Anti-semitism report

[dcbwhaley]

Antisemitism an ‘urgent issue’ for all of British society, Penny Mordaunt warns

A commission co-chaired by Dame Penny has made 10 recommendations to the Government to tackle antisemitism.

www.independent.co.uk

Dame Penny Mordaunt has said she was “stunned into silence” as she undertook a government-backed review into antisemitism in British society.

The former Conservative minister joined Lord John Mann, the Government’s antisemitism adviser, in chairing an independent commission on antisemitism on behalf of the Board of Deputies, Britain’s largest Jewish community organisation.

She, like so many others, including the Board of Deputies, seem unable to distinguish between antisemitism and anti-Zionism.

Deploring the actions of the IDF in Gaza is not antisemitic, it is humanitarian.

There are lots of Jews, some of them my friends, who despair of Netanyahu's government's actions. Are they antisemetic?

 

[Pete_uk]

Yes it's annoying when hating Israel = hating Jews.

I think it's just a way of protecting Israel and the IDF who have been left to do what they want with the west's backing.

 

[MP33]

Miriam Margolyes, who is Jewish, was effectively ex-communicated. For criticising the actions of the Israeli government.

 

[Shaw S Hunter]

Miriam Margolyes, who is Jewish, was effectively ex-communicated. For criticising the actions of the Israeli government.

I don't think I have heard of how a Jew can be formally ex-communicated from Judaism. Though she has doubtless upset not just the Israeli government (not hard to do!) but also plenty of non-Israeli Jews too. A good example is the following lifted from Wikipedia:

If you speak to most Jews and say, 'Can Israel ever be in the wrong?' they say, 'No. Our duty as Jews is to support Israel whatever happens.' And I don't believe that.

At some point Jews must surely consider whether their faith does in fact oblige them to blindly support the Israeli government or not. And also consider the consequences. Liberal countries have no issues with Jews, or members of any other faith, following their religion but if such devotion leads to them effectively becoming agents of a foreign government then the position starts to look a little different.

 

[Yew]

It is worth noting that this is not an independent and impartial report, but one launched by the Board of Deputies of British Jews.

 

[Harpo]

Miriam Margolyes, who is Jewish, was effectively ex-communicated. For criticising the actions of the Israeli government.

I saw her in 2024 on a theatre tour promoting one of her extremely funny books. She described Netanyahu with a fabulous four letter word that could not be used here.

 

[dcbwhaley]

the Board of Deputies of British Jews.

Who would class complaining that a Jaffa Orange was sour as ant-semitic

 

[contrex]

I don't think I have heard of how a Jew can be formally ex-communicated from Judaism. Though she has doubtless upset not just the Israeli government (not hard to do!) but also plenty of non-Israeli Jews too. A good example is the following lifted from Wikipedia:

At some point Jews must surely consider whether their faith does in fact oblige them to blindly support the Israeli government or not. And also consider the consequences. Liberal countries have no issues with Jews, or members of any other faith, following their religion but if such devotion leads to them effectively becoming agents of a foreign government then the position starts to look a little different.

Although I was brought up in a Church of England family, I used to like reading the Jewish Chronicle, especially a section called 'Rabbi, I have a problem'. The format is that an Orthodox rabbi, and a Reform one, separately answer a question sent in by a reader. Often they differ markedly - one lady asked if she could give a Jewish funeral to her likely-to-die horse. The Orthodox rabbi was quite sure that this was not allowed, but the Reform guy thought it would be OK, as God knows how much joy pets bring us. Another question was 'Do I have a religious duty to support Israel?'. The reader said, that although they considered themselves a good Jew, they did not feel affinity with the state of Israel. The unanimous verdict of BOTH rabbis was an emphatic NO. The Reform guy, Jonathan Romain, quoted Rabbi Hillel's one sentence summary of Judaism: "What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour; the rest is commentary":

It is quoted more than any other person's précis of Jewish teaching because it rightly puts the emphasis on one's relationships with other people.

We might wish to add belief in God, but then Hillel could respond and say that behaving badly towards others is as much a denial of God as blaspheming against God directly.

But if we marry the two together and accept that Judaism is primarily about actions and belief, then self-evidently your lack of feelings towards a political state the other side of the Mediterranean does not disqualify you from being Jewish. Nor need it stop others from considering you a good Jew.

It is also worth pointing out the unpleasant fact that if, though may it never happen, Israel were to be destroyed, Judaism would carry on, as it did before, and Jews would be no less Jewish.

Do I have a religious duty to support Israel? - The Jewish Chronicle

www.thejc.com

 

[AlterEgo]

I think we should be really clear that antisemitism is repellent, and is almost certainly on the rise. And, that there are very many liberal Jews in Britain who do not support the current Israeli regime. And that Jews are one of our best-integrated minorities.

It’s possible to say that Israel is committing a genocide and not be antisemitic at the same time. Jewish people are welcome here and are part of the fabric.

 

[contrex]

Who would class complaining that a Jaffa Orange was sour as ant-semitic

In Tesco I keep seeing oranges branded 'Jaffa' that come from Spain. The brand is exclusive to Tesco, and says 'We source Jaffas from across the globe'. The Jaffa orange variety was developed by Arab farmers in mid-19th century Ottoman Palestine, and takes its name from the city of Jaffa where it was first produced for export.

 

[yorkie]

I think we should be really clear that antisemitism is repellent, and is almost certainly on the rise. And, that there are very many liberal Jews in Britain who do not support the current Israeli regime. And that Jews are one of our best-integrated minorities.

It’s possible to say that Israel is committing a genocide and not be antisemitic at the same time. Jewish people are welcome here and are part of the fabric.

I completely agree.

Miriam Margolyes concerns about the Isreali regime are absolutely spot-on, and she is heroic for saying what she said.

For anyone who missed it, I quoted her in another thread:

2023 Israel - Hamas / Hezbollah war

I disagree with your description of Prime Minister Netanyahu. Regarding ‘whataboutery’, not as all, I regard Netanyahu as a strong leader. There seems to be an awful lot of criticism of Israel, but very little about the forces that they are fighting. I most certainly stand with Israel and...

www.railforums.co.uk

 

[GiordyRail]

Yes it's annoying when hating Israel = hating Jews.

I think it's just a way of protecting Israel and the IDF who have been left to do what they want with the west's backing.

Agreed, Israel should be criticized espcially with how far they're pushing the limits. It doesn't mean that we hate jews when we call out Israel

 

[etr221]

A quote I came across:

Anti-Semitism isn’t wrong because it’s wrong to denigrate and dehumanize Jews. Anti-Semitism is wrong because it’s wrong to denigrate and dehumanize anyone. Peter Beinart

(To see this in context, see JVL: Debunking The Myth That Anti-Zionism Is Anti-Semitic, Sun 3 Mar 2019)

But there is a major problem in the conflation of Jewishness with Israeliness and Zionism, by people who identify as Jews, Israelis, and Zionists; who are then surprised when people follow the conflation, and condemn Jews when Israelis and Zionists act intolerably (as they often do).

I sometimes think that underlying anti-(and philo-)semitism is a perception of Jews (however they might be defined) as 'special': they aren't, they are just ordinary people, and like all ordinary people, should be judged - condemned or praised, hated or loved - for what they do, not who they are.