LONDON: A member of the UK’s Board of Deputies of British Jews, the largest official Jewish organization in the country, has resigned over its position on Gaza.
Daniel Grossman, 21, is among 36 elected members of the BoD who signed an open letter last month saying “Jewish values compel us to stand up and to speak out” about Israel’s war on the Palestinian territory, adding: “Israel’s soul is being ripped out.”
Grossman, a student at Bristol University, subsequently left the organization, and said that the BoD had “failed to act morally and failed to represent the increasing diversity of opinion within the British Jewish community” on the issue, adding it was trying to “stifle dissent.”
He told The Guardian: “It’s very simple. They (the BoD) are refusing to explicitly and publicly condemn Israel’s genocidal assault in Gaza and to criticize the (Israeli) government for abandoning the hostages, who have been in captivity for far too long.
“Increasing numbers of people are recognizing that Israel’s actions in Gaza cannot be justified as purely self-defense. They seemingly want to declare a perpetual war against Palestinian civilians with the goal of ethnically cleansing them from the Gaza Strip.”
Following the publication of the letter, the BoD, which has 300 elected representatives, began disciplinary proceedings against the 36 signatories. An investigation into their conduct is expected to conclude in the coming weeks.
Grossman, who said that he grew up in a normal Jewish community in the UK, described the months since the attack on southern Israel by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, and the subsequent war in Gaza, as “a journey for me,” adding it had become “increasingly clear that the way the Israeli government is acting is not acceptable by any measure.”
Following his resignation from the BoD, he told the Guardian: “More people were sympathetic than I expected, and it has genuinely astonished me. Lots of these people may not feel able to speak out themselves, they might find it difficult with friends or family. But people have reached out to me.
“A huge shift is happening. The diversity of opinion in the Jewish community is becoming increasingly clear,” he said.
“My 89-year-old grandmother, who was a refugee during the Holocaust, said I had done the right thing and she is proud of me for speaking up.”
A BoD spokesperson told The Guardian: “Daniel’s term as a deputy was due to end in a few weeks with him having been replaced by another representative from the Union of Jewish Students. We wish him well with his future endeavours.”
