OPINION: Purim’s lesson: Strength can and will outlast hate
Jewish life in Britain has not faltered, despite last 16 months being been the most difficult in recent memory for our community
The festival of Purim reminds us that the ancient hatred of Jews is nothing new, yet the last 16 months have been among the most difficult in recent memory for our community.
The events of 7 October shook the Jewish world to its core. As chair of the Jewish Leadership Council, I have been at the heart of our communal response and reaction to that dreadful day. As we reeled from Hamas’ brutal attack, we saw antisemitism surge to levels we never expected.
We all knew that the battle against antisemitism always needed to be fought; our shuls, schools, and communal buildings have required significant protection for decades. However, we all believed this level of threat inhabited the darker corners of our society.
The upsurge in antisemitism we have seen since 7 October has been brazen as anti-Zionism has become the acceptable face of antisemitism.
Our streets have been filled with protestors screaming Jew hatred. Our students have faced relentless waves of abuse on campus. Online, the Antisemitism Policy Trust estimates that there are now four antisemitic posts on X per day for every Jewish person in the UK.
It is no wonder that research in the aftermath of 7 October revealed that 77% of British Jews feel less safe in the UK.
There has been a sustained attack on the legitimacy of Israel’s existence, an outright denial of the Jewish people’s historic right to live in the land, and a rejection of the idea that Arabs and Jews can coexist peacefully. The repeated slogan: “from the river to the sea” suggests that the only proposed solution to this conflict is the expulsion of Jews from the land of Israel. Jews all over the world feel deeply uncomfortable and often threatened when they see the world’s only Jewish state attacked like this.
The reality is that a terrible, heinous crime was committed against Israel and the Jewish people; on October 7th, Jews were yet again massacred on a horrific scale with medieval levels of violence. Yet, we have been confronted by October 7th denialism, accused of crimes that echo the darkest blood libels of history, cancelled for being Zionists, and forced to defend the right of the Jewish state to exist. The trauma of the past year has been profound, but so too has been the Jewish community’s response.
We have demonstrated extraordinary resilience. In February 2024, the JLC gathered 180 community leaders, activists, professionals, experts and funders to plan a way forward. Following this, in April 2024, we launched Forge the Future: a long-term strategy to ensure that our community continues to thrive and live in safety and harmony.
We have seen our community rise to these challenges, led by our major communal organisations: the JLC, the Board of Deputies, CST, the Office of the Chief Rabbi, Progressive Judaism, UJIA, UJS, UKLFI, CAA, and countless others. We have marched, protested, campaigned, and fought back. Our charities continue to support the most vulnerable within our community and beyond. Our security organisation works tirelessly to protect our institutions. Our advocacy groups have taken our concerns to the highest levels of government, and we have been heard (though often not as quickly as we would have liked). Of course, much more remains to be done, and we will use every ounce of our energy to defend our rights to live in this country free of victimisation.
Through all this, Jewish life in Britain has not faltered. In shuls, schools, and on campus, we continue to gather, celebrate, and support one another. We have every reason to take great pride in our identity, heritage and values. The Purim story shows that the challenges we face are sadly part of what it means to be Jewish today, but despite everything we do not merely survive, we thrive.
While there may be many reasons for the next generation of British Jews to leave this country, it is my belief that profound antisemitism will not be one of them. For as long as we live in a liberal democracy that upholds freedom of religion and expression, we can stand tall and say: “I am proud to be a Jew.”
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