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To: The Catholic Archbishop of Birmingham.
Don't allow the pro Israeli Board of Deputies of British Jews to define antisemitism in our schools.
The Catholic Archbishop of Birmingham must guarantee that the Board of Deputies is not permitted to use the controversial IHRA definition of antisemitism in teaching materials for Catholic schools in Birmingham, which may conflate opposition to Zionism and Palestinian colonisation with anti-Semitism. He should also agree to consult with other Jewish groups that the Board of Deputies does not represent.
Why is this important?
We the undersigned are opposed to the decision of the Catholic Archbishop of Birmingham to allow the Board of Deputies of British Jews to help produce anti-Semitism teaching resources for Catholic secondary schools.
The Board of Deputies is pro-Israeli and consistently conflates opposition to Zionism and Palestinian colonisation with anti-Semitism.
The Board of Deputies of British Jews does not represent all UK Jews and supports the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism, which defines it in terms of support for Israel. Other groups, like Jewish Voice for Labour and the Jewish Network for Palestine, should have been included.
True anti-Semitism is simply prejudice against Jews as Jews. However, 7 of the IHRA’s 11 examples relate to Israel. This anti-Palestinian definition ignores the displacement and genocide of indigenous Palestinians by the Israeli state.
While children must be taught to abhor anti-Semitism, it should not be exceptionalised above other forms of racism. It must be opposed alongside Islamophobia and far-right attacks on immigrants and ethnic minorities.
Allowing materials based on the IHRA definition of antisemitism into schools risks introducing anti-Palestinian racism and may influence children to believe that criticism of Israel's apartheid system is unacceptable.
