Britain’s Board of Deputies members says Israel’s soul is being ripped out

Members of the Board of Deputies of British Jews have publicly criticised Israel’s government in an open letter published Thursday in the Financial Times saying “they can no longer “turn a blind eye” to the war in Gaza,

The group, which represents about one in eight members of the Board, said their values as Jews compelled them to speak out.

The 36 members warned “Israel’s soul is being ripped out” by the ongoing conflict.

In the letter, they stated: “The urge to look away is strong, as the reality is unbearable, but our Jewish principles demand we stand up and speak.”

This marks the first time since the start of the war — triggered by the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel — that members of the Board have openly challenged the IBenjamin Netanyahu’s leadership.

The letter expressed deep concern over the scale of the violence, especially following the breakdown of a two-month ceasefire on March 18.

“We cannot turn a blind eye or remain silent,” the members wrote. “Israel’s soul is being torn apart, and we, as members of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, fear for the future of the Israel we love and cherish.”

The signatories accused what they called “the most extremist of Israeli governments” of fueling violence against Palestinians, particularly in the West Bank.

“We oppose this war and mourn the enormous loss of Palestinian life,” they added.

A spokesperson for the Board of Deputies told the Guardian newspaper that many other members likely place stronger emphasis on Hamas’s role in sparking and sustaining the conflict.

Phil Rosenberg, the Board’s president, cautioned that the letter might give the false impression that the views expressed represent the official position of the entire organization and the wider UK Jewish community.

He also noted the letter makes scant mention of Hamas and criticized it for omitting the group’s role in derailing the second phase of a proposed hostage release deal.

He told the UK’s Jewish News: “Whether intentionally or otherwise, the impression that has now been put forward by certain national and international news outlets is that yesterday’s letter published in the Financial Times, signed by approximately ten percent of Deputies, is the position of the Board of Deputies as an organisation, and therefore the position of the UK Jewish community as a whole. This is emphatically not the case, and as president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, I speak for the organisation as a whole.”

Hamas’s October 7 attack left 1,218 people dead in Israel, mostly civilians. Of the 251 hostages taken that day, 58 remain in Gaza, including 34 who the Israeli military says have been confirmed dead.