Evening Standard View: Enough is enough — time to stand up against anti-Jewish hatred
It is the intensity that many people find disturbing. No other foreign conflict produces as great an emotional reaction as that between Israel and the Palestinians. Nor does any country other than Israel face calls for its destruction. We criticise the conduct of governments, not question the nation’s very existence. The standard applied to Israel is unique. Why?
Of course, antisemitism is often not so subtle. British Jews are being spat at and beaten up as they go about their days while schoolchildren are told to hide their blazers. Symbols of Judaism are being desecrated, even the Star of David necklace on the statue of Amy Winehouse in Camden wasn’t safe. It has percolated from the street to among neighbours — previously friendly WhatsApp groups have descended into a hostile environment for Jews.
And now, growing numbers of Jewish families are considering leaving London — fleeing, really — in the face of this rising tide of hostility and hatred. Some have already departed. If you are shocked, you’ve not been paying attention. A report last month by the Community Security Trust found there were 4,103 incidents of anti-Jewish hate in the UK last year, a 147 per cent rise on 2022. The peak occurred in the week after October 7, suggesting that for many it was a celebration of the Hamas massacre.
Attending a protest march calling for a ceasefire in Gaza or supporting the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people for statehood is not antisemitic. But racism directed at Jews living thousands of miles from Israel does not help a single Palestinian. Rather, it indicates that it is not injustice that the perpetrators oppose, but the existence of Jewish people anywhere.
Ask yourself: if you were a Jewish Londoner, would you wear something that would make you stand out as identifiably Jewish on the street? If not, if you would fear for your safety, then you must stand up. The police must do more to stamp out antisemitic chants and slogans on marches. The Government must back them.
The alternative is for the trickle of Jews leaving the capital to turn into a flood. And London will become just another European city throughout history that bade farewell to its Jewish population with a combination of glee and a shrug.
Bookworms rejoice
Central location, plenty to read, quiet environment — those searching for an Airbnb could do worse than St Paul’s Cathedral’s hidden library. For World Book Day and for one night only, two lucky guests will be able to sleep over, for the first time since the Second World War.
While there, why not walk down the hall and enjoy the recently restored 18th century Cathedral Library, containing 13,000 volumes of books, manuscripts and religious texts dating back to 1313? Dressing gown optional.
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