"I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it."- (Perhaps) Voltaire

While Jerusalem is descending into chaos, in Britain the Jewish community is once again caught up in a story which seems to have rolled and rolled over the past year - should the Board of Deputies admit a representative from the "Pro-Israel" group Yachad? If there was ever an illustration of why it is important to make aliyah, perhaps that is it. If you want to live Jewish History and be a part of changing the fortune of the nation - come here. If you wish to talk about, stay there. But I digress.

Things are hard here at the moment. It feels like we are on the brink of a much greater violence. (And that, in a nutshell is the argument for not moving here!)

The latest marking of Yitzhak Rabin's assassination brought many to the realisation that the left wing of Israeli politics have no leaders, while the right wing have no solutions. We Israelis will probably never agree on how we must proceed, but the thing we all agree about is that we need peace, an end to violence, an ability to plan our days without having to think which part of town to avoid because of the possibility of an attack.

 How do we get there? On that we are divided. 

There are those who suggest that we can only use force to defeat force - after all we are stronger. But the majority of Israelis know that peace will only come through negotiations. And everyone knows that you don't negotiate for peace with friends, but with enemies.

I am not a fan of Yachad, just as I am not a fan of the Zionist Federation or Stand With Us. But I believe that their desire for peace is genuine. Even if I were to hold that there desire was not genuine, would I have the right to claim they are not part of the Jewish community? 

The idea of excluding Yachad because we don't like their positions is the beginning of the end for any sense of Jewish communal life. We must accept that we can be in community with those we disagree with. This has always been the way of Judaism. Or at least since the time of Hillel and Shammai and until today.

In the end, the discussion over whether to admit Yachad has nothing to do with their political stance - it is irrelevant. While I agree with them about the need for peace, negotiations, and a two-state solution, I fundamentally disagree with them over the idea that it is good for foreign Jews to meddle in the affairs of Israel. (This is the same reason why I disagree with the Zionist Federation and Stand With Us). But my opposition to the fundamental principle underlying Yachad's work does not negate my appreciation that they are part of the community of covenant which is the Jewish people. I do not deny their Jewishness, while I disagree with them. As such, in the end, the politics is irrelevant. This is about recognising that despite our differences, we are one. Now - let's try and get that message across in Jerusalem.