Anti-Zionist Jews come out of the shadows

Israel's 60th birthday bash was not only celebrated boisterously in the country itself last week, but with equal vim throughout the Jewish diaspora. Even Windsor Castle joined in. Dissent has been subdued, especially within Britain's Jewish community.

Indeed, it is rare to find a vocal anti-Zionist within Britain's Jewish community at any time of the year. This is not to say they do not exist, but amidst all the whoops and hollerings for the state of Israel, they are too often drowned out.

Given the presumed monolithic backing for Israel, there is a fear of being misrepresented, alienated or roundly pillaried which means the minority keep schtum. The majority still see Jewish anti-Zionism as a perverse act of self-contradiction. For them, the idea of a state run on the paramountcy of one particular grouping, religious