If you call to 'globalise the Intifada', you can't be surprised when it comes to London. Hate is a moral infection that travels through society, says Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg, but I still have hope that better days for all of us lie ahead.
Rising Fear Among British Jews
"Not on the outside door; on the inside entrance," pleads a friend who lives far from other Jewish people. We're discussing where to place the mezuzah, the small parchment scroll with the instruction "You shall Love your God" which marks the doorposts of Jewish homes. Many Jews feel acutely vulnerable and unsafe. The stabbings of two Jewish men in Golders Green follows the fire-bombing of three ambulances just down the road, and the attempted arson against two London synagogues and a Jewish charity. It's only months since the murders in the Heaton Park Synagogue in Manchester during prayers on the holiest day of the Jewish year. It's not surprising that the community feels anxious about attending communal events. Parents hold their children's hands more tightly when taking them to synagogues and Jewish schools. Some are afraid of sending them.
Normalisation of Antisemitism
"We're terrified," a student tells me: "One in five other students refuse to share a house with us because we're Jewish." Students are attacked verbally and sometimes threatened physically. Virulent anti-Jewish hate speech has become commonplace not just on social media, but in many workplaces, and on the street. Antisemitism has become normalised, a colleague says. If the issue is, "Is it out of control in the UK?" the answer is "Yes."
The question: "Will there be further attacks?" seems not about "if" but "when". The phrase "Shocked but not surprised" has become standard when we're asked how we feel after yet another outrage. As one colleague put it, if you call during marches for the globalisation of the Intifada, you can't be surprised when it comes to London. Aspects of those marches have rightly led to them being under review. Hate speech leads to hate acts, creating the climate in which they become not just inevitable, but to some even acceptable, perhaps desirable.
The Role of Discourse on Israel
The discourse about Israel has sharpened everything. Clear criticisms of specific policies of its government are legitimate and shared by many Jews, including myself. But the persistent demonisation of the country itself is not. Such constant and vehement attacks have not been directed at any other country. Nor is it in any way right to use Israel as a pretext to go after the Jewish community of the UK, or anywhere else. Such behaviour is simply antisemitism under another guise.
The attacks over the last weeks have justly been described by the government as acts of terror which threaten the national security of Britain. Jewish leaders have long called on the government to ban the IRGC. Evidence may point to other cells of hostile states. The threat level against this country has been raised to "severe".
Broader Societal Impact
But the perils for the UK are broader. The main targets now are Jews, but hatred is also impacting Muslim communities, refugees and more. As British Jews, we feel for all victims of hate. Hate travels through society, a moral infection, undermining the classic qualities which we like to think of as characterising Britain: mutual respect, tolerance, inclusion and liberty.
That is why the solution to antisemitism does not lie only in better policing, necessary as this sadly currently is. The extra funding announced today for the protection of Jewish communities is welcome. It's an urgent issue for all levels of government. Clear guidelines are required on what constitutes hate speech and incitement, and they must be enforced. Intentions without follow-up cause only frustration. Words are inadequate; the community needs to see action from the top and down.
Call for Societal Unity
But antisemitism and all forms of hatred are also an essential concern for the whole of society. We must strengthen interfaith and communal relationships. We need to reconsider how we talk to each other when we're together and, even more importantly, how we talk about each other when we're not together. Those responsible for community and workspaces, in the fields of education, health, the media, the arts and all civic institutions, need to manage those spaces in ways that allow discourse to be open, yet respectful.
None of this can be achieved quickly. Yet there are immediate signs of a deeper appreciation of the need for togetherness. The women's walk in Golders Green for those of all faiths and none, held just a day after the stabbings, was a touching indication. It will be important to see the presence of all the organisations who oppose every form of racism standing in solidarity with the Jewish community at the rally planned for 10 May.
Resilience of the Jewish Community
Meanwhile, though deeply anxious, the Jewish community remains vigilant and strong. Judaism is a history of resilience and faithfulness. Two thousand years ago, Rabbi Akiva was asked if he would abandon teaching Torah in public because the Romans had made it too dangerous. He answered with a parable. A fox was watching fishes trying to evade the fishermen's nets. "Come out and play with me on dry land," he invited them; "you'll be safer up here." "No," said the fishes. "Water is our environment. It may be risky in our rivers, but it'll only be worse if we leave them." Torah is the life-sustaining environment for Jews. Far from abandoning it, we remain committed and resilient and hold its teachings even closer in our communities and hearts.
Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg is Rabbi of New North London Synagogue and Senior Rabbi of Masorti Judaism.
