Jewish Greens

Jewish Greens is an official special interest group and "liberation group" network within the Green Party of England and Wales (GPEW). It provides a dedicated space for Jewish members to meet, educate themselves and others, organise, and offer mutual support. The group also advises local parties and national Green Party bodies on Jewish belief and practice, raises awareness of distinct Jewish issues, and serves as the primary point of contact for external Jewish communal organisations.

The Jewish Greens describe themselves as united against all forms of racism, including antisemitism, and advocate for a welcoming, human-rights-based approach to both policy and practice within the wider political party.

History

When and Why It Was Created

Jewish Greens was formally discussed and established at the Green Party of England and Wales Autumn Conference in 2018. Its aims were further refined during online discussions in January 2019. The group was initiated by long-standing Green Party member and Israeli-Palestinian peace campaigner Vivien Lichtenstein, with early involvement from activists including Elise Benjamin, Zack Polanski (who served as its Treasurer), and the Alston brothers (Josh Alston and Sam Alston). It was created at the height of the Labour Party antisemitism controversy under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership (2015–2020). Jewish communal organisations repeatedly highlighted what they described as a serious and systemic problem of antisemitism in Labour, while left-wing critics characterised the allegations as a politically motivated “witch-hunt” designed to undermine Corbyn. Zack Polanski, one of the early figures involved in Jewish Greens, stated publicly in March 2018 on X (Twitter) that he was “a pro-European Jew,” which constituted “two reasons I couldn't vote for Labour under Jeremy Corbyn”. A major early achievement of the group was the development and adoption of the party’s Antisemitism – a guidance document in Autumn 2021, which was principally compiled by Josh Alston in his role as Jewish Greens Policy Officer and incorporated the IHRA and Jerusalem Declaration definitions. The group’s primary stated purposes were to provide Jewish members with a formal collective voice inside the expanding Green Party and to offer structured support in identifying and challenging antisemitism both within and outside the party. It was not initially framed as a direct response to later “Zionism is Racism” motions (which emerged years afterwards).

Purpose and Core Functions

According to the group's official constitution, the Jewish Greens operates to fulfill specific educational, advisory, and protective functions:

• Educational Authority: It acts as the primary resource to educate wider Green Party bodies about Jews, Jewish culture, and Judaism.
• Calendar and Scheduling Advocacy: The group works directly with the GPEW Conferences Committee and Party Council to review scheduling, ensuring that leadership hustings, local elections, and national party conferences do not clash with Jewish High Holidays.
• Policy and Healthcare Advising: It provides culturally competent advice to leadership on religious practices like shechita (ritual slaughter) and the laws of kashrut (dietary regulations). Additionally, it raises awareness of specific Jewish health issues, including genetic conditions such as Tay–Sachs disease.
• Disciplinary and Protection Support: The group strives to protect its members by navigating the Green Party's internal disciplinary and dispute-resolution systems when antisemitic incidents or systemic discrimination occur internally.
• A Plurality of Voices: Crucially, the group's charter states that it does not enforce a single political mandate on sensitive topics like Zionism or Middle Eastern affairs. Instead, it aims to foster an environment where a diverse range of progressive Jewish opinions can coexist safely, promoting a human-rights-based alliance with other faith and identity groups.

Antisemitism training

The groups says it has given training to: Green Party Executive Committee | Young Greens | Bristol Green Party | Brighton Green Party | Hackney Green Party | Kettering Green Party | York Green Party.

Ami Ayalon speaks at a Yachad and Jewish Greens meeting. June 2024

Key Initiatives and Activities

The Jewish Greens run regular members’ meetings, speaker panels, annual Holocaust Memorial Day commemorations, and collaborative events. They frequently host public-facing and internal discussions exploring the evolving relationship between British Jewish communities and Israel, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, faith-based environmentalism, and tactics to counter the far right.

The group also frequently issues solidarity actions and joint statements with other GPEW liberation frameworks—such as the Muslim Greens and Humanist Greens—to stand firmly against divisive politics, Islamophobia, and antisemitism within local communities.

Opposition to the “Zionism is Racism” Motion

In February 2026, Jewish Greens published a detailed statement urging Green Party of England and Wales members to vote against motion A105, which proposed equating Zionism with racism. The group argued that adopting the motion would be both politically counterproductive and harmful to the party’s broader anti-racism efforts.

They wrote: “Equating Zionism with racism does not help the Palestinian cause; it actually damages it by alienating many Jews who support Palestinian rights and a just peace.” The statement further warned that the motion risked “conflating legitimate criticism of Israeli government policies with antisemitism,” thereby undermining the party’s credibility on fighting all forms of racism.

Jewish Greens emphasised the importance of coalition-building, stating: “We need broad coalitions to effectively combat racism in all its forms, including antisemitism. This motion makes that harder, not easier.” They added that many Jewish members who actively support Palestinian self-determination and oppose the occupation nevertheless reject the blanket equation of Zionism with racism, describing it as “a political strategy that divides rather than unites those committed to justice.”

The group concluded that passing the motion would “alienate a significant section of Jewish members who share the party’s values on equality, human rights and opposition to all racism,” and urged members to reject it in favour of more nuanced approaches to the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Criticism of Jewish Greens' position

The group's stance drew sharp criticism from pro-Palestine members and factions within the Green Party, who accused Jewish Greens of prioritising Zionist sensitivities over Palestinian rights and of undermining the party's anti-racism commitments. Critics labelled the opposition as "sabotage" that shielded Israel from legitimate scrutiny.

Tactics to block discussion

At the Green Party Spring Conference 2026, Jewish Greens members actively supported procedural moves that prevented substantive debate on motion A105. Multiple no-confidence motions were tabled against the conference chair, each requiring lengthy votes and discussion; these consumed the entire allocated time slot, effectively filibustering the motion and ensuring it was never voted on. Independent observers noted that Jewish Greens delegates coordinated with other groups to prolong these procedural interventions.

People

Officers and Known Members

Name	Role	Notes
Vivien Lichtenstein	Chair; Membership officer 2022, 2023	Active; long-standing peace and human rights activist. Re-elected to the singular Chair role following the October 2025 AGM rule update limiting officers to one executive post.
Sam Alston	Secretary; Former Co-secretary 2023; Secretary 2020	Previously Events Officer; Project officer in Milton Keynes. Remained sole Secretary following the October 2025 AGM executive restructuring.
Jo Bird	Treasurer; Former Co-secretary 2023	Councillor on Wirral; Jewish eco-socialist background. Consolidated to sole Treasurer following the October 2025 AGM structural update.
Joshua Alston	Policy Officer; Former Chair 2022; Co-chair 2023	Academic at University of Leeds specialising in Jews in apartheid South Africa. Re-elected as Policy Officer following the 2025 AGM.
Andrée Frieze	Non-portfolio Officer	Green Party Councillor and Opposition Leader in Richmond. Re-elected at the October 2025 AGM under the new four-person non-portfolio cap.
Nick Levine	Non-portfolio Officer	Co-coordinator of Drugs Policy Working Group. Re-elected at the October 2025 AGM under the new four-person non-portfolio cap.
David Zell	Former Co-chair 2023; Non-portfolio 2022	Stepped down from active executive committee roles prior to the late 2025 AGM.
Shlomo Solomons	Events Officer	Joined committee following elections at the late October 2025 AGM.
Ruthi Brandt	Non-portfolio Officer	Joined committee following elections at the late October 2025 AGM under the new four-person non-portfolio cap.
Zack Polanski	Treasurer 2019 – 1 October 2024	Outgoing treasurer by 22 May 2024. Later elected Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales.
David Farbey	Former Officer; Non-portfolio officer 2023	Outgoing officer noted as stepping down in May 2025 structural reports.
Elly Stanton	Former Officer	Outgoing officer noted as stepping down in May 2025 structural reports.
Elise Danielle Benjamin	Founding Member; Communications officer 2022; External communications officer 2023	Founding member of Jewish Greens; spoke at Green Party debates on antisemitism definitions (2025).
Craig Simmons	Active Member	Oxford Greens activist; frequent contributor to Green Party debates on Israel-Palestine issues and antisemitism motions (2025–2026).
Jake Sharpstone	Jewish Greens activist	Brighton & Hove Green Party council candidate (Westdene & Hove Park, 2023; unelected) (listed on 2025 motions/amendments)
Mark Strong	Activist in the Jewish Greens	Brighton & Hove Green Party member (@MarkStrongQP), transport planning consultant. Stood as a 2023 council candidate in Queen's Park and co-optee on the 7 October memorial group.
David Urban	External communications officer 2023	Historical 2023 officer role; not active on the current 2025–2026 executive committee roster.

Key Structural & Constitutional Changes

The Single-Role Rule: At the 26 October 2025 AGM, a constitutional amendment was passed stating "Individuals may only hold one officer role." This clarifies why historical overlapping roles (like Jo Bird or Sam Alston serving as Co-Secretaries alongside primary roles) are no longer permitted. Non-Portfolio Cap: The same AGM amended the constitution to add: "The number of non-portfolio officers shall not exceed four."

Timeline of Known Events

• 3 August 2023 – Event: “A point of no return? The British Jewish communities changing relationship with Israel” (with Danielle Bett of Yachad).
• 14 August 2023 – Joint event with GRT working group, Greens of Colour and Young Greens: “The Gypsy Roma & Traveller community and the Green Party”.
• 10 September 2023 – Members meeting at Autumn Conference.
• 29 October 2023 – Annual General Meeting (AGM).
• 14 January 2024 – Holocaust Memorial Day event (joint with multiple Green Party special interest groups).
• 21 March 2024 – Event: “The current crisis in Gaza – discussion” (with Daniel Levy of the US Middle East Project and Carne Ross).
• 16 June 2024 – New Israel Fund event: “An Evening with Mikhael Manekin in conversation with Alona Ferber”.
• 25 June 2024 – Yachad event: “In conversation with Ami Ayalon” (with Jonathan Freedland) in North London and online.
• September 2024 – Autumn Conference: members meeting, Saturday night meal, two speaker events (one on fascism with Joshua Alston; one on faith and the environment with Muslim Greens).
• 22 January 2025 – Holocaust Memorial Day speaker event (joint with multiple groups).
• 11 May 2025 – Event: “A Land for All” featuring guest speaker Dr Rula Hardal (Palestinian Co-Director of A Land for All).
• 6 August 2025 – Joint Faith and Humanist Hustings organized alongside the Muslim Greens and Humanist Greens for the 2025 internal Green Party Executive elections, featuring candidate panels for both the Deputy Leadership race and the Equality and Diversity Coordinator role.
• 26 October 2025 – Annual General Meeting (AGM) held online with 20 members in attendance. The membership elected a new committee under strict revised rules limiting individuals to a single officer role, and voted on an executive cohort comprising Vivien Lichtenstein, Sam Alston, Jo Bird, Joshua Alston, Andrée Frieze, Nick Levine, Shlomo Solomons, and Ruthi Brandt.
• 21 December 2025 – Speaker Event featuring the Parents Circle – Families Forum, with guest presentations by Bassam Aramin and Rami Elhanan.
• 18 January 2026 – Holocaust Memorial Day annual commemorative event.
• 4 February 2026 – Joint public speaker event organized alongside Glasgow Friends of Standing Together, featuring visiting activists from the grassroots peace movement in Israel-Palestine.

External links

• Official website
• Events page
• Statement on motion A105 (“Zionism is Racism”)
• https://jewishgreens.greenparty.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/46/2025/07/Antisemitism-a-guidance-070821.pdf?x99474

Jewish Greens continue to operate as an active network within the Green Party, focusing on Jewish inclusion, anti-racism, and human-rights-based approaches to foreign policy.