Last week a survey showed that more than one in five Britons now hold or agree with anti-Semitic views. This number has doubled in less than five years.
When it comes to Jew-hate in Britain much of the focus has been on London. You can understand why. It was in London that groups of men gathered to celebrate on 7 October even whilst the Hamas massacre of Jews was taking place. It was in London where mass marches have included those openly waving antisemitic signs and showing support for murderous terrorist organisations. It was in the capital too where Jewish children were advised to hide the insignia on their school uniforms.
Yet more focus is needed on Britain’s smaller Jewish communities dotted around the country. These communities are even more vulnerable and isolated when it comes to the rise of antisemitism.
In Bournemouth last month a Jewish child was shot in the head with an air-gun. Before firing the weapon the suspect is alleged to have shouted obscenities at the child as he walked to a synagogue wearing a skullcap.
Let that sink in for a moment. A child allegedly shot in the head for being Jewish. One might expect a violent incident like this to lead to serious national soul-searching, but it seems that antisemitism is becoming so embedded in British society that an attack of this nature causes little outcry and limited national reporting.
Just down the coast in Brighton, the Jewish community has been experiencing a persistent wave of antisemitic abuse. Local Jewish residents tell me of a poisonous litany of hate crimes and destruction, with a local memorial to victims of the 7 October pogrom under consistent attack.
The memorial has been vandalised over fifty times. Jews visiting the memorial have faced chants of “die die”, with gun gestures pointed at the back of their heads. Faeces has been left on the ‘book of the dead’. Swastikas and Holocaust denial graffiti have been plastered nearby. It is only due to the dedication of the local Jewish community that each time the memorial is destroyed it is re-built with love and care.
I have found it hard to stop thinking about this memorial. It is symbolic of the poisonous Jew-hate that has emerged from the shadows over the last two years. A quiet place to commemorate the murder of Jews in a terrorist atrocity has itself become the target of violent racism. A place to mourn has suffered serial vandalism, theft, abuse and destruction.
These acts of violence have nothing to do with differing views on Israel’s strategy to defeat Hamas. They do nothing to advance the Palestinian cause. They are a direct and calculated attack on Jewish people at their most vulnerable.
We should be in no doubt that this is leaving Jews in a state of fear. Local Brighton and Hove Rabbi Dr Zanado reports that local congregants are taking off their Star of David necklaces when they go to the doctor and removing the prayer scrolls typically attached to the doors of Jewish homes. The echoes of historic persecution of Jews are chillingly clear.
And so the days and weeks pass by and Jew-hate embeds itself more deeply in Britain. We must all ask ourselves what is happening to our society when antisemitism has reached these proportions, when Jews feel forced to hide their identity and face violent abuse on the streets. Ultimately this is not only about the Jewish community but the democratic norms that keep us all safe.
The canary in the coalmine is almost dead. Has anyone in power in our country noticed?
Last week a survey showed that more than one in five Britons now hold or agree with anti-Semitic views. This number has doubled in less than five years.
When it comes to Jew-hate in Britain much of the focus has been on London. You can understand why. It was in London that groups of men gathered to celebrate on 7 October even whilst the Hamas massacre of Jews was taking place. It was in London where mass marches have included those openly waving antisemitic signs and showing support for murderous terrorist organisations. It was in the capital too where Jewish children were advised to hide the insignia on their school uniforms.
Yet more focus is needed on Britain’s smaller Jewish communities dotted around the country. These communities are even more vulnerable and isolated when it comes to the rise of antisemitism.
In Bournemouth last month a Jewish child was shot in the head with an air-gun. Before firing the weapon the suspect is alleged to have shouted obscenities at the child as he walked to a synagogue wearing a skullcap.
Let that sink in for a moment. A child allegedly shot in the head for being Jewish. One might expect a violent incident like this to lead to serious national soul-searching, but it seems that antisemitism is becoming so embedded in British society that an attack of this nature causes little outcry and limited national reporting.
Just down the coast in Brighton, the Jewish community has been experiencing a persistent wave of antisemitic abuse. Local Jewish residents tell me of a poisonous litany of hate crimes and destruction, with a local memorial to victims of the 7 October pogrom under consistent attack.
The memorial has been vandalised over fifty times. Jews visiting the memorial have faced chants of “die die”, with gun gestures pointed at the back of their heads. Faeces has been left on the ‘book of the dead’. Swastikas and Holocaust denial graffiti have been plastered nearby. It is only due to the dedication of the local Jewish community that each time the memorial is destroyed it is re-built with love and care.
I have found it hard to stop thinking about this memorial. It is symbolic of the poisonous Jew-hate that has emerged from the shadows over the last two years. A quiet place to commemorate the murder of Jews in a terrorist atrocity has itself become the target of violent racism. A place to mourn has suffered serial vandalism, theft, abuse and destruction.
These acts of violence have nothing to do with differing views on Israel’s strategy to defeat Hamas. They do nothing to advance the Palestinian cause. They are a direct and calculated attack on Jewish people at their most vulnerable.
We should be in no doubt that this is leaving Jews in a state of fear. Local Brighton and Hove Rabbi Dr Zanado reports that local congregants are taking off their Star of David necklaces when they go to the doctor and removing the prayer scrolls typically attached to the doors of Jewish homes. The echoes of historic persecution of Jews are chillingly clear.
And so the days and weeks pass by and Jew-hate embeds itself more deeply in Britain. We must all ask ourselves what is happening to our society when antisemitism has reached these proportions, when Jews feel forced to hide their identity and face violent abuse on the streets. Ultimately this is not only about the Jewish community but the democratic norms that keep us all safe.
The canary in the coalmine is almost dead. Has anyone in power in our country noticed?