22 February 2019

Liberal Judaism hosted its first Hot Potatoes event last night, selling out the sanctuary area of the Montagu Centre for a panel discussion on the ‘Labour Party and Antisemisitm’.

The evening was chaired by the BBC’s Callum May, who described it as “an enjoyable, thought-provoking and well-timed discussion”.

Showing why Liberal Judaism is a home for everyone’s Jewish story, the make-up of the panel reflected the multiplicity of voices in the Jewish community.

The panellists – pictured with Rabbis Danny Rich and Charley Baginsky – were human rights barrister Adam Wagner, Young Labour chair Miriam Mirwitch, former Labour councillor Adam Langleben, former director of the Jewish Labour Movement Ella Rose and journalist Michael Segalov.

All spoke with passion and integrity as they gave opening statements on their views on the current antisemitism crisis surrounding the Labour Party, before answering questions from Callum and the floor.

Liberal Judaism’s senior rabbi, Rabbi Danny Rich, said: “This panel showed Liberal Judaism at its best. We saw a diversity of views politely listened to. While sometimes heated, the debate always remained respectful and engaging – giving room for a wide variety of voices and opinions to be heard and discussed.”

A full video of the evening will follow early next week.

Liberal Judaism’s next Hot Potatoes event will take place at the Montagu Centre, in central London, on Thursday 4 April.

The topic will be ‘Citizenship: Privilege, Right or Something Inbetween’, providing the basis for a wide-ranging and open discussion about how Jews view citizenship both historically and when looking to the future.

For more information on the next Hot Potatoes event, and to register for alerts when tickets go on sale, please visit www.liberaljudaism.org/hot-potatoes.