‘Awful Things Happening In Israel Nothing To Do With British Jews’ | Rise In UK Antisemitism

Antisemitism has reached record levels in the UK, with over 4,000 incidents recorded in 2023, according to the Community Security Trust, a Jewish charity.

The report highlights a significant increase in anti-Semitic incidents since the October 7th Hamas attacks. Jewish individuals and communities are experiencing online abuse, vilification on university campuses, and even physical assaults.

Rabbi Dr Jonathan Romain, the director of Maidenhead Synagogue, emphasizes the distressing nature of the anti-Semitic incidents. He mentions instances of abuse online, vilification of Jewish students on university campuses, and even a recent incident at a theatre in London where someone was hounded out for not standing up for the Palestinian flag.

Rabbi Romain asserts that blaming British Jews for events in Israel is as illogical as blaming someone with blue eyes in England for a crime committed in Kansas City. He highlights the need for unity and peaceful coexistence among different faiths in the UK.

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Anti-semitic hate has reached record levels according to a Jewish charity more than 4,000 anti-semitic incidents were recorded in the UK in 20123 this according to the community security trust this is a report we’re going to speak to the person that wrote that later they say this has just absolutely

Magnified since those October the 7th Hamas attacks well joining us now for more is Rabbi Dr Jonathan raain who’s the director of M synagog sorry not your fault guys this is our guest on the last so that’s that’s wrong that’s sorry well it he is here he is here he’s down the

Line that’s okay confusing and also and also D Babu a former met police chief superintendent is here Jonathan can we start with with you just to explain to us this report Jeremy’s just laid it out there says there’s been a significant increase um since the 7th of October um what can you tell

Us uh well it’s deeply upsetting um and it’s uh on all sorts of levels and we’ve seen it um uh certainly online with a lot of abuse we’ve seen it on University campuses with students Jewish students um being vilified we’ve seen it the other day in theater the Soho

Theater in London uh with somebody who didn’t want to stand up for the Palestinian not only being booed but handed out of the theater uh and this is really quite extraordinary um and and and just so unri and so unfair uh and it’s really a direct result of what’s

Happening in Israel um and yes of course awful things happening Israel and they’re suffering on both sides what that’s got to do with British Jews absolutely nothing it’s like you know if if the um whoever killed the people in Kansas city was blue-eyed blaming someone blue-eyed here in England well

It’s as dared and as ridiculous as that but unfortunately it is related because what happens in Israel or uh the Middle East is is often uh seen the British Jews are somehow responsible uh we’re not British citizens you know it seems almost uh ridiculous for me to have to

Explain that British Jews are not responsible what happens in in Israel and yet British Jews are are often seen as responsible um I have to say of course this is not Universal these incidents are awful uh but there’s also a lot of very good work and relations

Going on and in fact immediately after October the 7th when the Hamas attacks took place um I got together with the local Vicor local Imam and we set a prayer for peace it didn’t change the world but it gave a very clear sign to our own congregations here in the UK

That whatever is happening over in the Middle East we are not going to import here and it also emphasize that what’s going on in the Middle East is a political problem it’s not a religious problem and therefore there is absolutely no reason why Jews Muslims Christians Hindus everybody else cannot

Go get on uh together here as well can you tell us that’s sort of The Wider political context that is then having very real impacts on people in Britain we’re seeing reports of violent anti-Semitic assaults um damage and desecration of Jewish property I mean what have you seen people that you

Know um well all of the above everything you said unfortunately is true um I personally and curiously enough haven’t seen it on an everyday basis because the where I live in Maiden head has actually been an oasis of um of calm and that’s not an accent it’s because of the really

Good Interfaith relations we’ve established in the last 30 40 years but that’s not the story elsewhere in Britain and certainly there are places in London in Manchester where it’s really very upsetting where Jewish children particularly are frightened to go to school if they go to a Jewish Day

School because they’re going to be um shouted at or bullied on the bus or because there’s people outside the schools um holding placards or Screaming abuse again people taking out on Jewish children in Britain uh for what’s happening over uh the other side of the mediteran can I cut to the chase really

Glad to have you on um I I asked a question last hour and I’d love to ask it of you and I will say again cu no doubt certain people will go that’s not the right thing to say I think any form of racism is abhorent I understand what

You’re saying about what’s happening in terms of The Wider conflict and nobody wants to see what’s happening in in uh Gaza right now we are talking about anti-semitic crime on the streets of the United Kingdom amongst and for and against Jewish people what I don’t understand my friend is this why is

There not the level of abhorrence about anti-jewish sentiment as there is against anti- well racism against other races colors and Creeds I’ve never understood that maybe I’m missing the point but why are Jews an easier Target why are they not looked upon in the same way or those sorts of

Crimes or hatred or whatever that’s what I’ve never got can you try and explain that to me and help me out uh well unfortunately your spot on and it is inex inexplicable because it’s totally illogical I mean you are right anti-Semitism is a form of racism in

Fact it is racism it happens to be racism against people of Faith rather than people of color um uh and it is you know anybody who would say I’m Against Racism uh should not be anti-semitic because the two are absolutely the same unfortunately in the world we live in

Somehow it’s okay uh to be totally PC about gender um race color whatever but also you can be anti-semitic it’s it’s wrong it’s ridiculous it shouldn’t happen and and the point you make anti-Semitism is racism is just as abhorrent and should not be allowed um and yet somehow it seems to slip through

The net um and and Je seem to be a Target in a way that um anybody else uh would would would not would it would it be called out as totally wrong it’s a mystery to us frankly and to the victims of of it we really don’t understand why

And why people who are otherwise very liberal very woke um very PC it happens and they find themselves they’re very blinker I don’t see any of the PC World who quite rightly and I’ll say this I don’t see any of the people who are quite rightly underlined saying that the

Humanitarian crisis in Gaza is appalling what’s happening out there I don’t see any of those people jumping up and down saying what’s happening to British Jews in this country is wrong that’s just a personal opinion we have it but I want to ask you one further question if I can

Before we bring D in there is a condemnation an increasing condemnation across the world from from America from Cameron this morning we hear Australia New Zealand and other countries saying netu this is this is appalling there’s a a million displaced Palestinians in Gaza they’ve gone South now you’re going to

Bomb there can you give me your take on this anti-Semitism one side I accept that what’s your view on what’s going on out there Jonathan well you’re quite right to say they are one side and the other side they are totally unrelated and there are a lot of Jews who are also

Equally appalled by what’s happening in Gaza I mean Palestinian suffering is human suffering is equally unacceptable and and it’s not just me there are other rabbis other Jews in fact Israelis themselves and remember netanyahu’s government was fiercely opposed by 50% of the Israeli electorate when he at the

Time um Israel is not a United uh Nation when they United against Hamas United against what happened against on October the 7th but there are a lot of Jews a lot of Israelis who are really very very upset about what’s happening in Gaza we don’t think it’s right we don’t think

It’s a long-term solution and we want to find a more diplomatic Way Forward there’s no doubt about that um and but and here’s the important point it’s quite legitimate to be against the policies of the Israeli government be against um what Netanyahu is doing and yet yet um you can still support the

State of Israel support Jewish people and certainly not be anti-semitic or or attack Jews here in Britain thank you of course listening to that is D Babu former met Chief superintendent D um why is it that we have an incident like on the 7th of October and then particularly

For the Jewish Community they are then more at risk of things like damage to their property violent assaults yeah I it’san shocking and and I think there’s not a single word I would disagree with what John uh Dr Jonathan has said said yeah uh I think we need we need to very

Very be very very clear we don’t need to conflate being Jewish with the Israel State uh and I think lots of people will be concerned about what Israel are doing in Gaza but that’s very very different from treating somebody who’s Jewish and holding them responsible so I think we

Need to be very very clear and anti-Semitism is racism you know we should be very very clear why do you think D and and I’m really glad you said that and it’s one of those subjects we were talking about it yesterday w’t we Ros you well we can’t talk about that

Why do you think that anti-Semitism which you accept is R jism Jonathan does all of us do is not I don’t know the Right Way D to put this is not on the same level does not upset those who apparently get upset quite rightly by those things for all the people who

Absolutely understand that racism is wrong why do the PC bade seemingly not think that anti-Semitism is equally abhorent I don’t get it I mean I don’t know the reason but I think what happens is People conflate Israel yeah with Judaism and I think that i’ I’ve

Got Friends uh who who had children in Israel who were very very worried about what was happening on October the 7th they didn’t know couldn’t get hold of their children so and extremely worried um so I think we need to understand that there are many many Jewish people who

Are equally concerned as as Muslim people as Christian people about what’s happening in Gaza uh what what we do have is almost without exception in fact there are no exceptions whenever there’s a a conflict in the Middle East we have a rise in anti-Semitism actually we also

Have a rise in anti-muslim crime as well so so what we need to be doing is ensure that people understand there is a clear distinction between Israel and The Wider Jewish community and The Wider Jewish Community some will support Israel many people won’t many of my my friends won’t

Support them you said we need to I think we know there’s a clear distinction how do you reassure the Jewish Community from a policing perspective which is obviously why you’re here and that they will be looked after and and not feel scared things like going to school or

You know not getting abused on the on the bus we’ve heard school children having an awful situation or not having their businesses you know graffitied or having thrown paint all over them um you’re dealing with the consequences but how do we deal with the cause well I think what’s happened is that there’s

Been across the whole of the country and I think this is where the the government have stepped forward in terms of Jewish buildings so synagogues uh Jewish schools they are working with local authorities and uh other partners to ensure that there are additional uh patrols to to protect those children so

There’s a lot it’s a very very comprehensive certainly when I was in the police we were Whenever there was a conflict we knew that there would be tensions and just listening to the rabbi there it’s very very clear the the Interfaith work that goes on is very

Very good to hear and and and I think that Interfaith work happens all the time across lots of different areas and I think we and the police have valuable role to play in facilitating that working with the different communities and I think um I think what the rabbi

Said there was that we have very very good Interfaith relationships if you don’t have those then then sometimes that whole situation can be much worse quick question before you go could the police be stronger on anti-Semitism in in the communities well Jeremy we’ve had this conversation many times there’s

Been a massive reduction in placing a quarter of all the police of less than 5 years experience if we had more police would it make a difference I think the police would be able to do things more effectively if there was more resources I know resources a very very easy

Subject to bring up but it’s the inexperience coupled with the lack of resources thank you D thank you very much