Mt Scopus principal Rabbi James Kennard demands answers from independent candidate Zoe Daniel

The principal of Melbourne’s largest Jewish school says the independent candidate’s stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is ‘dissembling and deliberately ambiguous’.

The principal of Melbourne’s largest Jewish school has labelled independent candidate Zoe Daniel’s stance on Israel as “dissembling and deliberately ambiguous” and demanded she explain her position clearly and publicly.

The head of Mount Scopus Memorial College, Rabbi James Kennard, wrote to the former ABC journalist and Goldstein candidate in a public Facebook post on Wednesday asking her to answer a series of questions relating to her signature on a controversial letter that remains online accusing Israel of maintaining an “apartheid regime against Palestinians”.

“I have read your policy entitled “Jewish community” and am still unclear on where you stand regarding the “do better on Palestine” letter,” Rabbi Kennard wrote.

“You say that you did not write the letter and that if you had you would have framed it very differently.

“But you do not say if you now agree or disagree with the letter.”

Principal Rabbi James Kennard from Mount Scopus Memorial College in Burwood, Melbourne. Picture: Stuart McEvoy

Ms Daniel is running as a candidate in Melbourne’s Goldstein electorate which has the third-largest Jewish population in Australia and the incumbent Liberal MP is Tim Wilson.

Many members of the Jewish community remain furious Ms Daniel has refused to remove her signature from the letter she signed in 2021 that states, “Israeli vigilante mobs attack Palestinians and the Netanyahu government has unleashed a new, brutal war against the besieged population of Gaza”.

The Australian revealed earlier in the week there was ongoing angst with Ms Daniel’s signature remaining on the letter and this resulted in the Blake Street Shule in Caulfield South stopping her and Mr Wilson from taking part in Israel Independence Day celebrations the are due to hold on Shabbat on May 7.

The Shule revealed no politicians would be welcome at the celebrations after president Andrew Davis was contacted by The Australian about concerns surrounding Ms Daniel’s scheduled attendance.

Rabbi Kennard said he wrote the open letter on Facebook to Ms Daniel as a “private citizen” after contacting her privately on Tuesday but failing to receive a response.

In the letter he asked Ms Daniel to state whether she agrees with the contents of the letter and if not, why did she sign it.

Also if she has changed her mind then why does her signature remain on the letter.

“Ms Daniel’s signature under the letter is of concern to a number of members of the Jewish community and it raises important questions about her judgments and instincts,” Rabbi Kennard told The Australian.

“Reports circulating in the Jewish media say Ms Daniel had sincerely regretted her previous statements and I feel that is not yet clear while her signature remains under that letter.

“If you are electing a crossbench MP it’s very important to know where she stands.”

Rabbi Kennard also said he was not making the comments to support any particular political candidate but rather to clear up Ms Daniel’s stance.

On Wednesday afternoon a spokeswoman for Ms Daniel contacted Rabbi Kennard and said she had addressed his concerns in a public statement, then directed him to visit Ms Daniel’s website.

On the website there Daniel states, “Some time ago I signed a letter, ‘Do Better on Palestine’.

“I did not write the letter, and if I had, I would have framed it very differently.

“The letter makes several assumptions and did not take into account the complexity of the situation at the time, in which Israel’s security was under threat.”

She went on to say if she removed her name from the letter it would be “insincere or a cheat’s way out”.

Ms Daniel was also forced to apologise recently after a series of controversial comments were made from her campaign manager Sue Barrett who made a post on her social media account in 2020 that stated: “Hitler altered reality with drugs and (Scott) Morrison uses religion”.

Ms Daniel would not comment.