Prominent Jewish leaders in the UK are urging the British government to increase pressure on Israel to lift its complete blockade on Gaza, which has restricted food and humanitarian aid for over two months. The rabbis accuse Israel of using starvation as a “tool of warfare” and neglecting hostages still held by Hamas.
The campaign, named SOS – Sending Our Selfies, is led by Rabbi Laura Janner-Klausner, former senior rabbi of Reform Judaism, and Rabbi Warren Elf of Southend and District Reform Synagogue. Participants are encouraged to send messages to Foreign Secretary David Lammy every Tuesday at 6 PM, including photos of themselves with a scriptural quote from Psalms: “To save their souls from death, and to keep them alive in famine.”
Both Janner-Klausner and Elf are respected figures known for interfaith and community work. Elf received an MBE for his leadership after the 2017 Manchester Arena attack.
In a statement, the rabbis said, “We urge the Foreign Secretary to tell both the UK and Israeli governments that religious leaders here reject using food denial as a war tactic and are devastated by the abandonment of hostages. This Gaza blockade must end.” They vowed to continue their efforts until conditions improve.
Janner-Klausner told Middle East Eye that many British Jews oppose Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the war’s continuation, and the withholding of aid. She emphasized growing Jewish community outrage, calling the situation a “moral and humanitarian disaster.”
The campaign follows controversy within the Board of Deputies of British Jews, which disciplined 36 members for criticizing Israel’s war conduct in a Financial Times letter. Later, other rabbis, mostly from Reform and Liberal Judaism, supported the dissenters and condemned the war.
Janner-Klausner hopes more rabbis, including Orthodox leaders, will join the movement, stating that the Gaza blockade violates democratic and Jewish values of equality.
Meanwhile, Israeli attacks continue, with local reports citing at least 60 killed overnight. Since October 2023, over 52,000 Palestinians have died, following Hamas’s attack that killed 1,200 Israelis. A UN-affiliated monitor warns that Gaza faces imminent famine, with 500,000 at risk of starvation.
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