Board praises CRE for making racism 'taboo'

By Bernard Josephs
Published: September 29 2007

http://www.thejc.com/ 

Jewish leaders praised the outgoing Commission for Racial Equality this week as the organisation published a hard-hitting final report on racism in Britain.

The CRE - which is to be replaced by the Commission for Equality and Human Rights - had helped to ensure that racism had become a social taboo, said Alexander Goldberg, the Board of Deputies' community-issues director.

"Only 30 or 40 years ago, there were signs displayed at hostels saying 'No Irish, No Jews, No Blacks'. These have gone and, gladly, racism has become socially unacceptable, with racists regarded as social pariahs."

The CRE's role in this achievement should not be underestimated, said Mr Goldberg. "The Board and others in our community will continue to offer our assistance to the new CEHR and work with other groups to ensure that we all play our part in eliminating discrimination."

The Jewish community, like the CRE, he said, put an emphasis on active participation in British society and civic engagement while, at the same time, stressing the need for "respect of different cultures and religions. The Board believes that the best approach to cohesion is by tackling poverty, by providing better education and housing, while ensuring the teaching of good citizenship values in schools, which most Jewish schools do".

In its report, the CRE said its 30 years' existence had brought changes in the national mindset to make racism morally unacceptable. But, it continued: "Let's not kid ourselves. Britain, despite its status as the fifth largest economy in the world, is still a place of inequality, exclusion and isolation.

"Extremism, both political and religious, is on the rise as people become disillusioned and disconnected from each other. Issues of identity have a new prominence in our social landscape and have a profound impact upon race relations."

Society, said the report, was "fracturing. To achieve an integrated Britain, we need to achieve equality for all sections of society, interaction between all sections of society and participation by all sections of society".