Robert Cohen writes, “Looking the other way when a crime is committed is not a Jewish value I remember being taught in my Hebrew classes. The British Board of Deputies’ effort to build non-existent Jewish unity over Israel turns out to be little more than political expediency in Israel’s favour.”

Robert Cohen’s Jewish thought on COVID-19 and Zionism: In 2020, a nationalist ideology dependent for its continuance on the on-going subjugation of a neighbouring people is not only immoral but unsustainable in every respect. And it’s infected every aspect of modern Jewish experience. It’s time to let it pass over.

Robert Cohen reviews Tom Stoppard’s new play Leopoldstadt, which follows an extended Viennese family across three generations and half a century of deteriorating Jewish history. “Jewish 20th century history is so often presented as one long justification for the project of Jewish national renewal,” Cohen writes, “so it was curious to see such a major artistic telling of Jewish experience leaving Zionism offstage.”

Israel supporters are outraged that Orla Guerin of BBC mentioned Palestinians in the context of Holocaust trauma. Robert Cohen says her remarks were entirely appropriate because the Holocaust is still resonating through Jewish history and is intimately connected to Israel’s history and actions against Palestinians.

Under Boris Johnson in Britain, Jewish institutions, rabbis, and Jewish student leaders are claiming to fight antisemitism while simultaneously defending, excusing, or denying the discrimination and oppression of another people. It’s a narrative framework that’s not sustainable, Robert Cohen writes.

Chief Rabbi Mirvis, what is the clear and present danger presented by the Labour party to Jews? Perhaps you can give me a rough idea of what I should expect, so I know whether to be ready to pack my bags when the election results come through. You are right when you say “the soul of our nation is at stake.” But you don’t seem to care about how we treat the poorest and most vulnerable, how urgently we tackle climate change, or our attitude towards human rights and international law. From Robert Cohen’s letter to the Jewish leader.

In the December election in the UK, the disparity between rich and poor; our response to the Climate Emergency; and the future of the United Kingdom all need to be central themes of the campaign. The one issue that does not need to be part of the debate is antisemitism. The charge is leveled against Corbyn because he will change policy re Israel.

Robert Cohen writes, “There are parallels between how the Extinction Rebellion has analyzed the politics of climate change and where we now stand with Israel/Palestine within the Jewish world. Both situations have those who deny the facts, look to others to blame, or think minor reforms will fix things.”

Robert Cohen writes, with the global climate emergency upon us, “Zionism is one of many obsolete ideologies which needs to be ditched if we’re to build a sustainable future for all of us. In contrast, Judaism itself, shorn of its Zionist overlay, has plenty to offer as we look for radically different ways to relate to each other and the planet.”

Robert Cohen debates Melanie Phillips on BBC radio. “The Jews are the only people for whom the Land of Israel was ever their national kingdom,” she says. He says, “That’s a muddle” of Zionism and Judaism.