Israel’s direction poses ‘existential threat’ to Judaism, UK’s leading progressive rabbis warn

The UK’s most senior progressive rabbis have warned that Israel’s current political direction risks becoming “incompatible with Jewish values”, while insisting that criticism of the country’s government is “a Jewish obligation” rather than an act of disloyalty. Rabbi Charley Baginsky and Rabbi Josh Levy, co-leads of Progressive Judaism – the newly formed movement representing around a third of synagogues in the UK – said Israel’s trajectory could pose an “existential threat” not just to the country itself but to Judaism. Speaking ahead of the launch of the movement’s first book, Progressive Judaism, Zionism and the State of Israel, they also expressed hope that change remains possible. “We’ve often talked about the direction of Israel being an existential threat not to Jews per se, but to Judaism,” Baginsky said. “What happens when the direction of the government within Israel takes Israel down a line that makes it incompatible with our Jewish values? That’s a huge worry.” That question lies at the heart of the book Baginsky co-edited with Levy, which brings together 40 essays from Jewish clergy and community leaders, reflecting a wide range of perspectives on the fraught debates surrounding Jewish identity, Zionism and Israel. Levy argued that exploring these tough questions is not a sign of disloyalty to Israel or to the Jewish community. …