Big Tent for Israel
The Big Tent for Israel was a two day conference held in Manchester, UK, in November 2011, organized in response to a report by the Reut Institute which identified the UK, especially London, as a hub for activities which 'delegitimize' Israel.
The event explicitly sought to counter the perceived delegitimization phenomenon. Organizer Rabbi Jonathan Guttentag wrote in the programme
- “We need to fight a war to defend Israel against delegitimisation. We have to raise an army and we have to join that army.”[1]:
Speakers included Eran Shayson one of the authors of the Reut Institute's report 'The Assault on Israel's Legitimacy: London as a Case Study'[2] and, amongst others, the following:
- Daniel Taub
- Alan Mendoza
- Douglas Murray]]
- Eric Moonman
- Harvey Rose
- Ivan Lewis MP
- Jon Benjamin
- Jonathan Hoffman
- Lorna Fitzsimons
- Louise Ellman MP
- Stuart Polak[3]
A sister event called the Mini Big Tent For Israel was held in London on November 9 2011.[4]
In a blogpost Eran Shayshon described the event as part of "the emergence of the pro-Israel network" and also mentions a May 2011 conference We Believe In Israel organised by BICOM in this context.[5]
Notes
- ↑ BTFI Programme, Scribd, accessed Jun 2 2012
- ↑ The Assault on Israel's Legitimacy: London as a Case Study, Reut Institute, accessed 29 May 2012.
- ↑ BTFI Programme, Scribd, accessed Jun 2 2012
- ↑ A Tentful of Hasbara, London BDS, accessed June 2 2012
- ↑ Towards the Big Tent for Israel, Reut Blog, accessed June 2 2012
