Young left-wing Jewish activists vow to mobilise after Conservative win
Jews Against Boris described the election result as 'heartbreaking and terrifying'
Young left-wing Jewish activists have vowed to mobilise after Boris Johnson led the Conservatives to a clear majority in Thursday’s general election.
The group Jews Against Boris, which canvassed for Johnson’s Labour challenger Ali Milani in Uxbridge and South Ruislip, described the election results as “heartbreaking and terrifying” in a statement on Friday afternoon.
The group warned against what it said was the prime minister’s “embrace of the far-right” in a “crisis which threatens all of us.”
“We take some comfort in the knowledge that while politicians and the media have sowed fear and division during this campaign – pitting minorities against each other and demeaning our collective experience of racism – together we showed that real solidarity is possible. That oppression need not be a zero-sum game,” the statement claimed.
Vowing to mobilise the community to “show up for victims of racism, inequality and bigotry,” it adds: “We will not tolerate people using the Jewish community as a scapegoat for last night’s results, just as we will not tolerate our communal institutions failing to stand up for those most vulnerable to the Conservatives’ victory.”
Johnson faced criticism this week over his 2004 novel Seventy-Two Virgins: A Comedy of Errors, which chronicles an MP’s attempts to counter a terrorist plot against the US president visiting Britain to deliver a speech in Parliament.
One passage involving a story-line about a vote on whether to discharge prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay refers to oligarchs, mainly “of Jewish origin,” who control TV stations.
Other Jewish groups responded to the election results, with Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis calling for unity amid divisions, saying: “We must focus on our shared values and leave all hatred and prejudice far behind us.”
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.
