The embarrassing acrobatics of the Reform Jewish Alliance
JVL Introduction
What on earth, asks Francesca Newton, “would make a Jew – a group so conscious of its minority status, one that tells holy stories about escaping persecution and historical ones about its consequences – join Reform?”
A combination, she suggests, of Israel, fear of Muslims and migrants in general. A desire to be a “model minority”, willing to aid the nation’s defence against invasion.
Forgetting that, not so long ago, Jews were the invaders Britain sought protection against, inspiring the first peacetime anti-immigrant act, the Aliens Act of 1905, to keep the Ashkenazim at bay.
RK
This article was originally published by Vashti on Fri 20 Feb 2026. Read the original here.
The embarrassing acrobatics of the Reform Jewish Alliance
A Jew joining an anti-migrant party sounds like the beginning of a bad joke. If only there were something to laugh about.
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1. Surely a strong element is the pulling “up the drawbridge” instinct, also evidenced by many well-known non-white personnel in the leadership of the main parties, advocating strongly for more restrictions on immigration.
2. Going deeper than that requires a class analysis. The Jewish community has prospered, in the main, and many have become wealthy and live comfortably in middle or upper class environments.. As have many Indian heritage families.
My maternal grandfather read the Daily Mirror, and so did my father when I was young and he was still making his way. As he progressed in life, he progressed in his newspaper: firstly to The Guardian and then to the Times. Today, the Daily Telegraph or Daily Mail seem (from a very small samplel to be the newspaper of choice for Jews if they take one at all. I guess the big business people take the Financial Times.
3. For years Israel has been putting out an antig-Islam narrative and has been interfering in our domestic politics by backing right wing and far-right groups financially and in other ways. I’m sure most readers here will be aware of the backing received from Israel by “Tommy Robinson”, for example.
The article looks at some of the advantages the reform party might gather from this initiative but fails to look at what’s in it for the Jews who are involved. It takes two to tango.
Why would a synagogue host such a meeting? The will of course have leading members who are deputies to the Board of Deputies, and those who have strong links to Bicom, the Israeli embassy and so on.
It is unlikely that they wouldn’t have tsought guidance, or been guided, to act in Israel’s perceived best interests.
I echo Francesca Newton’s dismay at Reform’s new Jewish support group.
Its launch, though, ought to shock noone.
Thatcher’s pre-79 election reference to migrants swamping Britain?
Six in ten Jews voted for her to win then and twice more.
Now, amid distrust for the main parties, Farage and Polanski woo the community’s rightists and progressives.
From a refugee Jewish family, I oppose Reform’s hoatility to newcomers.
But a protest that disrupts Jews who start a fanhood?
Own goal.
More effective to challenge the party in the Q&A session, with policies so that Labour can match living standards and public services to population growth.