To ask you to help with a cover story for my Jewish child

@Aislyn my husband is Polish Jewish and I am well versed with the history of it in this country and previously. I don't know where you live but it sounds extreme. Nowhere have I ever encountered people who associate Poland and being Jewish. I haven't seen any reference to it in any pro Palestinian movements. In my close and wider family I wouldn't say there is anyone who is noticeably "physically Jewish" and find it a strange thing to say. I don't like some of what I'm seeing written here and much of it by yourself. There is no one such thing as looking British. While my husband was encouraged in the 1970s during letter box bombing not to admit to being Jewish no one has ever asked him if he is Jewish. I sincerely hope that this is not a reverse.

He was just “some kid” when he supposedly said it though, and there’s zero evidence he currently holds such views. Move on.

So what should the OP do?

I’m not surprised you are worried about the Greens. Not enough is being made of their leaders training in hypnosis, this will make him highly skilled in persuasive language and recognising people’s suggestibility (I too have studied hypnotherapy and hypnosis more widely in is historical uses under various guises) their leader is a dangerous gun for hire). Someone needs to gaslight the strategies being used.

Can you leave London - we had to leave Birmingham.

OP, this is so horrific. Is moving to another area an option? Of course you shouldn’t have to - but realistically, if this is a big problem in your area, the racist views are unlikely to change in time
to help your daughters. Realise it’s a huge thing to uproot - but possibly worth it?

It's not just 'some kid' though is it. - it's the leader of the political party people (like you presumably) vote for.

Farage aside, this is a very difficult situation for OP and her family. We live in a world in which anti-Semitism is on the rise because people can't seem to separate the actions of the Netanyahu govt from Jewish people in general. Just like they can't separate the actions of the Iranian regime from general Iranian people. Populist parties like Reform and the Green Party provoke and exploit the polarisation engendered through social media. They thrive on outrage and 'othering' to win votes - divide and rule, literally.

Until October 7th, I'd never had any concerns at all about having Jewish children here. We are a teeny, tiny minority so mostly people had no opinion at all and my kids never heard anything negative.

It's hugely different nowadays. Also my kids are also older now so maybe they just didn't notice it when they were younger.

I would think things are worse in English cities just due to the number of people involved but I have no idea how to calculate this! I can only speak to my own experiences and it has been pretty unpleasant for 2.5 years now. I had to stop coming to work on Fridays for a long time as they had a weekly rally outside my building and they would chant terrible things and I'd have panic attacks if I had to go outside during it. Had a recurring nightmare that I'd see someone who knew I was Jewish and I'd have to run for it.

In fairness, my son hasn't reported anything but he's not the sort of kid who would. I asked him recently and he said 'no one says anything I care about' which doesn't really mean that no one has said anything. But he's a super pragmatic child and it wouldn't really bother him if someone was yelling lies in his face. It bothers my daughter a lot.

I don’t understand why people keep saying this. Are you thinking of the real life situation To which this applies? This isn’t a job interview, or 2 adults talking on the bus.

this is an 11 year old being questioned by other students who they will spend 7 hours as day for the next 5 years with. They aren’t just going to realise they pushed it too far and stop asking. Just roboting LONDON LONDON LONDON THATS ACCEPTABLE STOP ASKING YOU ARE BEING UNREASONABLE isn’t going to work. It’s going to create more suspicion more drama and make OPs kid look weird as fuck, which is nearly as bad as being Jewish in these kids eyes.

All universities can do is ask the student to leave/ de register them, but it doesn’t really solve the fact there are plenty more where they came from- ime they often not even students.

usually they involve the police as it’s a hate crime.

If they have dark curly hair and olive skin, perhaps get them to name Greece or Cyprus instead? it might throw people off the scent.

Op has said earlier on that there are many Muslim students. Many Muslims are ofc not like this, but as I said in my earlier post, IK Myslims are more likely than other groups to hold anti Semitic attitudes.

I knew the SNP government had caused serious issues in education, but I didn't realise it was this bad...

Traditionally I thought anti Semitism in Scotland was fairly low, compared with England?

If so, it shows how quickly prejudice and specifically anti Semitism can spread given the right conditions...

I went to Uni in Scotland. I hope it’s not my old stomping ground. I’d be horrified, in fact.

No, THIS is a ridiculous statement and, frankly, devalues the cause.
It is patently true that saying you are from London is an acceptable response, regardless of whether you have some weird idea of what ‘British’ people look like.

To say that pointing that out is antisemitic is a huge over reach and harms other arguments about what constitutes antisemitism.

I can't believe so many of the posters on here don't know that prejudice towards Jewish people is on the rise. I'm so sorry your children are having to navigate this. Could the youngest imply they are of Greek heritage? I know it's difficult to ask your children to mislead others. But it's a safety issue at this stage.

I live in Scotland.

Another bit of whataboutery- what’s your views on how the OP should deal with her kids being subject to anti semitism now, not what some kid might or might not have said 50 years ago. By all means discuss that but start another thread, stop trying to hijack this one.

Which uni is this? It needs to be outed, and the manifesto and signs scrutinised as criminal.
Is this in the UK?
I know some US colleges have had problems, but didn’t know universities here were tolerating stuff like this. 😡

And your response is anti-Semitic, in your denial of an actual Jewish person's actual experience.

Farage was at Dulwich College and was barred from running for a prefect due to expressing Nazi rhetoric and using this to bully students in the school. In fact, he was almost expelled for his views.

I think you are maybe overthinking this. What has happened to your oldest is horrible but it seems like really bad luck they must have encountered some determinedly antisemitic kids. Also awful the school hasn't don't anything about it.

I'm Jewish and my kids go up non Jewish secondaries where they are upfront about being Jewish (my oldest even wears a kippah) but they haven't experienced anything like that, I think it's unusual a) for it to be that bad and b) for kids to dig so hard at someone's origins (certainly if you're in a large city, I haven't caught where you are)

Not read whole thread, But I think it's a mistake to lie. Lies are always discovered.

Maybe DC needs to blind them with Science, well in this case, Geography.
The reply is "London, but my roots used to be Russia, then USSR, then Belorussia, then Russia, currently Ukraine, but soon to be Russia again...

(Sorry sure if this actually correct, but you get the gist)