Jewish Mumsnetter Section

[Asthebellcurves]

I was asked by Mumsnet to start a post here to request a Jewish Mumsnetter section. This request comes out of a thread where Jewish people were discussing ethnic and religious identities that was then co-opted by others refusing to provide space for those conversations. Thus illustrating the need for a distinct Jewish space on here. Of course, Jewish conversation and contribution is valuable across mumsnet, but a neat space for Jewish perspectives to be protected and valued is a great addition - just as Black, South Asian, Welsh, Irish and Scottish mumsnetters have and benefit from.

”When it comes to starting new boards, we're pretty much guided by what our users want. The Black Mumsnetters, SE Asian MNers, Craicnet, etc came about because users started threads requesting their own space. We'll certainly give consideration to a Jewish Mumsnetters section if there is demand. You're quite welcome to start a thread in Site Stuff to ask if others feel the same.”

I know many of us have felt very hurt by the moderation of Mumsnet this week, as anti semitic posters have been allowed to run wild while many factual comments that are supportive of the Jewish community have been deleted. I hope this may serve as an opportunity for Mumsnet to build much needed bridges.

I would be interested to know more about the training received by moderators.

I've never been at a D&I training that mentioned Jews. Every other minority group, absolutely, and loudly, but never us.

Just appalled by that post @BlurredEdges, I am so sorry. This on a site whose stated aim is to 'make parents' lives easier by pooling knowledge, advice and support'.

Mumsnet - are you going to take action in accordance with your aim and ban that poster?

Yes please.

The antisemitism on mn this week has been shocking. And much of it has not been deleted!

Fully support this as non practising Jewish woman. Thank you for doing this.

ANother one supporting.

I am critical of the Israeli government on many issues but that has nothing to do with ordinary Jewish people living in the UK. I am ashamed that Jewish schools are closing.

Can I ask is there anything we can do to show support.

When the mosque was attacked a friend and I took flowers to the local mosque, it felt like it was nothing but the people were happy to take flowers.

I know a strange person heading to a synagogue or school is going to cause alarm, and where I live now there isn't a synagogue anyway.

DDad is jewish, much of my family is Jewish, and I've been sickened by some of the posts in here this last few days. I would lurk / post on a specific board. Agree new members should need to wait before posting.

@LargeSquareRock You have just summed it up. It’s been hiding for sometime behind this but not there is no effort at trying to disguise it now. It is abhorrent and shames this country. Yesterday was brazen and was nothing to do with Palestine but was antisemitism unleashed and no one tried to stop it. I am not Jewish but as well as revulsion I felt scared. What can we do to help our Jewish community and friends?

Bloody appalled by that poster,reported as can't believe it's still up.

@BlurredEdges - I have commented on this thread. I have also reported the antisemitism. It makes me very anxious when people call into question the national loyalty of Jewish people, it's a well used antisemitic trope.

Posters with even more explicitly antisemitic posts ("murdered by the Jews" etc) still have their accounts.

I'm still on that thread. There's such a lot of ignorance and stereotyping. I think it's particularly incumbent on us non Jews to challenge the offensive comments.

As PP has said this thread was started on a Saturday when many practicing Jews won’t be using the internet and has now gone from Active. Are MumsnetHQ going to make it more visible for them?

I support this ❤️

In total support. I’m not Jewish and have been appalled by the level of antisemitism here in the last week. It makes me feel physically sick.

The fact that so many antisemitic posts have been allowed to prevail is deeply concerning.

I would like to please ask MNet how many posters have been banned for anti-semitism, which contravenes the Equality Act in relation to both race and religion and belief? @Mumsnet

I'm scared. So so scared. I have to step away from MN and social media. People openly celebrating the murder of babies and children and allowing their own veneer of civility to be stripped away- gleefully and with such joy.

Again I have gently questioned my 13 and 11 year olds as to who among their friends know we are have a Jewish background (more specifically that I have a Jewish background as their dad is not Jewish) and they both said that a couple of their friends know. i said to them that things are very bad for the victims of both sides and some stupid people might target us and to just be careful. To please not make it know to anyone and to keep their heads down at school etc. And to let me know if there is anything that crops up. I am so frightened. This is me in modern Britain. And this is felt among every single Jewish person I know. We are afraid - afraid that people we thought were friends, colleagues, neigbours are going to turn on us.

The threads on MN serve to show that our fears are very very real.

Agree @PeachCrayon, started on Shabbat so it won’t have been viewed by many.

MN this space is essential, not just at the moment when people are understandably frightened, but as a permanent fixture.

Jewish people have religious practices different to the majority and different concerns.

They need a safe space to discuss matters relevant to their lives, to cope and support each other when times are hard and to celebrate when they are good.

I am not a Jew but I think it is so important for them. I have never known any group of people to be so focused on family, motherhood, community and also to be so engaging and supportive to others outwith their community.

Let’s do this for them to give them a space to be, alongside other groups of people who have their own space.

Yes please.

Another one here who is fully supportive of a dedicated board for Jewish mnetters.

I have been shocked to my core by some of the posts on here since the Hammas atrocities. It is more shocking that many of these posts have been allowed to stand.

I am not Jewish but grew up in an area of North London with a large Jewish population. The majority of my childhood friends were Jewish and my heart is breaking for all of them at the moment.
To Jewish mumsnetters, please know that many of us are standing with you and keeping you in our thoughts. 💐

Indeed.

Miners gave shocked me, I had previously thought of MN as one of the more intelligent places for discussion on the internet.

But the whataboutery in the face of Saturday 7th and the collective amnesia of anything that predated 1948 is shocking.

That the Jewish people have been the most persecuted group in history, from pogroms and other atrocities right up to ww2 - anyone with an understanding of world history should recognise that ? It seems like most people are getting their facts from social media these days which is a BAD idea.

I say reluctantly that I'm not Jewish because I don't see why I should have to point that out.

But the whataboutery in the face of Saturday 7th and the collective amnesia of anything that predated 1948 is shocking

This struck me as well - that for some people history begins in 1948 and the collective ignoring of why the Jews wanted a homeland in the first place.

The overt anti semitism on here the last week has been sickening and terrifying. Fully support the idea of a board for Jewish MNetters.

This made me teary, I’m so sorry

I support this xx

This is just awful@BlurredEdges. I would have felt physically sick to see that response if it had been me. And I can see a poster has also claimed there was nothing wrong with it.

But sadly, for a lot of Jewish people on social media like Twitter this has been the actual reality for a number of years now and still we're told to "prove it" "example please!" (I've lost count of the number of MN posters who have done this to me in the last week, and you know what, I'm now finding these persistent demands to "show evidence" antisemitic even though the words themselves would never stand up as being antisemitic in isolation). Even the most innocuous tweet like what you had for breakfast can be met with 'yeah but get out of Palestine!" I'm on Twitter, although not particularly active, but I have never identified as being Jewish there because I know exactly what will happen. It's was particularly bad during the Corbyn years and now it's back, and more often than not came/comes from his supporters and I'm fed up being told that's a lie. Whatever you think of David Baddiel, have a look at his Twitter - it happens practically every time he tweets.

Par example:

https://twitter.com/LisaBetenzos/status/1712825379520487610

Sadly the Left terrify me now more than the Right, and I'm a lifelong socialist.

Sorry I don't actually know why I'm posting this on this particularly lovely and supportive thread because 'preaching to the converted' and all that. It's cathartic I suppose. This is why a safe space on MN would be so important to me, even as a not-very-Jewish Jewish person. Because if I keep ranting to my non-Jewish DH, who is totally 100% in my corner, he's going to get fed up listening to a broken record at some point.

Can I ask - this thread is hidden from 'active' now isn't it?