I'm a scared British Jew

[Elladisenchanted]

As I'm writing this, I've had another whats app messagw asking for prayers for a rabbi in London hospitalised, who has just been beaten up. I'm scared.

I'm getting messages from my synagogue and kids schools about walking in groups for safety. Neighborhood group posting pics of cars where I live smashed up. People driving by waving Palestinian flags and screaming anti semitic abuse and entering shops intimidating people. This is Manchester not London, where it's even worse.
I've been sent screenshots of Facebook posts with comments like rape Jewish women. Rape their mothers. Rape their daughters. Not rape the Israelis. Rape the Jews. British Jews.

I'm preparing for the shavuous festival and at 8.50 pm I'll be turning off my phone for just over two days and be cut off from social media and news. But I'm dreading what I'll see when I go back online on Tuesday night. I'm sending my husband to the synagogue with my heart in my mouth. This isn't the first time. It won't be the last.

I'm the last of my British family still here and as much as I love my country I don't know how much longer I want to stay here.

Not sure why I'm posting this. Just feeling despair that this never ends.

[quote BellaTheDog]@Blackberrycream There is no excuse for anti-semitism. Unfortunately, many Jewish people DO support the abhorrent actions of Israel, I wish it wasn’t so, but it is. However, there is a growing number of Jewish people coming out against Israel, which gives us some hope for the future.[/quote]
Really? I don't know a single one. I'd say they were in a minority.

But that's besides the point. Either you utterly condemn the actions of these vile racist pigs or you don't.

I know you won’t see this until Tuesday but I am also really sorry, and hate that you are - justifiably - afraid.

I'm so sorry this is happening op. There truly are some dreadful people out there. I really hope the police crack down on this fast.

Either you utterly condemn the actions of these vile racist pigs or you don't.

I absolutely do. In the same way that I condemn Israel for what they are doing to Palestine.

I'm so sorry, OP. This is awful.

[quote BellaTheDog]@DeepThinkingGirl Thank you for reaching out. I want you to know that there is a growing number of Jewish people who do not support what Israel are doing.

I do not support Israel. They should not be taking land and citizenship away from Palestinians. Unfortunately this view has led to me being labelled ‘anti-Semitic’ on this thread.[/quote]
No. It is not 'anti-Semitic' to have this stance on Israel. It absolutely is racist to expect every, or even any, Jewish person not only to have a view in the first place, but to make that view public, in a way that you don't expect from non-Jews.

@xxyzz

Another Jewish woman posting on here as I can't sleep and have been in tears today with worry over what I'm seeing.

Some of the antisemitism on this thread is a disgrace.

I don't need to tell or justify my views on current events on the Middle East to anyone and this is not the thread to discuss that situation. It is not relevant. There is NO justification for attacks on British Jews, for rape threats made against Jewish women and girls just because of our ethnicity. NONE.

If you want to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, there are existing threads elsewhere on this or you can start a new one. This thread is about antisemitism in Britain.

I am horrified not only by the violence but by the impunity that those making those threats seemed to have had. There were about 10 cars, all full of men shouting and jeering, and the police didn't stop them as they went through multiple Jewish neighbourhoods, and have now only arrested 4. Why did they not stop them? Why were grotesquely antisemitic chants and a hideous antisemitic inflatable allowed at the protests in London??

I have a right to be safe. Nothing going on in a part of the world I don't live in and that I have no say on changes that.

So fucking sick of this. This is what centuries of antisemitism and particularly 5 years under Corbyn have done. It has normalised this. I am sick to my stomach of this.

Thank you to those of you who have spoken up here in solidarity and support, and sometimes horror, at what is going on. It is appreciated.

Did I slip into an alternative reality for the last five years as I'm pretty sure we haven't had Corbyn as a PM but our current PM has definitely made some epic racist comments.

Racism and Anti-semitism is wrong. No one should live in fear due to religion or race.

I live in the UK. This week I was (don't want to out myself with too many specifics) in a waiting area alone with a man and when the news headlines came on the radio, he turned to me and said "you don't hear the truth on the news, it's because the Jews are wealthy and so they control all the media" (his exact wording). I don't know whether he just assumed I wouldn't be a Jew, or didn't give a fuck if I was. I have also been spat at and had "big nose" shouted at me.

I am (ironically) actually an atheist these days but obviously I still visit Jewish family and shops etc. I didn't go to the Jewish bakery for bagels yesterday as quite frankly I was too afraid (and I don't scare easily and I usually try not to give in on matters like this, out of principle, but just didn't feel able yesterday).

So my DC didn't get their Sunday brunch (which is a much loved and long tradition in our house) because their mother was afraid. I am afraid not because of Israel's actions, I am afraid because I receive anti Semitic abuse.

Linking the two is minimising and excusing anti semitism, in exactly the same way as "I'm not being racist but..." There are no reasons at all for me or any other Jew to receive anti Semitic abuse - it shouldn't be a case of "it's wrong for you to receive anti Semitic abuse but Israel..." it should just be "It's wrong for you to receive anti Semitic abuse"

This thread illustrates that point amazingly well (and depressingly). to all affected.

I feel for you and I am sorry people cannot separate what a government does from an individual in the UK.

There us a thread on mn that is an echo chamber of anti Israel hatred.

There is no justification for attacks on Jewish people.

for you OP.

How does it give us 'hope for the future', @BellaTheDog?

British Jews are people too. My safety and that of other British Jews matter too. I am not feeling 'hopeful for the future' after a weekend in which pro-Palestinian men have made vicious rape threats against British Jewish women and children across Jewish areas of N London apparently with impunity and in which the OP describes other attacks happening in Manchester on Jews in shops and on cars.

Take your irrelevant comments on the Middle East to another, more appropriate thread.

This thread is about antisemitism in the UK. British Jews matter. Our safety matters. We do not need to explain, apologise for or discuss our views on a conflict in another country far away to be entitled to be safe in our own country.

@BellaTheDog
And there it is. Scratch the surface.....No, anti semitism has a much longer history than that but surely you know that.
Your views are stupid and dangerous.

I’m a little taken aback by all the post saying that the op is welcome here and that not all Jewish people support the Israeli governments politics.

To me the implication is that op is welcome here because, of course, she doesn’t....right?

I agree with posters upthread who said op is not ‘welcome’, she’s a British citizen and is part of our community.

I also would like to state that regardless of her own political opinion on Israel , op is still entitled to live in safety without intimidation and threats.

@Faithless12 - yes, you apparently did slip into an alternative reality for the last 5 years, as you appear to have missed the fact that the EHRC investigated Corbyn's Labour for antisemitism, and it was found guilty of having failed to take the necessary steps to address antisemitism in the party.

You also seem to have missed that on every poll, at least 85% of British Jews thought Corbyn himself was antisemitic.

I have zero interest in going over the details as the man is, thankfully, no longer leader of the Labour Party. But it is ridiculous to suggest that racism is a zero-sum game, and that if Boris is also racist, that means that Corbyn isn't.

Racism doesn't work like that. Unfortunately, Boris is also a racist, but given this thread is discussing antisemitism, this has been.less Boris's particular form of racism so is irrelevant here. The whataboutery is unhelpful.

OP, and other frightened Jewish people on here . I am shocked by recent incidents and antisemitism should not be tolerated, excused or "explained" in anyway. I saw a photo of graffiti on a synagogue door yesterday - "Free Palestine" was the first part, the offensive part relating to Jews I will not repeat. We all know about the treatment of the Ugyhurs - would it be ok to target British Chinese people and terrorise them in their homes?
The rape threats against Jewish girls and women made my blood run cold.

OP doesn't need welcoming. This is her home. Only visitors need welcoming. And this is her home whatever her opinion on a hugely complicated conflict. Just like this is my home, despite being of Irish Catholic decent. I have opinions about Northern Ireland. But they're not relevant when someone makes rape threats to my ethnic group.

I don't care what OP's opinions are about the conflict. No one deserves rape threats. No one deserves bombing. Or genocide. Or racism. Or anti-Semitism. None of that is OK. No one deserves to feel like a visitor in their home.

[quote xxyzz]@Faithless12 - yes, you apparently did slip into an alternative reality for the last 5 years, as you appear to have missed the fact that the EHRC investigated Corbyn's Labour for antisemitism, and it was found guilty of having failed to take the necessary steps to address antisemitism in the party.

You also seem to have missed that on every poll, at least 85% of British Jews thought Corbyn himself was antisemitic.

I have zero interest in going over the details as the man is, thankfully, no longer leader of the Labour Party. But it is ridiculous to suggest that racism is a zero-sum game, and that if Boris is also racist, that means that Corbyn isn't.

Racism doesn't work like that. Unfortunately, Boris is also a racist, but given this thread is discussing antisemitism, this has been.less Boris's particular form of racism so is irrelevant here. The whataboutery is unhelpful.[/quote]
No I never suggested that. I challenged your comment about us being led by him. As a country we were never led by him. We are currently being led by someone who has made racist comments. Yet still he does not receive the vitriol that Corbyn does (I don’t know if either man is racist).

My issue was alluding to being led by Corbyn, I don’t think his leadership of the Labour Party who hasn’t seen power in the UK for over ten years has anything to do with the rise of anti-semitism in the UK.

I don't understand why antisemitism is the only racism that is deemed acceptable by so many people, usually with the excuse 'but Israel'.

for you OP.

Just posting to give some support to those feeling scared.

You should be able to feel safe in your own communities and should be able to go about your lives without harassment or threats.

The whataboutery on this thread is terrible, as well as the nasty implication that UK Jews are somehow directly responsible for a completely different country’s foreign policy and must therefore state a position on this issue at the beginning of every post before they are allowed to speak.

@GrandmaMazur

I don't understand why antisemitism is the only racism that is deemed acceptable by so many people, usually with the excuse 'but Israel'.

for you OP.

Indeed. I avoid some of the other threads due to the bile spouted.

This thread is just to support the OP. Racist is not acceptable.

@Elladisenchanted

Firstly, I'm Jewish. Secondly, I'm pro-Palestine. And I hate the fact I have to make a point of saying that just to get non-Jews to listen to me, because Jews have to pass a test before non-Jews decide whether we're worthy of protection or not.

Please stop expecting Jews to apologise for Israel. I've never been there, I have no intention of going there, I am absolutely horrified about what is going on in Palestine and other Jews are as well. Those protestors can rape me a thousand times, it won't bring any of the victims of Israel's bombing campaign back and it sure as hell won't change the situation over there. Nor will writing 'free Palestine' on synagogue doors and the fact people IMMEDIATELY see a Jewish building, or person, and think of Israel is fucked up. Would you write 'fuck ISIS' on a mosque or attack a random Muslim person over the Manchester bombing? Because that's the same kind of mentality. I don't hate all Palestinians because of Hamas. It's the people on the ground I care about. It's a human rights issue for me, simple as, and Palestinians to me are no different from any other people suffering under a tyrannical and cruel regime.

BellatheDog, it's not your criticism of Israel that people are calling antisemitic. Please don't be obtuse. It's because you expect British Jews to apologise for Israel. A country which is hundreds of miles away. It's not a part of my daily life and I have no ties to it. And people like you are why I stick to Jewish-led pro-Palestine movements. I cannot trust non-Jews anymore. The mask always slips. I honestly think some people couldn't care less about the Palestinians and just use them as an excuse to hate Jews.

Chag Sameach, OP.

I just wanted to post some more support for you, OP, and for all British Jews. I wish I could reassure you that your fears are unfounded but sadly, I can see that they are not and that anti-semitism has been on the rise here and in other countries. It's maddening and saddening to see it and there is no excuse for it. Just as there is no excuse for similar violence and prejudice towards other religious and ethnic groups.

I hope that you had a good and peaceful Shavuot.

@KevinTheGoat - what a brilliant post.
Thank you