STATEMENT FROM ZF CHAIRMAN
Dear members
Since the beginning of the year, we at the ZF have seen the greatest
successes from our largest events. These include our most popular Parliament
Lobby Day ever, the ZF Science Week which drew extensive national media coverage
in showcasing ground breaking achievements from Israeli scientists and our
largest ZF Gala Dinner to date. These events sit alongside all the many other
day to day activities working on behalf of Israel.
However, we feel we need to work harder in communicating the principles and
values of the ZF which drives the passion behind that work.
The ZF are deeply committed to the State of Israel and its security. We at
the ZF believe that pursuing peace is an obligation set upon us to ensure that
our children need not know war. We believe in a two state solution providing
peace and security for Israel and an independent state for the Palestinians,
where both prosper economically and work together to maintain peace. We believe
in Israel as a Jewish state, living in peace and security amongst its Muslim
neighbours.
At the heart of the ZF lies a dedicated liberal and democratic ideology.
Israel sitting alongside other western democracies must protect all its
minorities, hold human rights to the highest standards, seek social justice for
all and support religious pluralism. We do not support religious or secular
extremism. In fact we support absolute tolerance in a society that holds that
all men and woman are treated equally no matter their colour, race, religion,
sexual orientation or ethnicity.
We at the ZF believe in the future of Israel as a safe, peaceful and
prosperous light amongst nations.
These values are shared by our membership and the organisations that work
alongside us in actively engaging and promoting Israel in the UK. We at the ZF
would like to ensure that going forward there is greater dialogue and
cooperation with progressive Judaism and that we engage the younger community in
working for these values.
Paul Charney
Chairman ZF