OXFAM DEBATE: A CASE OF TWO DISTINCT AGENDAS?
I write following the Board of Deputies’ support for the Grow/Tatzmiach project with Oxfam ( News, January 18).
Jonathan Arkush and fellow members have said they will closely monitor Oxfam’s future activities to make sure no “red lines” are crossed regarding Israel. This is totally unacceptable. It clearly demonstrates that the Board is going into partnership with an organisation they don’t trust from the outset.
For the first time in more than 30 years I will not be paying my Board subscription, which is due at the end of this month. Instead I will be making a donation to British Friends of Yinn, a charity that provides daily meals for children in Netanya whose parents cannot afford to do so. May those 113 deputies who voted for this project hold their heads in shame. Paul Gaba gabafamily@hotmail.com
What was at odds here was a question of two different agendas. The original agenda was that of setting up an activists’ training programme, which would have been less controversial had the Board chosen a less politicised NGO as partner. The secondary agenda was that of wanting to build bridges specifically with Oxfam. It was the first agenda that should have been voted on, but the attraction of the second — whether real or spurious — that carried the day.
Incidentally, the debate was unusu- ally impressive. In spite of intense polarisation, speakers on both sides were respectful, offered arguments of substance and were rewarded by being listened to attentively. It has not always been thus, nor did the clamour leading up to the debate suggest this would be so. It’s a healthy sign. Stephen Games Deputy for Muswell Hill Synagogue games@clara.net
The proceedings, which I viewed by satellite on “MatchDay” (an appropriate name!) of the Board debating the partnership with Oxfam, were not a pretty picture. If this is the present voice of British Jewry I suggest choir practice is urgently due.
However, the debate did have some thoughtful comment, none of which criticised the actual worthiness of the project. There was only one issue to be discussed; the wisdom or otherwise of joining forces with Oxfam, whose attitude to and actions regarding Israel have given cause for concern for years.
What a victory it would be for our enemies if, as a result of the decision to go ahead, there would be a split in our own community. I hope that those responsible for furthering this new relationship with Oxfam will take note of the theme for this year’s Holocaust Memorial Day, and “build bridges”, something surprisingly not mentioned once in the debate. Jack Lynes Albury Drive, Pinner, HA5