Protesters disrupt Israeli ambassador talk at Limmud

Heads of Limmud have slammed a protest which took place yesterday when the Israeli Ambassador came to speak at the festival.

Around 30 Limmud participants stood in silence, with their backs to Tzipi Hotovely, holding posters saying: “Ceasefire now” and “14,000 children killed”. They were quickly asked to leave by security.

Hotovely had been about to start a conversation with Michael Wegier, CEO of the Board of Deputies, when the demonstrators stood up.

Their actions were strongly condemned by Limmud executive director Adam Rossano, who said “there is no place for disruption like this at Limmud Festival”.

He told the JC: “The protesters were disruptive to the session, so they were asked to allow the session to continue or to leave. The protest dissipated quickly, and the session was able to go ahead.

“There is no place for disruption like this at Limmud Festival - we prefer those who disagree with one another to engage in constructive dialogue and debate. We do not participate in legitimising or de-legitimising any religious or political position found in the worldwide Jewish community.”

Sarah (not her real name), one of the protesters, said that she had been disappointed that Hotovely had been invited to speak, saying that festival organisers had crossed a “red line”.

“She is at odds with Limmud’s values of pluralism,” she told the JC, adding that the ambassador’s views were also “at odds with the majority of the Jewish community in the UK”.

Most of the protesters were believed to be connected to far-left Na’amod movement, a Jewish organisation, which seeks “to end our community’s support for Israel's occupation and apartheid”.

Sarah said she had decided to protest “against the war in Gaza and the Israeli government, which is committed to genocide and ethnic cleansing. The malign situation is making things more dangerous for Israelis and diaspora Jews.”

Rossano said: “Limmud is committed to its values of diversity, learning and arguments for the sake of Heaven, which ensures that there is space for the broad spectrum of views that exist in our community to be reflected, with healthy disagreement and rigorous debate encouraged.

“The UK Jewish community has a wide range of relationships with Israel, and we want all of those to have a home at Limmud Festival - it is what enables dialogue across lines of difference and a deepening understanding of one another.”

He said that Hotovely had been invited “as a representative of the Israeli government”, part of a large and varied array of Israel programming, which included Israeli artists, educators and performers from across the political spectrum. Hostage families, survivors or October 7 and Palestinians have also given talks during the six-day event in Birmingham.

During the conversation with Wegier, Hotovely was interviewed about the war, the hostage situation and criticism levelled at the Israeli government.

The Israeli Embassy was approached for comment.