British contestant on Israeli reality TV programme says antisemitism made him leave the UK

A British contestant on an Israeli reality TV show has said that antisemitism forced him to leave the United Kingdom.

The singer, Josh Brennan, who was gaining an increasing following in the UK, and who has performed in venues across the country, appeared on the programme Rising Star.

Mr Brennan received overwhelming support from the judges and the audience, but revealed that he had moved to Israel due to an antisemitic incident he experienced on the streets of London.

Mr Brennan said that “someone walked past me while I was wearing a Magen David [Star of David] necklace. Someone shoves me, spits to my feet and says to me, ‘you and your family belong in the [gas] chambers.’”

In a video clip from the show, the viewer can hear both the judges and the audience gasp in shock when Mr Brennan tells his story.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s analysis of Home Office statistics shows that an average of over three hate crimes are directed at Jews every single day in England and Wales, with Jews more than four times likelier to be targets of hate crimes than any other faith group.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2021 showed that over two thirds of British Jews believe that the authorities, in general, are not doing enough to address and punish antisemitism.