Progressive rabbis warn of Israel’s ‘existential threat’ to Judaism

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The UK’s most senior progressive rabbis have warned that the political direction of Israel poses an “existential threat” to Judaism. Rabbis Charley Baginsky and Josh Levy, who lead the Progressive Judaism movement, which represents a third of British Jews associated with synagogues, also told the Guardian that criticism of the Israeli government was a “Jewish obligation”. The British Jewish community is divided over Israel, its actions and its role in religious identity. Data from the Institute for Jewish Policy Research, published in October, found that 64% of adult British Jews identify as Zionist, but only 47% of those between 20 and 30. Since 2022, the proportion who identify as anti-Zionist has increased in every age group.