IJV Holds First Public Meeting
Leaders of controverisal new group Independent Jewish Voices this week admitted that after a fortnight of campaigning there is still no agreement on the group's direction.
Over 400 British Jews including Stephen Fry, Harold Pinter and many academics have signed up to the organisation, which launched at the beginning of February, claiming to represent Jews who are restricted from openly criticising Israel.
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But the event, which cost Ł7.00 for all attendees and called for a Ł30.00 contribution from signatories, failed to conclude with any policy decisions.
Klug admitted to the Jewish News that the group’s direction had still not been decided. He said: “We will be announcing another event soon. Direction is something we will be discussing at our next steering group meeting.”
The meeting was almost cancelled when a town hall official, fearing that health and Safety regulations were being broken, ordered people sitting on the floor to leave. Some 40 people were turned away despite paying for tickets.
Opponents of IJV clashed with the group at the meeting, with some attendees accusing them of self indulgence. One audience member, Neil Stone said: “This organisation is ridiculous, there is no substance to the ideas. This is just a damp squib.”
Other panellists were also unclear of the group’s policy. Rose, a British academic, suggested the IJV may become a pressure group or a political movement.
Fruchtmann, an Israeli filmmaker, said: “I cannot answer this properly. It’s a movement rather than a group, which encourages critical voices against Israel in a political way.”
Eric Moonman, President of the Zionist Federation, “There will be as many different voices in this collective group as exist amongst any group of Jews on any topic. It was no surprise that no decisions were made and no clear direction was confirmed except for everybody handing over some money.”
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