Sinat Chinam

[Thomas]

Go to Google News. Search for London Antisemitism. Read a half dozen account of different incidents. Then ask yourself, "If I were a Jew, would I stay and allow my family to be threatened by this? My wife? My children?"

Like @iBrian, I jumped to the conclusion that you were following Musk, Trump, Farage et al who have been spouting all manner of nonsense and lies to anyone who will listen. I apologise for making that jump, but it was rather triggered by your "I see that you live in London. Yikes!!! Yes, you are right. Time to leave" comment.

And the question of staying or leaving – you'd have to ask Jewish residents.

Golders Green/Hendon is a concentrated Jewish community 5 miles SW of my home, 9 miles NW of Charing Cross (the point from which all distances from London are measured). According to wikipedia, Golders Green is the epicentre of the largest Jewish population in Europe. The Borough of Barnet, to which it, and I, belong, has the highest percentage Jewish population in any Borough of the UK.

Stamford Hill, 5 miles SE, is home to the largest Haredi and Hasidic community in Europe. In the Borough of Hackney, it's the second-largest Jewish population after Barnet.

I don't see either of those emptying out any time soon. Hertsmere is a satellite community NNW of me, in the outer-suburbs, very up-and-coming, and all growing communities.

The Jewish communities are well-embedded in London, the last influx from the 1900-1940s, driven by East European pogroms and the rise of fascism. Stamford Hill is far more isolationist and private – both have Shomrim community response outfits, with uniforms and patrol cars almost indistinguishable from the Metropolitan Police uniforms, and I frankly don't think a Muslim equivalent would be allowed ... I could be wrong.

There is also Hatzola North West (Golders Green) and Hatzola North (Stamford Hill), running ambulance services. Four HNW ambulances were firebombed in March this year, replaced by the UK ambulance service and public donation. It's generally believed the Islamic group claiming the attack are Iranian proxies, and Iran seems to be a main instigator of the more serious attacks.

 

[RabbiO]

The regrettable truth of the matter is this - If I google search antisemitic activity in any one of several cities, whether located in the USA, Europe or other parts of the globe, I will find reports indicating dramatic increases in antisemitic activities. My understanding in communicating with colleagues and those with relatives there, Canada has been struggling with such increased activity.

I have yet to see evidence that Jews are fleeing the US. I am not. But the anxiety and concern, even fear, is very real. I am not necessarily conflating anger against Israel with antisemitism, but the anger of many toward Israel has provided a cover to many others to act out their bigotry.

 

[IndigoChild5559]

Like @iBrian, I jumped to the conclusion that you were following Musk, Trump, Farage et al who have been spouting all manner of nonsense and lies to anyone who will listen.

Ah, I see. Well, I apologize for the confusion. Since I hate both Musk and Trump, I avoid listening to anything they have to say. I sometimes forget that others don't feel the same way, and I don't just mean MAGA folks, I mean those who follow the breadth of the news.

Believe it or not, although I do read the news, I also get a lot of my information from Jews around the world. I have Jewish friends everywhere from Tel Aviv to Toronto to Amsterdam. The Chabad Rabbi who comes and does hands on lessons with the kids in our school is best friends with the brother of the Chabad Rabbi who was shot and killed at Bondi Beach. I've emailed with a friend who was a member of Temple Israel in Michigan which you may recall was violently attacked last February, and texted with a friend in Tel Aviv as he sat in his bomb shelter listening to the explosions of Iranian bombs. There really aren't that many Jews in the world--it's always a case of knowing someone who knows someone who knows someone. And it DOES tend to give one a very different perspective than just hearing things on the news.

For whatever it's worth, you would be surprised who I correspond with regularly. For example, one of my dearest friends is a Palestinian in Lebanon. Boy, she can tell a story or two.

I apologise for making that jump, but it was rather triggered by your "I see that you live in London. Yikes!!! Yes, you are right. Time to leave" comment.

Forgive me for my mistake. I assumed you were Jewish since it's the Judaism forum.

And the question of staying or leaving – you'd have to ask Jewish residents.

Yes. And I do.

I don't see either of those emptying out any time soon. Hertsmere is a satellite community NNW of me, in the outer-suburbs, very up-and-coming, and all growing communities.

Emptying? No, not yet. The exit is in its early stages. And remember that just as in the 1930s, there will be many Jews who simply live in denial, and stay too long, and then are trapped.

There is also Hatzola North West (Golders Green) and Hatzola North (Stamford Hill), running ambulance services. Four HNW ambulances were firebombed in March this year, replaced by the UK ambulance service and public donation. It's generally believed the Islamic group claiming the attack are Iranian proxies, and Iran seems to be a main instigator of the more serious attacks.

Yes, this was one of the most disturbing attacks. I mean, who the hell firebombs ambulances? Okay, yeah that's a dumb question--we do know who.

And yes, I think you hit the nail on the head about who is behind all this. It is believed that Iran and Qatar are the two entities driving most of this, generating the propaganda, and funding extremism around the world. I'm sure you remember the incident when University Presidents were asked if calling for the genocide of Jews violates university rules, and they could only answer, "It depends on the context." It is believed that their philosophy is shaped in part by the estimated 4-6 billion dollars donated by Qatar to universities since 1980.

And I know that this may seem off topic, but China can't be ignored. China is aggressively trying to take over the US with non-military tactics, and part of its strategy is its financial support of Iran and its cooperative alliance with Qatar. Iran in particular is economically dependent on Chinese aid. I don't think China is supporting Iran out of the goodness of its heart, nor is China interested in the establishment of a world Caliphate. Rather, I think China simply sees Iran as its weapon.

Russia gives support as well, but for very different reasons.

 

[IndigoChild5559]

The regrettable truth of the matter is this - If I google search antisemitic activity in any one of several cities, whether located in the USA, Europe or other parts of the globe, I will find reports indicating dramatic increases in antisemitic activities. My understanding in communicating with colleagues and those with relatives there, Canada has been struggling with such increased activity.

I agree about Canada. I especially seem to be getting a lot of stories out of Toronto. Apparently the odds of being violently assaulted by uber and lyft drivers has necessitated the creation of Jewride. I'm not sure if the non-Jewish world really sits down and considers how awful that indicates things are. And wasn't it Toronto where three different synagogues were attacked with gunfire all in the same week?

I have yet to see evidence that Jews are fleeing the US. I am not. But the anxiety and concern, even fear, is very real. I am not necessarily conflating anger against Israel with antisemitism, but the anger of many toward Israel has provided a cover to many others to act out their bigotry.

I'm certainly nowhere's near leaving, although I'm the sort of person to look WAY ahead and prepare for all possible futures. I'm already looking at Karmiel as a possibility should things take a turn for the worse here.

Rather than leaving, my present focus is on resistance, which in my mind means drawing the Jewish people together so that we can deal with things in a unified manner. What I found after contacting all the synagogues in my area, the ADL, the Jewish Federation, and other entities is that everyone seems to have good physical security as a precaution against violent synagogue attacks.

What is lacking is the emotional support. There is no synagogue that has any plan to inform its congregants of the growing threat, or to prepare them how to handle antisemitic incidents or antisemitic crimes should they occur outside the synagogue. Plans how to help a congregant who is the victim of antisemitism are sketchy, though some places have better plans than others.

My research is not just going to be presented to the board of my own Temple, but all the Rabbis (all denominations) in the area meet periodically and it will be addressed there as well.

I'm sure you've heard about Chabad's "Born to be a Yid" billboard strategy--the Chabad Rabbis I know around here believe that increasing yiddishkeit is the best way to emotionally fortify Jews against hate, and I concur. I want to see all the synagogues get behind this.

Finally, I've been working closely with our assistant rabbi to have this addressed at our area's Interfaith Council--while Jews are getting a phenomenally disproportionate hits from hate crimes, these incidents are increasing among all religious groups. I'm sure you remember the San Diego attack on the Mosque.

As to the swastika crap that I've had to put up with at my apartment complex, I expect ADL's response in the next couple weeks. And now that Rabbi is back from sabbatical, she is just all over this. She asked me how I felt and I said I wanted to take it to the wall. If they don't renew my lease, oh freaking well. She's already emailed the office, the management company, and the owners. I think the pressure will force the complex to put up cameras. Come on. $200? What is the problem? When this small stuff is normalized, it always leads to worse stuff. I'm not letting this slide. The neo-Nazis living here don't know who they have messed with.

I don't take intimidation very well, do I?

 

[TheLightWithin]

Forgive me for my mistake. I assumed you were Jewish since it's the Judaism forum.

No, everyone responds to posts placed on all subforums.

 

[RabbiO]

@IndigoChild5559 -

While this forum requires that posters filing within a specific religion’s subforum be respectful of said religion - there being other places on the forum to be a bit more contentious - it does not limit filing to those who identify as Jews.

 

[Thomas]

I jumped to the conclusion ... I apologise for making that jump ...

Ah, I see. Well, I apologize for the confusion...

That's cleared that up, then!

We've managed that bump in the road in a quite civilised fashion. Should be plain sailing from now on (if you'll excuse the mixed metaphors) ... now if everyone else would just follow our example ...

Emptying? No, not yet. The exit is in its early stages. And remember that just as in the 1930s, there will be many Jews who simply live in denial, and stay too long, and then are trapped.

It is my hope that we get this sorted before that's necessary.

Yes, this was one of the most disturbing attacks. I mean, who the hell firebombs ambulances? Okay, yeah that's a dumb question--we do know who.

Yes we do ... Iranian troublemakers and British stupids.

You do realise we have a local election at the moment, which was supposed to be a two-horse race between a Right Wing anti-everyone-who's-not-like-me candidate, and 'Count Binface' (a pedal bin)? (It's a British sense-of-humour thing.)

+++

Mind you, we Brits have a poor grasp of democracy.

In 2016 there was an online poll to name a £200 million polar scientific research ship being constructed in the Cammell Laird shipyard in Birkenhead for the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC).

The naming was put to the public, and there was a vote, and the winner, by a clear margin was ... (drumroll) ... "Boaty McBoatface".

The people spoke, and were promptly ignored. The boat was named Sir David Attenborough instead – and he came 5th in the poll, out-voted by Boaty by a margin of 10-to-1!

The Govt. described it an "eloquent compromise", and in a classic piece of spin, said "The controversy over the naming of a new polar research vessel was an astoundingly good outcome for public interest in science".

 

[IndigoChild5559]

We've managed that bump in the road in a quite civilised fashion. Should be plain sailing from now on (if you'll excuse the mixed metaphors) ... now if everyone else would just follow our example ...

LOL! [Pats self on back and gives Thomas a thumbs up.]

naming was put to the public, and there was a vote, and the winner, by a clear margin was ... (drumroll) ... "Boaty McBoatface".

ROFL That is SO funny that I almost wish you guys did.