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.

No. You asked me why they did it. And I explained. To be fair I interpreted your question literally... I didn't realise you weren't asking it literally.

Well this literally happened to my daughter so it’s also not impossible. I think it is very, very likely that every single person who is out in the world choosing to be visibly Jewish has experienced more intense hatred in the last two years then the 10 years prior. And every generation of Jewish families has a similar experience of escalation and calmer times (like someone already said, often based on things that are nothing to do with Jews at all)

i stopped wearing my Jewish star in public after someone on a bus asked me ‘why’ I was Jewish. Like it was my job to defend an entire nation at 8am.

Even if every single Jew on the planet supported Israel, it still doesn’t justify antisemitism. Nothing justifies racism. Nothing. Trying to explain what is or isn’t antisemitic or what is or isn’t a reason for it is just minimising lived experiences of Jews everywhere. This thread is seriously worrying.

Worth noting my daughter was 11 the first time she was attacked at school by people yelling free Palestine. So not that much older than the OPs son.

the first time a classmate told her he wished she was dead she was 8.

Except I'm not prejudiced against everyone who isn't saying whatever it was you said.

I'm not prejudiced against anyone.

I will, however, call out antisemitism where I see it. And implying that antisemitism is to be expected due to the Irsaeli government's actions in Gaza is highly likely to be antisemitic.

Context is, of course, everything.

If you're saying, "Yes OP, unfortunately you're not wrong to be worried, there are so many twats out there who will use what is going on in Palestine at the moment as an excuse to hate ordinary Jewish people", then that's obviously not antisemitic. But if you're just making emotive comments about genocide and starving Palestinian children (which has nothing to do with ordinary Jewish people) you're implying that the Jews have got it coming. Which is clearly antisemitic.

I see a lot of parallels with trans activism here. In both cases you have people on the political left who have taken great delight in the fact that uncritically supporting a particular group has been deemed "progressive" (Palestinians/trans people) because it gives them a legitimate excuse to openly hate the other group (Jews/women), whilst pretending to be on the right side of history. In fact, it's largely the same people doing both.

@PurpleThistle7 where I teach, a Jewish girl was surrounded by a group of students shouting "Hamas" at her. The parents changed schools

Oh for goodness sake - isn’t it irritating when you’re so self righteous and knowledgable that you dictate to another race how they should or shouldn’t be offended. And by the way, using the word genocide to describe what’s happening in Gaza is a trope. But you won’t want to consider that because you’re so certain of your own truth and righteousness that you can’t even try to understand what is actually happening. But here you are, and here I am, just an irritating old Jew telling you that you’ve been antisemitic. It’s not debate able because I don’t think you would be telling people of other races that you don’t agree that they are offended.

That is really shit. I hope that my defending the Gaza protests isn't confused with condemning this.
Sadly, I think many forms of prejudice and racism are on the rise.

My step daughter was attacked in the aftermath of the Southport killings and riots simply because she is of south Asian appearance.
It's horrific. She is still deeply traumatised by it. Please don't tell me what it is like to have to protect your children.

But the fact that people are openly opposing Israel's actions does not equate to a risk against Jewish people.

I have been on Free Gaza marches and there were Jewish people in very traditional attire (I don't know the names of the garments) and some who weren't with placards identifying themselves as Jewish. The marches are based on wanting to save innocents and stop oppression not hating Jews. And the people protesting in this way should categorically not be interpreted as a risk.
In the same way that's it's ridiculous to interpret a nurse with a free Gaza badge as Jew hating and a risk to their patients. The idea that parents are teaching their children that this poses a risk just entrenches this for a further generation.

I would be saying the same to people of any race. I don't believe in special treatment for any group.

That is an awful incident. I hope the school took action.

@PurpleThistle7
That’s absolutely terrible.
I’m so sorry your daughter has been subjected to this and that you’ve had to deal with this as a family.

Do you want to give us a clue? What incident you're talking about? Should we automatically know?

My friends and I have been followed and harassed by "Free Palestine" protestors multiple times over the years, long before October 7th. There have been physical alterations as well. The reason for it? We were a visibly Jewish group of students walking through town on Shabbat on the way home from Shabbat lunch and refused to sign a petition / join them in their protest / agree that Israel shouldn't exist. We were approached purely because they knew we were Jewish. No one else was hounded in that way. On Saturdays when I wasn't a part of the group and therefore wasn't visibly Jewish the same group of people didn't look at me let alone approach me.

These people are antisemitic and I'm not sure why people are struggling to see that?

That second point is the most tenuous attempt I have ever seen to justify atrocities.

I am not looking for pity exactly - just to note that there is an escalation of these things with people - misguided or not - parroting what they hear at the protests and using it as a springboard for worse. Every Jewish person has to make the call personally about when they are ready to be challenged regularly and asked to defend their existence regularly. As shown here, some just never talk about it, some are open from the beginning and are ready to stand their ground, some are more comfortable when around other Jewish people, and any number of options besides what is being shown on this thread. So nothing that happened to my daughter is surprising exactly, as some version of this happened to everyone in my family. It’s just a level of anger that is very specifically connected to politicians in another country altogether that is particular to today.

and rest assured being Jewish has brought much more to my life than it’s taken away and I’m proud of being Jewish - and raising my kids to be proud of it too. It’s complicated of course but I wouldn’t change it.

“Preaches secularism”😀

I am from a secular country in that the state and the church is separated. We have tons of “legacy” Christian bank holidays.

Why don't you try and make actual arguments rather than name calling.

Try looking at the statistics and you will see vast over representation in cousin/cousin etc type marriages causing excessive disabled children (2.9 times normal in Bradford according to NHS figures). Look at the stats for those unable to speak English in the UK even after living here for decades in many cases. And so the stats go on. It's not a pretty picture for many of the women subject to that misogynistic religion.
And there is no need to resort to childish insults, the stats don't lie. You can try to change the stats but insults won't work imo.

Well said @PurpleThistle7

And for the record I am very proud to be Jewish. Even though I am one of the ones who never talk about it.

Yes but no one preaches secularism quite like France.

Ah so garden variety racism is ok, as long as it's not antisemitism.

Ooh careful. You’ll be telling us we run the media in a sec..

What atrocities do you think I am justifying?

What an awful thing to say.

If you have no further points to make just leave it at that. Name calling just undermines the point you are trying to make.
You will come across people who disagree with you in life. So will I. That's ok. It's healthy in fact.

In real life you are probably surrounded by people who only share your views. It can be jarring when you engage more widely and realise that not everyone shares your views, and that some of the things you believe simply are, may not be.

I have been in that place from childhood. But its a good process. Questioning things that you believe just are, is healthy.

I will absolutely rise above your nasty little outburst.