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.

@SemperIdem

The comments about Jewish people being “welcome here” as though they are not as British as anyone else are painful. Well intentioned probably, but miss the mark massively.

You've gotta be pretty determined to take offence to object to comments like that.

You gotta be pretty racist not to see the problem with comments like that.

You welcome strangers into your home. You don't welcome people into their own home. It's not rocket science.

On a thread where someone is saying they feel scared at home, it's not racist to try to reassure them but sure, throw attempted kindness in people's faces why don't you.

@NutellaEllaElla

On a thread where someone is saying they feel scared at home, it's not racist to try to reassure them but sure, throw attempted kindness in people's faces why don't you.

I don't find that remotely reassuring. It's implying that Jews are guests who can be kicked out at any moment.

They're not welcome here - they belong here. There's a big difference

You might not find it reassuring but it ain't racist. The word racist means something usually about discriminating against someone and it doesn't usually describe people who are trying to be kind. Sure, call anyone racist if you like but it devalues the word. Anyway, probably best not to derail the thread.

Nutella you must know that there is overt racism and covert racism. "Jews are welcome here" does rather set Jews against people who belong here or are in a position to extend that welcome. If what was meant was "As a British citizen I won't tolerate that discrimination against an ethnic or religious minority" that's fine, but the sentiment can be read differently without any effort.

Why do you assume a negative interpretation?

Don't worry the poster in question and probably many others won't attempt to be nice again.

@NutellaEllaElla saying Jews are welcome really is racism. My mother has lived in Britain in since 1969 - almost all her life. Her father is Jewish. She is as British as you or I are. She would be very upset to be told she was “welcome” somewhere she’s worked, lived life and raised her family for over 40 years.

She’s not a tourist, she belongs. Welcome is for visitors, tourists, guests, not your neighbours.

Why do you assume a negative interpretation?

Because - as the deleted comments on thread have shown, so you don’t need to look very far - you cannot get five sentences into a discussion about Jews or Israel without someone piping up with some or other hurtful stereotype. So it seems like quite a lot of people still hold prejudices against Jews, and as a Jew you may therefore learn to assume that you’re Other until someone demonstrates acceptance, rather than (what I’m sure we all want) assuming that people are decent unless proved otherwise.

I’ll give you a tiny example - years ago I was out at a nice restaurant with a friend. The waiter came round with some bread rolls because we were having soup. Without thinking I said “Oh - I can’t have any, thanks. I’m Jewish and it’s Passover [a holiday when we don’t eat bread].” Without skipping a beat the waiter replied “But it’s free.”

Now - go parse that. I didn’t need to volunteer the info that I was Jewish, I suppose it was because the bread looked great and I was irritated that I had to stop myself from taking a slice so I blurted out my thought that it was Passover so I’d have to leave it. And perhaps the waiter had just been at another table where someone had queried the cost of bread (at a posh restaurant in Paris?), I don’t know. But to my mind what happened is that I said “Jewish” and the waiter thought “miserly”. I’ll never know. If you have enough of that sort of thing your mind tends to go there. And then you get called suspicious/negative into the bargain too. #winning

Well in the case specifically on this thread here, you see negativity where none is intended.

@NutellaEllaElla I do understand where you are coming from. You can see people were trying to say they have no issue with Jewish people and are pleased to have them as fellow community members (even if this is very clumsily expressed).

But please do try to see it from my family’s perspective too.

My white British grandmother was unconsciously racist I’m afraid and would say that she didn’t approve of different ethnic groups intermarrying. She was however very kind to her neighbours whatever background they came from and I can quite imagine that she might have said, intending to be ever so reassuring, to her non white young neighbours, you are welcome to be here in Britain. I am sure that could be upsetting to people who were as British as she was - having been born here.

It is racist to describe Jewish people as “welcome” because it is effectively saying that Jewish people are different, non British. The intention behind saying it doesn’t matter and even if intended very kindly it is still antisemitic.

I have been told how great Jewish people are because they love to make money which is good for the economy. Awful antisemitism but meant kindly by that particular person. That doesn’t make it ok.

Even if things are meant kindly, if they are racist it is still important to call them out. We all need to learn sometimes - I’m still learning myself.

nut you think I see prejudice where none is intended, I think my interpretation is a reasonable one. That’s fine. You won’t be the first or last person I disagree with.

@EssentialHummus

Why do you assume a negative interpretation?

Because - as the deleted comments on thread have shown, so you don’t need to look very far - you cannot get five sentences into a discussion about Jews or Israel without someone piping up with some or other hurtful stereotype. So it seems like quite a lot of people still hold prejudices against Jews, and as a Jew you may therefore learn to assume that you’re Other until someone demonstrates acceptance, rather than (what I’m sure we all want) assuming that people are decent unless proved otherwise.

I’ll give you a tiny example - years ago I was out at a nice restaurant with a friend. The waiter came round with some bread rolls because we were having soup. Without thinking I said “Oh - I can’t have any, thanks. I’m Jewish and it’s Passover [a holiday when we don’t eat bread].” Without skipping a beat the waiter replied “But it’s free.”

Now - go parse that. I didn’t need to volunteer the info that I was Jewish, I suppose it was because the bread looked great and I was irritated that I had to stop myself from taking a slice so I blurted out my thought that it was Passover so I’d have to leave it. And perhaps the waiter had just been at another table where someone had queried the cost of bread (at a posh restaurant in Paris?), I don’t know. But to my mind what happened is that I said “Jewish” and the waiter thought “miserly”. I’ll never know. If you have enough of that sort of thing your mind tends to go there. And then you get called suspicious/negative into the bargain too. #winning

I also remember having a conversation with someone older in the 1980s asking why there was so much unpleasantness towards Jewish people.

he said the Jews were involved in the black market in the war and his (Wc) family were starving

I’m so sorry that you’re experiencing this, I’m so sorry that there are such hateful evil people in the world that would target you and other Jews. This is not right. I hope you are and continue to be safe

Has anyone heard back from writing to their MPs yet on this?
I haven’t (Labour MP, who got my vote) so I am afraid I am giving up on expecting any reply now. That in itself is very upsetting given the recent history with Labour. For what it’s worth, I had emailed them to say that it is horrifying to see anti Semitic abuse and violence being perpetrated in the UK against ordinary British Jewish people after this latest outbreak of violence in the Middle East. I asked them to ask the government to update Parliament urgently on how Jewish people living in Britain will be protected from anti Semitic violence and intimidation.

Yes I also asked my MP to ask the Government how they will be bringing Israel and Palestine to negotiations (this was before the ceasefire). I don’t mind if you call me names on this thread because of this. It’s possible to stand in solidarity with Jewish families in Britain and want to see peace in the Middle East (obviously!) without linking or blaming the British families for that violence taking place in the Middle East.
Jewish people must be adequately protected by the UK government from antisemitic violence in the UK full stop, whatever any other national government does or doesn’t do. It’s very concerning that MPs are not more active on such a key issue.

I have heard back from my MP now. I had sent my email with concerns before the ceasefire, MP replied some days after the ceasefire. This is their response.

‘Thank you for your email, and for highlighting your concerns about the situation in Palestine and the surge in anti-Semitism. You’ll be aware that a ceasefire has been signed between Israel and Hamas, which has brought short-term relief to civilians on both sides of the divide. While this is welcome, its clear that there needs to be further action to secure a lasting peace agreement and my colleague Lisa Nandy, the shadow Foreign Secretary, has been clear that the UK government needs to do far more to make this a reality.

You are also right to raise the disturbing rise in anti-Semitism here in Britain. Anti-Semitism, as with all levels and forms of racism and bigotry, should have no place in our society and I am appalled by the language and actions of some who seek to protest against the conflict in Palestine. Britain’s Jews are not party to the conflict in Palestine, are not linked to the current Israeli government, and deserve to feel safe on Britain’s streets. I have previously asked the British government to redouble efforts to eradicate the scourge of anti-Semitism from our society and I assure you I will be raising this again as a matter of urgency.’

I’m glad I wrote to highlight to this MP that local voters want to see urgent government action in UK both on the matter of antisemitism towards British Jewish people on our streets and in sustained actions toward seeking peace in the Middle East. Raising both these issues does not imply any connection or culpability of British Jews who being subjected to anti Semitic harassment or violence, to violence in Palestine and in Israel, in my view.

If anyone else has written to their MP about either or both of these issues then I hope they got a decent reply. The more MPs that can say they are raising this with the government because their constituents are asking them to, the better, obviously.

BBC News: ‘British Jews' fear and defiance amid record monthly anti-Semitism reports’

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-57339266

Highly relevant news article today looking back at this recent period.

I am really not surprised there has been such a dramatic rise in reporting, I am glad it is being reported.

We had a Rabbi near us who was hospitalised with a serious head in jury due to being brutally attacked whilst walking home.

I came off the tube a couple of weeks ago and there was a man standing there at rush hour with a placard saying "Kill the Jews". This tube station is in an area where many jewish families live. Turns out he had been doing it for hours, in full view of TFL staff and nobody it seemed had reported it.

It still remains very frightening.

A possible reason why no-one reported the phrase is that according to critical race theory, Jews are privileged and thus not susceptible to racism. In addition, anyone who appears anti-semitic can just say they are acting "in solidarity with their oppressed brothers in Palestine". Odds-on that the guy holding the placard was a dedicated anti-racist by his own reckoning....

@LaurieFairyCake

I'm so sorry

You are not the Israeli government- almost no one among your community agrees with them

Try to take care, report any incidents to the police, go out in groups rather than alone

Peace be with you

"You are not the Israeli government- almost no one among your community agrees with them" Eerm, speak for yourself. I think most Jews do support Israel, the only Jewish country in the world. It's statements like this that are part of the problem.