Politics
British Jewish couple making legal history
For the Times of Israel posted March 7 2017 LONDON — Seven years ago, Charles Keidan and Rebecca Steinfeld met at a lecture at the London School of Economics. “Actually, it was about Gaza,” they smile. Today, the two are making English legal history as they seek to change the law on civil partnership. They […]
Antisemitism is in the air we breathe
Andrew Hussey for JC by Jenni Frazer Feb 2017 A leading British academic based in France says the subject of antisemitism has become almost “taboo” and that its various strands — from right and left — are coalescing to form a toxic threat to Jews in the country. Professor Andrew Hussey, director of the Centre […]
The contacts man
For the Jewish News February 15 2017 Malcolm Hoenlein’s business card must have words falling off the edges, given his title and the organisation he represents. As executive vice-president of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organisations, Hoenlein is arguably the world’s most powerful official Jew. He travels from the US three weeks […]
The man who wrote the book on Labour antisemitism
For the Times of Israel posted October 3 2016 LONDON — Towards the end of a long summer contest for UK Labour leadership between Jeremy Corbyn and challenger Owen Smith, a number of people could be seen annotating a gaudily-covered paperback book. Dave Rich’s seminal primer, “The Left’s Jewish Problem: Jeremy Corbyn, Israel and Antisemitism” […]
Regev is a man of optimism
Regev for Jewish News by Jenni Frazer Sept 23 2016 Israel’s ambassador to the UK, Mark Regev, has an upbeat message for Rosh Hashanah. He says: “There is something very interesting happening in the region. Because of common threats coming from Iran and groups like Isis, we are seeing a strategic realignment, where today Israel […]
A meeting with Yehuda Bauer
By Jenni Frazer for Jewish Chronicle September 9 2016 Yehuda Bauer by Jenni Frazer September 6 2016 When, in 1946, the British colonial government in mandate Palestine were looking for a bright young Jewish scholar to take up a place at Cardiff University, they could scarcely have foreseen that their choice would become a world-famous […]
Danon’s big ideas? Draft Arabs and reject two states
Likud Knesset member Danny Danon is nothing if not bullish. His political opinions are, to put it mildly, at odds even with his own party leader. in the last Knesset he was deputy speaker but he has managed to disagree with the political establishment on almost every important issue, from vehemently opposing the disengagement from […]
Mandelson on Judaism, Lord Levy and his JC dad
Tony Blair’s closest ally reveals the inside story on the cash-for-peerages scandal and his pro-Israel sentiments Lord Mandelson’s book, The Third Man, Life At The Heart of New Labour has enjoyed a heady reception in the week since its publication. He has the relieved look of someone who has run a marathon without keel- ing […]
William Hague Interview: “Iraq should not inhibit our Iran policy.’
The man who may be Britain’s next Conservative Foreign Secretary defines his foreign-policy agenda in terms of the three I’s — Israel, Iran, and Iraq. By the time of the next General Election, he warns, the convulsions in the Middle East — not least Iran’s determination to develop nuclear weapons — may be uncontrollable. Hague […]
Leon Brittan – Out of the mafia
Jenni Frazer meets a deeply experienced politician, a Conservative Europhile, who recalls how his career had its roots in his time at university amid a like-minded crowd. It is an odd reflection that, if the voters of the London Borough of Brent had been a bit more enthusiastic, Britain might have lost one of its […]