We are losing the struggle against #antisemitism
So what can we do better? One frequent misconception is that the problem we face is one of antisemites. Of course, there are such people, and some carry a violent threat – but in Britain they are a minority, as the important work of the Institute for Jewish Policy Research shows. Presented with eight antisemitic statements, just 0.1% of those surveyed agreed with all eight.
The problem is that antisemitism is a diffuse phenomenon. The same survey found that 30% of respondents agreed with at least one of the antisemitic statements. Antisemitism is part of the culture in which we all live and through which we make sense of the world. It is best conceived of as a reservoir of stereotypes and narratives, which accumulate over time, and from which people draw with ease, whether they intend to or not.
This is why we find antisemitism expressed from positions right across the political spectrum and across society. For the most part our problem is antisemitism, not antisemites. In order to combat antisemitism effectively a wide range of groups and individuals need to recognise how they are susceptible to it.
And this is one reason why the current focus on the Holocaust as a vehicle for antisemitism education should be reconsidered. Despite the effort that goes into Holocaust education, recent research by UCL’s Centre for Holocaust Education shows an alarming level of ignorance among students of what antisemitism is. We should not be surprised. There is a vast disjuncture between the Holocaust – the state-sanctioned murder of 6 million Jews – and the sort of everyday antisemitism experienced in Britain today. There are many excellent reasons to promote knowledge about the Holocaust and to foster the memory of its victims, but we must find better ways to educate about antisemitism.
Jews need allies as they combat antisemitism. Here the picture is mixed. Jewish communal organisations have been successful in securing support among the political class. This is good, but it is not enough. More needs to be done, and not only by Jews, to build bridges between the struggle against anti-Jewish racism and other anti-racist campaigns. The CST collaborates with Tell Mama, which addresses anti-Muslim hatred, and together, they produced a booklet for all victims of hate crime. Several Jewish organisations have shown principled support for refugees in the face of the government’s nationality and borders bill. These are initiatives to build on.
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The CST report states that the landscape of UK-based antisemitism in 2021 is “largely defined by responses to conflict in Israel and Palestine”. Support for Palestinians within the left, among non-Jewish minorities and in universities, too often runs alongside indifference to antisemitism, especially when the political class is seen to be quick to respond to anti-Jewish racism. Where it exists, there is an urgent need to challenge this damaging blindspot.
In this context, the preoccupation of the government and Jewish communal bodies with the IHRA working definition is counter-productive. The working definition has become tainted by its repeated abuse. Too often it is used to tarnish opinions that are deeply unwelcome to most Israel-supporting Jews, but which are not antisemitic. It leads many to argue that the IHRA working definition is more a device to protect Israel from criticism than a device to protect Jews from antisemitism.
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