Progressively Speaking: Should we be fearful of a rise in extremism?
Rabbi Sandra Kviat takes a topical issue and puts a progressive spin on it, this week looking at the rise of antisemitism especially on the far-right
We live in a time in which Jewish people are especially fearful. There are daily verbal onslaughts from far left and far right and, as we tragically saw most recently in Pittsburgh, bursts of violence and terrorism.
In the UK, a neo-Nazi couple (pictured) who named their baby after Hitler have just been convicted for being part of the banned neo-Nazi terrorist group National Action.
Disturbing photos recovered from their home showed them holding a swastika emblazoned flag and the husband dressed in the white robes of the Ku Klux Klan. In both, they were cradling their newborn son.
So it is no wonder that people are so fearful of antisemitism from both individuals and groups.
But it’s also important that we don’t let that fear control us. We must take care not to become fortress Judaism.
By moving away from wider society, we let those who hate us take control.
We have to be realistic about the threats we face, but equally shouldn’t see every person out there as out to get us.
It may seem counterintuitive, but in times like this we need to interact more with other communities. We need to find all the things we have in common and all the ways we can reach out to other people.
Last week’s newspaper was full of pictures of Mitzvah Day – seeing Jews working together with people of all faiths and none to build a better society. It shows our open Judaism at its very best.
Personally, I was picking litter in Cheltenham with Gloucestershire Liberal Jewish Community members of all ages, wearing our green T-shirts with pride.
In Crouch End, my own community collected items for the Liberal Jewish Synagogue’s drop-in for asylum seeker families, another example of the good that can be achieved when we open our doors.
Fear closes down conversation and insulates communities. We must take care and protect ourselves – and the Community Security Trust does a wonderful job in this regard – but it’s equally as important to talk to others and not expect the worst of people.
Antisemitism has to be called out when we see or experience it, but it shouldn’t be the only thing we see.
- Rabbi Sandra Kviat serves Crouch End Chavurah
Listen to this week’s podcast here:
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
