Dr. Edie Friedman is a prominent British-American Jewish social activist. She is the founder and Honorary President of the Jewish Council for Racial Equality (JCORE, now HIAS JCORE). For decades, she has been a leading voice in Britain’s civil rights movement, anti-racism campaigns, and refugee rights advocacy.
She founded JCORE in 1976, recognizing the vital need for a distinct Jewish voice in the UK’s anti-racism struggle. The organization has since become a premier platform for Black-Asian-Jewish dialogue and Jewish solidarity with asylum seekers. Under her guidance, JCORE launched pioneering initiatives, including peer-mentoring for refugee children and support schemes for refugee doctors. She has consistently lobbied against draconian immigration laws, defending human dignity. Believing that the fates of minorities are intertwined, she has fostered deep cooperation between the Jewish community and British Muslim, Black, and Asian communities to combat all forms of prejudice.
As a veteran anti-racism campaigner, she asserts that the fight against discrimination must be non-selective. She maintains that any system establishing hierarchies based on ethnicity or nationality—including policies in the occupied territories—violates core human rights. Throughout recent years, Dr. Friedman has lent her influential voice to progressive Jewish petitions calling for an immediate ceasefire and unimpeded humanitarian aid to Gaza. She has consistently highlighted the plight of displaced Palestinians, condemning the destruction of civilian infrastructure.