorised staff speak on behalf of the organisation.”
The Times reported that the signatories had urged the Board of Deputies as a whole to publish a statement after Israel breached the ceasefire in Gaza, but it was unwilling to publicly speak out against Netanyahu’s actions.
Instead, the 36 said in their letter in the FT: “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.”
Adding: “This is what we see: the last 18 months of heart-breaking war have shown us that the most successful way of bringing the hostages home and creating a lasting peace is through diplomacy.
“By the end of the first phase of the second ceasefire and hostage release deal, 135 hostages had been released through negotiation, just eight by military action, with at least three tragically killed by the Israel Defense Forces.”
The Board’s Constitutional Committee has reportedly already begun working on assessing more than 20 complaints that have been received due to the letter.
There have also been many letters sent to the communal organisation on the 36 members breaking ranks, with some supportive of those who signed the letter, Jewish News has reported.
The statement added that the complaints procedure is likely to take at least four weeks.
