Holocaust survivor families oppose exaggeration of UK antisemitism crisis

Mark Etkind writes: The just-published letter (referred to here) signed by religious leaders opposing antisemitism makes some good points - especially the message to 'our Jewish brothers and sisters. This country belongs to you as much as any of us.'

But claims that 'the spectre of Jewish people being stabbed at random in the street, killed defending their synagogues and Jewish infrastructure being firebombed feel like a nightmare from another time' is a complete misrepresentation of what has been happening recently in the UK.

As a son of a Jewish father who spent five years in the Lodz Ghetto and various concentration camps - and whose entire family was exterminated along with 11 million others in the Nazi extermination program - to compare the recent horrible, but relatively minor, attacks on the Jewish community to the 'nightmare from another time' serves only to create a panic around an 'antisemitism crisis' that is largely an invention by cynical politicians.

Most serious research shows the level of antisemitism in the UK to be far less than it was in previous decades. It's also quite clear that - although they do have antisemitic elements - the recent attacks have been mainly motivated by anger against Israel's wars in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran. If the UK Government led others in boycotting Israel, then not only would that discourage Israel from continuing these wars, but domestic antisemitic incidents would also be reduced.

Instead, rather than trying to reduce such incidents - and trying to calm the international situation by opposing Western intervention in the Middle East - Starmer's Government has been backing Israel even while it has been committing a genocide in Gaza. This has set a terrifying precedent for ignoring international law and will only encourage others to commit similar crimes in the future. It is this which deserves comparison to the millions killed in World War Two, especially when wars with Russia and Iran might well spiral into a nuclear war.

Many British Jews see things in a similar way, including Holocaust survivors and their descendants. Please get back to me if you wish to interview them.

We will not be at today's Downing Street 'Standing Strong' rally which has invited the openly antisemitic Nigel Farage but not invited the Jewish leader of the Greens, Zack Polanski!

But we will be marching next Saturday, 16 May, against war and genocide at the Nakba Demo. Come and speak to us there from 11.30am, Exhibition Road SW7 2DP

Thanks,

Mark Etkind is the son of a survivor of the Lodz Ghetto and various concentration camps including Buchenwald - and co-organiser of Holocaust survivors and descendants against the Gaza genocide.