Anti Semitism in the UK

[Oakmaiden]

This is in the news a lot at the moment.

I have never, to my knowledge, heard anyone make anti-Semitic remarks. Anti Islam, yes. Anti "them Polish people coming over here and taking our very badly paid jobs", yes. Anti Semitic, no. Am I just very lucky/ sheltered?

Agree with the blurring of lines between what is anti israel and anti semitic. Being anti Israel does not make you anti semitic. I myself am anti Israel in many respects and have been accused of anti sentient on mn when discussing israel policy on Palestine. When I have said that I'm jewish i have then been accused of being anti- jews, a self hating jew etc etc.

I have never personally come across anti semitism and neither has anyone in my family. However I do think it occurs as a friend at work mentioned it.

Meanwhile my sister reports that where she lives in paris 7 mosques have been attacked in the last few days and over 50 since the hebdo murders.

JackShit I think you're right that it's a bit of a misnomer. Wikipedia agrees with you. But I think most people understand it to be hatred of or discrimination against Jewish people, regardless of their religion (Hitler would have considered me to be Jewish in spite of the fact that I'm an atheist raised by atheist parents).

I have heard anti-semitic remarks, mostly of the 'Jews control the banks' variety. Not long ago I came across some anti-semitic graffiti. Those sentiments are definitely out there.

Jackshit - all Jews (other than converts) originally descend from the tribes of Israel. Even though we settled in different countries that is our origins and has been shown in dna testing with the descendants of the priestly tribe having a common gene despite their families having settled in Europe or the Arab lands www.aish.com/ci/sam/48936742.html

Yes there is anti-semitism and it is getting worse. To give some examples, when I was growing up kids in my school would get attacked by other schools and I was taunted at bus-stops "why did you kill Jesus". Security around synagogues and schools started getting heavier and by the time I was in my teens schools had proper trained security guards as well as parents checking you were a parent. 10 years ago dh and I got spat at while walking to regents park past the mosque. I was shocked as I had lived near there all my life and never encountered that before. One of the Iraqi groceries in our area had boxes of turkish delight with kosher on for about 3 weeks and then they continued to be there but minus the kosher. When asked why we were told the other customers didn't like it. More recently in an international consultancy firm which actively sponsors Jewish events, a relative who wears a kipah received a secret santa gift of a book about money and a message about Jews liking money. He laughed it off because what else can you do but the message was clear.

The thing that is more concerning and has changed recently is the way that anti-semitism under the guise of "anti-zionism/Israel" has become completely acceptable in the media and in public discourse and that has made a lot of Jews here very uneasy.

This article sums it up very nicely in the following paragraph.

"Concern for the ‘plight’ of the Palestinians is a fave, although no such concern, apparently, is necessary for those whose lives are a living hell in the rest of the Arab world. Contempt for the ‘apartheid’ of the West Bank and Gaza is another, allowing the DPAS to draw fatuous comparisons with South Africa. A sickening and utterly false moral comparison between the Nazis and modern Israeli soldiering techniques is another. Even circumcision gets thrown into the mix."

How much of mumsnet can you find that is spouting that? Just take a look at the Israel threads in this forum.

It is a very short step from Israel to all Jews as Tim Wilcox has kindly pointed out.

So it does seem like it is a lot more socially acceptable and that concerns me greatly.

Yes I have seen anti-Semitism and heard anti-Semitic remarks where I live. Examples:

• the local Rabbi and his family have a police escort so they can walk to the synagogue without being subjected to abuse;

• casual use of the word 'Jew' as an insult between teenagers;

• two teenagers disguised in keffiyehs throwing a brick through the rabbi's car window. According to the police officer who took a statement from us, this happens regularly.

casual use of the word 'Jew' as an insult between teenagers;

That's probably down to Southpark. Not saying it's right but they probably don't think too much about what it means, if they even know.

You are Jewish, Oakmaiden, sunnyfrostyday and Pixel?

Only the last time I read a thread like this on mumsnet, poster after poster were explaining that there was no anti-semitism these days. I found it odd that none of them were Jewish.

Not surprising perhaps JohnFarleyRuskin when you consider that Pixel, who has '...never heard anything mentioned at all.' [of anti semitism] casually dismisses the use of the word 'Jew' as a pejorative as a result of 'South Park'

Exactly...

Malay,

That reminds me of a playdate we had last month.

Year 2 boy says to my DS. "Your country is Israel"

My DS oblivious replies "no I am British. But I have been to Israel on holiday".

Just to clarify, I don't think that the boy was being anti-Semitic.

I just think it has been discussed in his home. And it is so common to not think of Jews as British but coming from somewhere else.

But I guess a lot if us have come from somewhere else fleeing persecution in Eastern Europe or Arab lands.

So is it any wonder we are sensitive to the signs of any increase in tension.

I think it's highly unfair the way critics of Israel and it's policy in Palestine are being characterised. And shame on you tiggersreturn for refering to the "plight" of Palestinians. After this summer's little escapade, and the fact that babies are now dying in the snow in Gaza, I would refer to it as their plight, not their "plight".
I really don't appreciate the snide implications that I'm an anti-Semite. I have plenty of critisism for any regime or government that flagrantly abuses human rights and I reserve my harshest critisism for those that appear to do so with the support of Western democracies. I'm not terribly impressed with Saudi Arabia either.
I agree that it's hugely unfortunate that support of Palestine does sometimes degenerate in anti-Semitism. I've seen it myself and I'm not disingenuous enough to claim it never happens. But it's far from everyone. And using accusations of anti-Semitism to attempt to silence any dissent of Israel is pretty shoddy.

It was a genuine question. Something was on the news which was outside my personal experience, and to be honest surprised me greatly. I think it was a statistic about how anti-semitism was making a majority of Jews feel they had no future in the uk. As I say, it surprised me, because to my knowledge I have never in my life come across anti Semitic viewpoints other than as historical opinions.

I was not at all trying to say it doesn't exist. Just that it was outside my experience and I wondered if other peoples experience was different. Which it clearly is.

On further investigation I have discovered that the last census gives the Jewish population of the city I live in as 0.1%, so maybe it is simply that where I am the tiny number of people involved make it far less prominent.

This is a discussion about anti semitism and you think the posters here are using accusations of anti semitism to silence any dissent of Israel?

Riight. Sorry everyone. That's told us. We are making it all up.

Not at all John please don't twist what I said. Several posters have used critisism of Israel as an example of anti-Semitism and I pointed out that this was inaccurate and unfair.
I don't disagree that anti-Semitism happens and appears to be a growing problem.

I don't think any poster here has confused criticism of Israel with anti semitism though. Many are critics of Israel themselves. They have merely pointed out that sometimes the criticism does - as you agree - degenerate into anti semitism.

I wasn't 'casually dismissing it', just giving a possible explanation of why teenagers in particular might use such language, though I've never heard it personally.

As it happens I don't have conversations about what religion people are, so no I've never had a discussion about jews or anyone else, therefore I've never personally heard any remarks, derogatory or otherwise. That's my experience but of course as I'm not jewish I can't have an opinion.

If things are taking a more sinister turn in parts of the country then it's not good, but perhaps direct your wrath at someone who actually cares if people are jewish or not jewish?

My childhood synagogue was daubed with swastikas and had its windows smashed. A jewish children's special needs charity shop received the same treatment. I've overheard jokes about the Holocaust from young people which I have challenged.

children in the school uniform of a jewish school, on a London bus, were subjected to a man shouting how he was going to burn all the Jews on the bus amongst other disgusting verbal.and antisemitic abuse.

These are just a few of my recent personal experiences and they vary by no means isolated. They are also not as bad as other experiences those I know have had.

Jews are genuinely fearful.

antisemitism exists and is on the rise.

I have heard plenty of comments over the years, more recently from people using their support for Palestinians as a cover for Jew hatred.Oh yes and Holocaust jokes at a taxi firm i worked in, just when the Jewish cab driver came in. It was disgusting.
At school there were lots of 'heres 10p I will throw it and see how many Jews jump for it'.
If people have not come across this then perhaps they live in deep country far from any Jewish communiites, or they are simply oblivious.
Oh and the orthodox Jews that do not come here any more, having been banned from summer student accom for 'lighting candles'. Yeh right.

I think anti-semitism and islamophobia is on the rise. More so islamophobia from what I have seen and read. The attacks on muslims and mosques in my northern City have increased ten fold in the last few years.

in answer to op, there is loads of it. if you ain't a jew it is unlikely you would have. i could spend hours listing the stuff that has crossed my path in the last few months but don't want to, too depressing and pointless

nancy66 thanks for your post, it has lifted my spirits, and i mean that sincerely :0) makes a nice change...

OP why are you surprised you have not heard any anti-Semitism if you are not Jewish? Most anti-Semitism is aimed at Jews, not gentiles.

I've heard plenty. I've had Jewish friends who've been pushed off buses (and had their leg broken) because they were wearing the uniform of a Jewish school. People wearing skullcaps threatened with being beaten up, had "heil Hitler" shouted at them on the street and spat at in East London (large Bangladeshi area). I've known people who have said the most vile, nasty, anti-Semitic conspiracy theories (the holocaust was faked, Jews are money grabbing parasites, Jews run the world, Jews use non-Jews blood to bake their bread) etc.

I've noticed recently that people with these kind of opinions get excused if they add that they don't hate Jews, just "Zionists". Seems to be a get out clause for everything anti-Semitic.