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.

Sending you lots of love *ellie

OP, I hope that you and your friends read this whole thread and feel supported. Those men with the megaphones threatening sexual violence are out on bail, we'll see what happens. In the meantime, there's another thread about contacting MPs about the upsurge in antisemitism.

This is a support thread for Jewish people in this country feeling threatened by recent antisemitism.

They are not the Israeli government.

Please go away.

@HebeMumsnet

Afternoon, everyone.

We've had to delete a lot of posts here so we wanted to post a reminder that this began as a support thread about personal experiences of antisemitism and the events in London over the weekend; it's not really the place for political discussions, which can come across as victim-blaming, or expecting Jewish people to be somehow responsible for the actions of governments. We'd regard both those as antisemitic.

There are plenty of political threads about this issue already ongoing on the boards where a different kind of discussion can take place, so please take any political posts there and be mindful that people posting here are, as they say, pretty fearful at the moment, so it's more of a support thread than anything, and we hope posts here will be thoughtful and reflect that.

Thanks.

.

Thanks KarensChoppyGob, we were just coming here to make that point.

Thanks @HopeMumsnet that is a wonderful post and very much to the point.

It is a simple point - antisemitism is wrong and we should all be standing with Jewish communities in the UK and denouncing antisemitism in all its forms

Thanks, @HopeMumsnet for moderating this thread.

Personally, I would prefer the anti Semitic posts on here to stay up (perhaps with a MNHQ edit saying it has been flagged as AS and poster banned?). Deleting the posts hides the scale of the problem, and also doesn't show that certain AS tropes are repeated again and again (such as Jews being blamed for actions of another government...Jews being racist towards Muslims etc...)

How many times have we heard "well I've never witnessed anti Semitic behaviour" - deleting AS posts hides and minimises the awful anti semitism that does exist, IMO. Also people who hold the same attitudes (eg think all British Jews should distance themselves from Israel's actions before being "accepted") need to see that viewpoint being shown to be anti Semitic so they realise their own attitudes need changing. "Post has been deleted" doesn't help with that.

I also wonder if people assume deleted posts were just the usual offensive mad eyed "Jews control them media as Jews are rich" statements rather than seeing the theme of more insidious, slightly under the radar anti semitism presented as mainstream views.

I know other people may not feel like this and don't want to see the posts left up and I do understand that viewpoint too.

I also wonder if posters deleted for anti semitism are dealt with in the "three strikes and you're out" like FWR?

I'm glad you were able to enjoy your weekend OP.

I’ve heard antisemitic comments from middle class professionals working in the city and from an academic in the past. So awful. Obviously I called it out.

I personally want the posts deleted as per Mn policy as there is the risk that leaving them up implied they are legitimate views rather than just racism.

I’m astonished that it remains acceptable to be anti Semitic.

It’s disgusting

When you think what you CAN’T say, it’s astonishing that it’s even remotely acceptable

If mumsnet are forced to delete a posters antisemitic rantings four times in such a short space of time, then surely it’s time to also remove the user from mumsnet, not just the comments.

@Boood

Was trying to read through the thread more before I posted, but I got too annoyed. Jewish people have been in Britain for centuries. They aren’t guests to be told they’re welcome, they just belong here. They are entitled to the full protection of the law, whatever their opinions on the actions of another country. I’m sick of people having to qualify their disapproval of antisemitism with criticism of the Israeli government. Antisemitism is abhorrent, inhuman and illegal. Full stop. No dissembling required.

This comment is worth repeating. For those posters who seem to be hard of thinking.

When I was young anti-semitic I rarely heard anti-semitic comments. When I did they tended to be from older white men who would openly state racist and misogynistic comments as well. Hating jews was just part of their overall awfulness.

Now I fairly often hear anti-semitic comments and it tends to be from younger people. They are not the obvious jew hating comments of the past, but they are repeating long-standing anti-semitic myths about Jewish people e.g. jews control the media. I have also been told that McDonald's is run by Jews who are setting out to take over the world.

I think a lot of people on the left simply do not recognise anti-semitism. Many are at the level of awareness where saying they have Jewish friends is seen as a defence.

It does scare me how the world is developing. I hope you are okay OP.

I'm so sorry castemary and everyone else on this thread who has to deal with antisemitism.

Glad to be of some help HopeMumsnet.

@Elladisenchanted I remember you from the AMA thread last year and the fascinating insight you gave into Orthodox Jewish life (including how to plait a challah loaf!). Sending you and your family best wishes x

@castemary

When I was young anti-semitic I rarely heard anti-semitic comments. When I did they tended to be from older white men who would openly state racist and misogynistic comments as well. Hating jews was just part of their overall awfulness.

Now I fairly often hear anti-semitic comments and it tends to be from younger people. They are not the obvious jew hating comments of the past, but they are repeating long-standing anti-semitic myths about Jewish people e.g. jews control the media. I have also been told that McDonald's is run by Jews who are setting out to take over the world.

I think a lot of people on the left simply do not recognise anti-semitism. Many are at the level of awareness where saying they have Jewish friends is seen as a defence.

It does scare me how the world is developing. I hope you are okay OP.

Yes, definitely heard this nonsense from younger people

Boood
“Was trying to read through the thread more before I posted, but I got too annoyed.
Jewish people have been in Britain for centuries. They aren’t guests to be told they’re welcome, they just belong here. They are entitled to the full protection of the law, whatever their opinions on the actions of another country. I’m sick of people having to qualify their disapproval of antisemitism with criticism of the Israeli government. Antisemitism is abhorrent, inhuman and illegal. Full stop. No dissembling required.”

Totally agree, it’s absurd. Some British Jewish families have lived in England for hundreds of years!

And recent Jewish immigrants are also entitled to the same legal protection too.