Protest over boycott move

COMMUNITY LEADERS in Nottingham have called on the city council to reject a motion to boycott Israel put forward by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.

The motion, which was signed by 5,107 people, will be debated next Monday.

But the Orthodox and Liberal congregations have written a joint letter in protest.

Rabbi Tanya Sakhnovich, of Nottingham Liberal Synagogue, said: “It’s not good for local cohesion and community engagement. We feel that an Israel boycott motion is not the way to go forward. The way forward is dialogue.”

Nottingham University’s Jewish society has urged students to write to the council. A spokesman said on Facebook: “Boycotts are harmful to and are not supported by the Jewish community”.

Meanwhile, antisemitic jazz musician Gilad Atzmon was stopped from performing at the Bonington Theatre venue in a Nottingham suburb last week after 13 complaints.

A spokesman for Gedling Borough Council, which owns the theatre, said that, given residents’ concern, allowing the concert to go ahead would have been inconsistent with its legal responsibility to maintain good community relations.

Mr Atzmon, who is Israeli, performed at a local pub. He said: “It turned into a rally of support for my work and elementary liberties.”