Sussex Friends of Israel
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Brighton-based pro-Israel campaign group and charity, founded January 2013
| Sussex Friends of Israel
| |
|---|---|
| Type | Charitable incorporated organisation (CIO) |
| Founded | 6 January 2013 (announced) |
| Founder(s) | Simon Cobbs, Daniel Laurence, Winston Pickett, Ivor Richards |
| Registration ID | Charity 1157971 (Charity Commission); CE002329 (Companies House) |
| Status | Charity removed from the register on 25 July 2024 |
| Headquarters | West Blatchington, Hove, BN3 6QB (full registered address to be confirmed) |
| Location | Brighton and Hove |
| Key people | Ronnie Bloom (chair, then president); co-chairs (2015) Fiona Sharpe, Winston Pickett, Simon Cobbs |
Sussex Friends of Israel (SFI) is a pro-Israel campaign group in Brighton and Hove, formed in January 2013 to counter-protest the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and BDS demonstrations outside the SodaStream-owned EcoStream shop in Brighton.[1] It registered as a charitable incorporated organisation (charity number 1157971) on 23 July 2014. The charity was removed from the register on 25 July 2024.[2]
Background
EcoStream opened on Western Road, Brighton, in August 2012, and the Brighton and Hove Palestine Solidarity Campaign picketed it weekly. At that time SodaStream's main factory was at Mishor Adumim, an Israeli settlement industrial zone in the occupied West Bank.[1][3] According to co-founder Simon Cobbs, he and Daniel Laurence began counter-protesting on the shop's opening day: "We both decided to bring three people in next week, and counter-protest. That's how it all started."[1]
History
- 6 January 2013: the formation of Sussex Friends of Israel is announced at a meeting at Brighton's Ralli Hall, organised by the Zionist Federation with Christian Friends of Israel. About 150–200 people attended, the ZF's Alan Aziz chaired, and CFI's Jacob Vince spoke. Ronnie Bloom was to chair the group.[4][5]
- 2013: SFI runs weekly Saturday counter-protests at EcoStream, with campaigns including "Bagels Against Bigotry" and "Cake Against Hate". Neil Duncanson handled public relations, and Bloom was described as funding the group.[1]
- 30 June 2014: EcoStream closes; SodaStream cites the end of a "two-year test period". Cobbs called the closure "disappointing" and blamed MP Caroline Lucas.[3][6]
- 23 July 2014: registered as a charity, number 1157971.[2]
- September 2014 (reported 22 September): co-organises a protest of more than 50 people with the Israeli Forum Task Force outside the Qatari embassy in London.[7]
- 9 July 2015: the JC lists Bloom as president and Fiona Sharpe, Winston Pickett and Simon Cobbs as co-chairs, and reports 15,000 members in the group's Facebook group.[8]
- December 2017: SFI is one of the organisers of the first worldwide IsrAction Day, which encourages people to buy Israeli food products and donate them to those in need. Pickett is the spokesman.[9]
- 14–16 December 2018: Simon Cobbs speaks at the WZO-ZF European Conference on Antisemitism 2018 in London.[10]
- 12–14 March 2019: Cobbs attends DigiTell19, organised by Israel's Ministry of Strategic Affairs in Jerusalem, Mitzpe Ramon and Tel Aviv.[11]
Simon Cobbs of Sussex Friends of Israel and Raphi Bloom of North West Friends of Israel at #Digitell19, attending the SodaStream talk on the first day in Jerusalem.[11]
Finances
| Financial year | Income | Spending |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | £15,000 | £1 |
| 2016 | £10,000 | £4,997 |
| 2017 | £0 | £15,703 |
| 2018 | £25,000 | £18,244 |
The charity reported four trustees in 2018 and did not file its returns for 2020–2023. It was removed from the register on 25 July 2024.[2]
People
| Name | Role | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Ronnie Bloom | Chair; later president | January 2013; president by July 2015 |
| Simon Cobbs | Co-founder; co-chair | 2013–; co-chair by July 2015 |
| Winston Pickett | Co-chair; former director of the European Institute for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism | by January 2014; co-chair by July 2015 |
| Fiona Sharpe | Co-chair | by July 2015 |
| Daniel Laurence | Founding counter-protester | 2012–2013 |
| Neil Duncanson | Public relations | by January 2014 |
See also
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Sandy Rashty, How Sussex Friends of Israel are fighting back against the boycotters, Jewish Chronicle, 2 January 2014, accessed 2 November 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Charity Commission for England and Wales, Sussex Friends of Israel, charity number 1157971, accessed 2 November 2026; Companies House, SUSSEX FRIENDS OF ISRAEL, CE002329, accessed 2 November 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Sandy Rashty, SodaStream shop closes in Brighton after boycott row, Jewish Chronicle, 3 July 2014, accessed 2 November 2026.
- ↑ Cecily Woolf, New friends in Sussex, Jewish Chronicle, 14 January 2013, accessed 2 November 2026.
- ↑ Stephen Hoffman, "Christians And Jews Unite for Israel", Sussex Jewish News, issue 227, February 2013, p. 8, accessed 2 November 2026.
- ↑ Palestine Solidarity Campaign, SodaStream forced to close UK store following successful boycott campaign, 3 July 2014, accessed 2 November 2026.
- ↑ Sandy Rashty, Pro-Israel activists protest over Qatar links with terror, Jewish Chronicle, 22 September 2014, accessed 2 November 2026.
- ↑ Josh Jackman, Three pro-Israel groups rising - and one treading water, Jewish Chronicle, 9 July 2015, accessed 2 November 2026.
- ↑ Rosa Doherty, Boycott busters will help the homeless, Jewish Chronicle, 15 December 2017, accessed 2 November 2026.
- ↑ World Zionist Organization, Center for Countering Antisemitism, report of 26 December 2018, archived at archive.ph/jTpGE.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Raphi Bloom, @NorthWestFOI, "About to hear from the amazing @SodaStreamUSA with @SussexFriends at #DigiTell19 in #Jerusalem", Twitter, archived at archive.vn/oJWCa, retrieved 27 May 2020.