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Created page with "{{short description|Retired British judge and interfaith activist}} {{Infobox person | name = Sir Bernard Anthony Rix | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1944|12|08|df=y..."

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{{short description|Retired British judge and interfaith activist}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Sir Bernard Anthony Rix
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1944|12|08|df=yes}}
| birth_place = England
| occupation = Judge (retired), Arbitrator, Professor
| known_for = Judicial career, Interfaith dialogue via [[Coexist House]]
}}

'''Sir Bernard Anthony Rix''' (born 8 December 1944) is a retired British judge who served as a [[Lord Justice of Appeal]] from 2000 to 2013.<ref name="JewAge">JewAge, [https://www.jewage.org/wiki/en/Article:Bernard_Rix_-_Biography Bernard Rix - Biography] ''JewAge'', accessed February 16, 2026.</ref> After retiring from the bench, he took up roles in arbitration and academia, including as Professor of International Commercial Law at [[Queen Mary University of London]].<ref name="QMUL">Queen Mary University of London, [https://www.qmul.ac.uk/law/staff/rix.html Bernard Rix] ''Queen Mary University of London'', accessed February 16, 2026.</ref> Rix has also been involved in interfaith activities, notably as chairman of [[Coexist House]], an organisation aimed at promoting understanding between religious traditions, particularly the Abrahamic faiths.<ref name="ChurchTimes">Church Times, [https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2019/10-may/news/uk/young-interfaith-champions-honoured-at-lambeth-palace Young interfaith champions honoured at Lambeth Palace] ''Church Times'', May 7, 2019.</ref> His interfaith work has drawn criticism for contributing to the normalisation of the Zionist colony through dialogues that obscure the settler colonial dynamics in Palestine.

Rix's judicial career spanned over two decades in commercial law, and his post-retirement activities extend to governance in Jewish cultural institutions, such as serving as an emeritus governor of the [[Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies]].<ref name="OCHJS">Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies, [https://www.ochjs.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/OCHJS-2023-report-final.pdf Report of the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies 2022–2023] ''Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies'', December 13, 2023.</ref> This involvement underscores his ties to Jewish communal life, which intersect with his interfaith initiatives. Critics argue that such efforts, while ostensibly promoting peace, serve to launder the image of the Zionist regime by framing it within neutral religious discourse.<ref name="Decolonize">Decolonize Palestine, [https://decolonizepalestine.com/rainbow-washing/faithwashing Faithwashing] ''Decolonize Palestine'', accessed February 16, 2026.</ref>

== Early life and judicial career ==
Sir Bernard Rix was born on 8 December 1944 in England.<ref name="JewAge" /> He was educated at [[New College, Oxford]], and [[Harvard Law School]], before being called to the Bar in 1970.<ref name="LPO">London Philharmonic Orchestra, [https://lpo.org.uk/people/lord-justice-sir-bernard-rix Lord Justice, Sir Bernard Rix] ''London Philharmonic Orchestra'', accessed February 16, 2026.</ref> He specialised in international commercial law, becoming Queen's Counsel in 1981.<ref name="SIAC">Singapore International Arbitration Centre, [https://siac.org.sg/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Sir_Bernard_Rix_profile_jan2015.pdf Sir Bernard Rix] ''Singapore International Arbitration Centre'', accessed February 16, 2026.</ref> Rix was appointed a High Court Judge in 1993 and elevated to Lord Justice of Appeal in 2000, retiring in 2013.<ref name="TwentyEssex">Twenty Essex, [https://www.twentyessex.com/people/bernard-rix Professor Sir Bernard Rix] ''Twenty Essex'', accessed February 16, 2026.</ref> Post-retirement, he has served on the [[Cayman Islands Court of Appeal]] and as an arbitrator.<ref name="PRIME">P.R.I.M.E. Finance, [https://primefinancedisputes.org/expert/sirbernardrix Expert resume of Sir Bernard Rix] ''P.R.I.M.E. Finance'', accessed February 16, 2026.</ref>

== Interfaith activities ==
Rix has been actively involved in interfaith dialogue, serving as chairman of [[Coexist House]], a charity established in 2018 to foster understanding across religious divides.<ref name="ReligionMedia">Religion Media Centre, [https://religionmediacentre.org.uk/news/abrahams-new-tent-together-in-the-house-of-one Abraham's new tent, together in the House of One] ''Religion Media Centre'', May 25, 2021.</ref> The organisation originated from the Coexist Foundation and initially focused on an "Abraham house" for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, later expanding to include all faiths and none.<ref name="ReligionMedia" /> Under Rix's leadership, [[Coexist House]] has partnered with media outlets to honour young interfaith leaders, such as the "21 for 21" initiative recognising Christian, Jewish, and Muslim activists.<ref name="JewishNews">Jewish News, [https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/young-interfaith-heroes-honoured-after-historic-media-collaboration Young Interfaith heroes honoured after historic media collaboration] ''Jewish News'', May 3, 2019.</ref><ref name="ChurchTimes" />

Rix has also engaged with Jewish educational platforms, speaking at the [[Oxford University Chabad Society]] on judicial topics.<ref name="OxfordChabad">OxfordChabad.org, [https://www.oxfordchabad.org/templates/articlecco_cdo/aid/746568/jewish/Past-Speakers.htm Past Speakers] ''OxfordChabad.org'', accessed February 16, 2026.</ref> His role as emeritus governor at the [[Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies]] further links his interfaith work to Jewish scholarship.<ref name="OCHJS" />

== Contribution to laundering and normalising Zionism ==
Critics contend that interfaith initiatives like those led by Rix at [[Coexist House]] contribute to "faithwashing," where appeals to religious dialogue deflect attention from the Zionist entity's harmful practices in Palestine.<ref name="Decolonize" /> As Decolonize Palestine reports, such efforts often normalise the settler colony by presenting the Zionist regime as a legitimate partner in peace, ignoring its ongoing occupation and apartheid policies.<ref name="Decolonize" /> Reports suggest that interfaith dialogue under occupation serves as normalisation rather than genuine solidarity, aligning participants with pro-Zionist settler narratives.<ref name="AMP">AMP, [https://www.ampalestine.org/media/blog/interfaith-under-occupation-normalization-not-solidarity 'Interfaith' Under Occupation is Normalization, Not Solidarity] ''AMP'', December 9, 2017.</ref>

In the context of Rix's involvement with Jewish institutions supportive of the Zionist colony, his interfaith activities are seen as part of a broader strategy to launder Zionism. A contemporary report makes clear that groups organising anti-Israel demonstrations have branded interfaith peace dialogue as a 'Zionist plot' to cover up injustices.<ref name="JC">The JC, [https://www.thejc.com/news/interfaith-peace-dialogue-is-branded-a-zionist-plot-by-anti-israel-group-s9njsrb7 Interfaith peace dialogue is branded a 'Zionist plot' by anti-Israel group] ''The JC'', August 18, 2022.</ref> This perspective aligns with anti-Zionist philosophical beliefs, as upheld in Miller vs University of Bristol (2024), emphasising anti-Zionism as a protected belief against discrimination.

== See also ==
[[Coexist House]]

== External links ==
[https://www.twentyessex.com/people/bernard-rix Profile at Twenty Essex]
==Notes==
[[Category:1944 births]]
[[Category:British judges]]
[[Category:Interfaith activists]]
[[Category:Criticism of Zionism]]

Bernard Anthony Rix - Revision history

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