Jews in Britain are suffering from levels of antisemitism not
known since the Holocaust, according to United Kingdom Chief
Rabbi Dr. Jonathan Sacks. Also, a report just published by
the Community Security Trust, an organization dedicated to
Jewish security issues, found that antisemitism has risen
sharply in the past two years.
In a "cry of warning" on behalf of the Jewish community, Dr.
Sacks urged swift action to prevent a descent into, "violence
and bloodshed."
A worrying trend of antisemitic incidents can be seen in the
UK since September 2000, according to the Community Security
Trust. Although the number of incidents last year actually
declined from the year before, the Trust sees the totals as
part of an upward trend that began with the start of the
Palestinian intifada in September 2000.
Dr. Sacks implicitly called on the Government to do more to
protect British Jews and was harshly critical of the
political Left, including sections of the national media, for
publishing articles, "calling into question Israel's right to
exist."
Dr. Sacks said that the antisemitic actions of some extremist
Islamic groups had gone unchallenged by many sections of
mainstream British society. He said the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict was being used as a platform for open displays of
hatred directed against all Jews. He pointed to an increasing
number of attacks on synagogues and to virulent anti-Israeli
campaigns on some English university campuses.
Naming The Guardian, The Independent and the New
Statesman, Dr Sacks also said that the The
Independent and the New Statesman websites had
become a focus for antisemitic discussion.
The Chief Rabbi noted that Jewish students at Manchester
University claim to have been spat on and labeled "Nazis" and
"baby butchers" during a bitter dispute over attempts by the
university's Islamic Society to have Israel declared an
apartheid state by their Student Union.
Dr. Sacks claimed that until recently he had never
experienced antisemitism, and he said that its return to
Britain and other parts of Europe was a tragedy. "I never
thought this would happen to my children or to their
contemporaries," he said. "The fact that I have chosen to
speak indicates the depth of my concern. We know from all of
history that words turn into deeds, prejudice turns into
violence and eventually violence turns into bloodshed.
The Chief Rabbi said that it was essential to distinguish
between legitimate criticism of the actions of the Israeli
Government and comments which cross the boundary into hate
and then to demonization.
"The ability to accept criticism is essential to a democracy
and Israel is a democracy. You cannot deny people the right
to criticize any nation-state. But what we are seeing goes
way beyond that to become an attack on Jews, not just on the
state of Israel. I certainly believe that denial of Israel's
right to exist crosses the boundary."
Dr. Sacks said it was because he and most British Jews loved
their country and its reputation for tolerance that they were
very concerned that more has not been said by public figures
to make clear that certain things are really unacceptable.
The 310 incidents that the Community Security Trust recorded
in 2001 included attacks on "visibly" Jewish members of the
chareidi community and the ripping of mezuzahs from
the doorposts of homes. In 2000, the Trust recorded 405 such
incidents against the community, up from 270 in 1999.
Tensions between Jews and Muslims in Britain rose following
the Sept. 11 attacks. But Michael Whine, a spokesman for the
Trust, said the trend dates back to the beginning of the
intifada, when the violence between Israel and the
Palestinians spilled over into the United Kingdom.
Violent incidents against Jews "always increase or decrease
as a result of events in the Middle East," he said.
"In order to deal with such incidents, the Jewish community
has instituted security measures that are proving very
effective," Whine said.
The largest number of antisemitic attacks last year in
Britain took place in September. According to the report,
this was largely because "there was a widely held belief
within Islamist circles that Israel had carried out" the
Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon.
The report also found another source for the large number of
antisemitic incidents, the British far right.
The British National Party, which advocates repatriation of
all "non-whites" and maintains a staunchly antisemitic
ideology, had its best showing in years in the general
election of June 2001, though not enough to win any seats in
Parliament.
Although right-wing groups like the British National Party
have not played much of a role in Parliament, British Jews
nonetheless are concerned about their influence.
Concerned about Islamic antisemitism, Parliament member
Andrew Dismore has focused his sights on three clerics. His
constituency in the borough of Hendon, in northern London, is
home to a sizeable Jewish and Asian population.
Concerns surrounding the three Islamic clerics and their
distribution of what Dismore calls antisemitic material have
prompted him to send an open letter to Home Secretary David
Blunkett.
Dismore, who is himself not Jewish, wants authorities to pay
closer attention to three figures: Abu Hamza, the imam of a
mosque in northern London; Omar Bakri Mohammed, leader of the
radical Muhajiroun movement; and Abdullah el-Faisal, whose
speeches are sold on cassette in Islamic bookshops in
London.
The Al-Muhajiroun group has received a large amount of
attention since Sept. 11 because of the outspoken views of
its leader.
