To stop my son from presenting as Jewish at school

[Wonderberry]

I really wish this wasn't the case.

My son wants to wear his kippah (skullcap) at school. This is entirely his choice, and something that he has chosen to start wearing recently. He just wants to express his religious and cultural background.

Unfortunately, I don't feel like he would be safe to do so. I hate that this is where we are at currently in the UK, but I know it is the reality. He goes to a community school in London, and doesn't understand why he cannot wear his kippah at school. On cultural days, he also cannot share his culture either.

Are you saying that no pro Palestinian supporters - who are so pro Palestinian they even wear their support on their chest at work - could be anti Semitic?

Antisemitism has risen 500% since October 7th. Do you think k that’s a coincidence?

Why are you being so obtuse? There is a power dynamic with health care providers and patients and patients are not on the winning end of this. No one wants to risk jeopardising their health care.

The point is not whether a particular NHS individual is anti-Semitic, the point is Jewish people should not have to worry about this in the UK in 2025 and its shameful that they do.

Stop shifting blame to the people worried by societal anti-Semitism, for being worried about it.

And no, staff should not be wearing anything that shows allegiance to any political cause whilst they are at work, still less one that is clearly controversial, and is, lets face it, also worn by people who actually are anti-Semitic. Its unprofessional.

This. This thread and its many many deletions proves a lot.

I disagree entirely. This specific example is unique to Jews. We are educated in unique ways Muslims are discriminated against. So why can we not do the same for Jews?

Do you think the term islamophobia is bafflingly irrelevant or is it just Jews who need the abuse they face erased?

Honestly the poster is not being obtuse.
You have come to conflate anyone who disagrees with Israel's actions in Gaza and antisemitism.
You are being obtuse. Assuming that there is likely to be a link between opposing genocide and being anti semitic is ridiculous.
People can negatively judge you as a person, your actions etc without it being any judgment in Judaism.
Honestly, I think you believe people are more interested in your religion than they are...they are getting on with their lives and protesting injustice when they see it.

I don't think it needs to be taught as a separate subject to racism. It should be taught as an example of racism in the same way antisemitism should be.

When I am on social media, anytime I see a post about anything to do with being Jewish.... separate to the conflict...so let's say Jewish food or a Jewish content creator talking about something unrelated to the conflict... something from Jewish history etc etc...the comments are absolutely full of pro Palestine people commenting free Palestine, going on about genocide and posting awful memes about Israel and posting images of emaciated children in Gaza....now remember these are posts that are not about the conflict. So tell me....are these just lovely, caring people? Or are they vile anti semites?

Some of them sure did, and they marched and protested in SUPPORT of it.

In fact when I was waiting to get into the one year commemoration of the October 7th massacre in Hyde Park (which took place the day before) there was a man saying he would be dancing in celebration the next day ( October 7th). There were a whole bunch of men goading and jeering at a man speaking out against the massacre. Right outside the commemoration of the massacre. So yeah, I have quite a lot of trouble from quite a lot of experience since Oct 7 in believing how peaceful and against violence and how totally not anti-Semitic most pro-Palestinian protestors are. I just haven't experienced that, I have experienced the opposite.

It is unprofessional and goes entirely against the charter of equal healthcare for all no matter who you are. A person who feels that a HCP may hate them - no matter how much they “might not” - is not giving equal access to patients

Not everyone who follows Andrew Tate wants to harm women. I imagine people still wouldn’t want a Andrew Tate supportive badge on a HCP who treats women.

In that case, why even have the word "racism"? Why dont we just say "prejudice" or "bigotry"?

Should use the word “antiIslam” ….

Islamophobia is fear of Islam which is a quasi-psychology word. IMO it’s right there with agoraphobia and arachnophobia
Unless of course you have a fear of Islam and its people … some do have this fear

Honestly it's unlikely. People's motivation for protesting genocide in Gaza is to stop the atrocities and suffering, not to pick at Jewish people.
If you see people supporting 'free Gaza ' the percentage chance that this is motivated by antisemitism is minute.
Where are you getting this idea?
I'm not saying there aren't racist idiots out there who are antisemitic, and no doubt racist to other groups. But they are in the pub talking crap, or following Fartage on social media, not giving up their time to protest for peace.

Can you explain the 500% figure and where that is from? Verbal abuse, school based incidents, reported discrimination? I'm just curious really.

Isn’t it SO telling that when presented with the idea of specific education about a group of people who experience very unique discrimination, not wanting to go down that road because <checks notes> it would be unfair.

It never ceases to amaze me how many people want us to STFU about hatred towards Jewish people.

"Where are you getting this idea"?

Jews probably get this idea from millennia of persecution and multiple holocausts.

I dont think I've ever read such an intense example of mass gaslighting before.

In that case, can you explain why any post I see on social media related to Jewish life or made by Jewish content creators is full of comments about genocide, free Palestine, nasty memes and pictures of emaciated Gazan children?

I’m not conflating anything - I’ve said that being pro-Palestinian doesn’t equate to being anti semtici. Simply that all anti-semites support Palestine. So in a situation where a Hewish person is trying to access (presumably much needed) healthcare, why should they have to guess if the person tearing them hates them? I’m it making antisemitism up. It’s serious, and it poses a real physical danger to Jews. The fact it’s risen so sharply after 7th October shows that people are using the conflict to be antisemitic - so why should any Jewish person give a Pro Palestinian supporting HCP the benefit of the doubt?

Massive LOL at people not caring about the religion of others. We have atrocities the world over plus hate crime stats to prove otherwise. You’re either being obtuse or you’re spectacularly naive

No it's just that people don't like the idea that being racist to Jewish people is somehow worse or special.
Racism in all forms is abhorrent, but none more than others.
That doesn't mean anyone needs to STFU, just that all experience of racism is as important as others, it's not worse when it happens to one group.

Why not? There are racist tropes specific to antisemitism that arent in any way relevant to racism against Muslims and black people. And vice versa. Why wouldn’t you people to be educated on specific nuances? Do you also object to education about Islamophobia instead of general racism?

TBH I don’t know what general racism education even looks like. In this day and age it’s a pointless disservice if we don’t go into specifics.

I think this thread would suggest that too many people think it is perfectly acceptable to be antisemitic.

Where do you get the idea that people think "being racist to Jewish people is somehow worse or special"?! I dont get that sense

For those who are critical …. What would it to change your mind. What would need to happen for you to feel neutral when you see a person wearing symbolic Jewish items and see them as just people showing their faith??

What do you need?

My daughter was on the HET holocaust ambassador programme when at Secondary School. I've no idea how many schools offer this though, is it universal?

This is why I hate organised religion. I grew up in a devoutly Catholic family and moved away from it completely. With hindsight, I can see just how much social conditioning, suspicion of those who don't follow the religion, think independently there is.

You have been taught, implicitly, explicitly etc that to be suspicious of anyone who opposes Israel's actions. It is a form of social conditioning.

You are making an absolute leap from someone wanting peace in Gaza to antisemitism. This makes sense to you because you have been conditioned to do this. To people who have not had that conditioning it's batshit.

There are often Jewish people on the Free Gaza marches... Do you think they are antisemitic... Obviously not.

Honest going from hearing 'please stop killing innocents in the name of Israel' and hearing 'death to Jews' is unhinged. Or self serving, depending on your views of the conflict I suppose.

I saw it in a video about a Holocaust survivor at Auschwitz crying, big heaving sobs, as he looked up the directory of deceased Holocaust victims and found his parents and siblings. He was an old man taking pictures of the pages and explaining who he’d found. Comment after comment of “Free Palestine 🇵🇸 “. It turns my stomach and infuriates me that people sit wide eyed and say “What do you mean the Free Palestine movement is associated with antisemitism! How dare you say that!”. Rather than acknowledging it and agreeing things need to be better. Even the antisemitic comments on this thread - it’s been interesting to see who’s condemned it and who hasn’t (and I have seen a Pro Palestine poster condemn in immediately, and appreciate they are not the problem here)