Do British Jews believe that they have a future?
Today is Holocaust Memorial Day, but as we reflect on historic antisemitism, as a society we also have to ask ourselves: why are we doing so little about antisemitism right here, right now?
The truth is that Britain and the authorities are failing the Jewish community.
New polling of the Jewish community that we have published today bears this out.
Being Jewish in Britain
- Only one-third (34%) of British Jews believe that Jews have a long-term future in the UK.
- Half of the Jewish community has considered leaving Britain in the past two years due to antisemitism. Among 18-24-year-olds, it is two-thirds (67%). The main reason is the surge in antisemitism since 7th October 2023, cited by 76% of respondents.
- Less than half of British Jews (43%) feel welcome in the UK. Almost half of 18-24-year-old Jews (47%), conversely, do not feel welcome.
- A majority of British Jews (58%) hide their Judaism due to antisemitism.
Extremism
- British Jews consider Islamists to be the most serious threat (95%) compared to the far-right (67%) and the far-left (91%).
- More than nine in ten British Jews do not believe that the authorities do enough to protect the Jewish community from Islamists.
Policing and prosecutions
- Less than one-tenth of British Jews believe that the authorities are doing enough to address and punish antisemitism; 84% believe that they are not.
- In Scotland, nearly one-fifth of Jews would not bother reporting an antisemitic hate crime to the police, with almost two-thirds not confident that it would be prosecuted.
- Only 16% of British Jews are confident that if they reported an antisemitic crime, it would be prosecuted if there was strong enough evidence. Conversely, 62% are not confident, rising to 64% in London – the highest level geographically.
- An alarming eight in ten British Jews think that the police do not do enough to protect them.
- A minuscule ten percent of British Jews think that the CPS does enough to protect them, and only 13% think that of the courts.
- Three-quarters of British Jews are dissatisfied with how their local police force has been policing anti-Israel marches in their local cities. Only one-tenth are satisfied.
- Just 5% of British Jews have confidence in Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley, and six in ten believe that he should not be in post.
Politics
- The vast majority – 85% – of British Jews are dissatisfied with London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s performance in relation to the Jewish community since 7th October 2023. Fewer than one in ten (9%) are satisfied.
- Regarding Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, one-third of British Jews are dissatisfied with his performance in relation to the Jewish community, while only 12% are satisfied. In Northern England the satisfaction is higher at 30%, but still less than one-third; dissatisfaction is also higher, at almost half (49%).
- Nearly three-quarters – 72% – of British Jews think that the Green Party is too tolerant of antisemitism among their MPs, MEPs, councillors, members and supporters. This is closely followed by the Labour Party with 71%. This is the highest figure ever recorded for the Greens, and it is the first time that another party has overtaken Labour in our polling. For their first time, a third party has also crossed the majority threshold: the SNP, at 52%.
- The figures for the other parties are 42% for Sinn Féin; 40% for the Liberal Democrats; 26% for Plaid Cymru; 22% for the Conservatives; 22% for UKIP; 21% for the Democratic Unionist Party; and 19% for the Reform Party.
- 72% of Scottish Jews feel that the Scottish National Party is too tolerant of antisemitism.
Arts and Media
- 92% of British Jews think that media bias against Israel fuels persecution of Jews in Britain.
- Among broadcasters, the BBC scored the worst in terms of its coverage of matters of Jewish interest, with 92% of British Jews rating its coverage as unfavourable.
- Among newspapers, The Guardian scored the worst on the same metric, with nearly seven in ten – 69% – of British Jews describing its coverage as unfavourable.
- More than four-fifths (84%) of British Jews agree that boycotts of Israeli artists, academics or businesses selling Israeli products constitute intimidation. This finding is particularly pertinent given the incidence of boycotts over the past year.
Proscriptions
- Nearly all British Jews – a resounding 98% – back our calls to proscribe all groups that were involved in the 7th October 2023 attack in Israel under terrorism legislation.
- 94% of British Jews back our calls to proscribe the Houthis and 93% to proscribe the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The latter was promised by the Government prior to the General Election but has not been delivered.
- More than four-fifths (85%) of British Jews think that the British Government should proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist group.
Universities and education
- Only 3% of British Jews are confident that if a Jewish student reported an antisemitic incident on campus, the university’s administration would take appropriate action. Among young Jews it is 6%.
- 90% of young British Jews blame students for the increase in reported antisemitic incidents on UK campuses.
- Nine in ten British Jews said that if anybody in their family were choosing a university, antisemitism would be a factor in their choice.
- Nearly nine in ten – 88% – British Jews said that if anybody in their family were choosing a school, antisemitism would be a factor in their choice.
Rhetoric
- 95% of British Jews consider the chant ‘From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free’ to be an antisemitic call to destroy the Jewish state. Only 2% do not.
- A minuscule 2% of British Jews consider the fiercely anti-Zionist Neturei Karta sect to be representative of their views on Israel.
Representation
- 86% of British Jews believe that Campaign Against Antisemitism is representative of their views on antisemitism. More than half strongly believe that.
Full results of the survey can be accessed here and the methodology here.
These figures paint a sobering picture of the lives of British Jews and their future.
British Jews have lost trust in the criminal justice system in general, which they do not feel is protecting them, and in the Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley in particular, after he has presided over the worst surge in antisemitism in living memory, opting for excuses over action and gaslighting those who call him out.
From politics to the BBC to universities, the Jewish community sees betrayal across our civil and cultural institutions.
The cumulative result is that less than half of British Jews feel welcome in the UK. Antisemitism has become our nation’s great shame, and time is running out.
Never again is now
Holocaust Memorial Day is supposed to be an occasion to remember the victims of Nazi antisemitism and rededicate ourselves, as a society, to the fight against Jew-hate.
Despite this, many of us began the day with ITV’s Good Morning Britain’s shocking omission of Jews from the statement: “Six million people were killed in concentration camps during the Second World War, as well as millions of others because they were Polish, disabled, gay, or belonged to another ethnic group.”
This dire reporting is not only factually incorrect but erases Jews from a genocide in which six million Jewish men, women and children were slaughtered specifically because they were Jews.
If this is intended to pay respect to the victims of Holocaust Memorial Day, it has failed abysmally and ignores the true nature of this horrific event.
Not only is antisemitism at startlingly high levels right now, but Holocaust Memorial Day in particular has become yet another front in the war against the Jews and the slander of the Jewish state.
The moral inversion – whereby the Jews, who were victims of genocide, are now falsely portrayed as perpetrators of genocide – is thoroughly underway.
It is not for naught that the International (IHRA) Definition of Antisemitism lists “Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis” as an example of antisemitism.
Over the past week, we have sought to counter this insidious narrative in the media, online and on our streets, and this campaign will continue over the coming days. We have also been involved in events in London and Manchester.
You can read our Chief Executive Gideon Falter’s comment piece in the Daily Express on why ‘Never again’ is now here.
We also went out in London to ask people if they would take some time out of their day to learn about some of the victims of the Holocaust and light a candle in honour of their memory. You can watch the full video here.
Fallout from last week’s anti-Israel protest continues
We have posted more video footage from last week’s anti-Israel protest, where participants allegedly tried to march in breach of modest restrictions imposed by the Met Police.
With signage and rhetoric like this, is it any wonder why British Jews stay away from city centres when these demonstrations are taking place?
We are particularly interested in any information in relation to the man in this footage.
If you have any information, please e-mail us in confidence at [email protected].
Furthermore, we caught footage of a man who appeared to be a steward at the event wearing a high-vis jacket with the phrase “We don’t hate Jews.” Some might say they doth protest too much.
Jeremy Corbyn MP, who was interviewed by police under caution, complained online that the Met’s description of events was not accurate at all, and that he “was part of a delegation of speakers, who wished to peacefully carry and lay flowers in memory of children in Gaza who had been killed. This was facilitated by the police. We did not force our way through.”
In response, we released further footage showing his own brother, Piers, telling the police “We’re not here to make things easier for you.”
Piers Corbyn has been arrested and charged in relation to his conduct that day.
Then, on Wednesday, demonstrators rallied outside Scotland Yard to protest against the Met Police’s imposition of restrictions on last weekend’s march and its enforcement of those conditions.
One shouted through a megaphone, about the police: “Like obedient sheep, you obey Israel.”
We have a considerable amount of footage from last week’s anti-Israel protes, including of the organisers, and we have offered our assistance to the police in this matter.
Let Your Star Shine!
Thank you to everyone who has been participating in our “Let Your Star Shine” campaign by sending us your selfies with your beautiful Stars of David!
You may recall that last week we released a video featuring numerous Jewish influencers promoting together with us a campaign to encourage Jewish people to honour the memory of Holocaust victims by proudly displaying their Stars of David.
The video has gone viral, so much so that Google’s AI even signposts it to searchers.
The result is that we have people from all over the world taking part by sending us selfies, from the UK to the US, Mexico, Argentina and beyond. Keep them coming!
If you would like to take part, send your selfies to [email protected] with the subject line: “Let Your Star Shine”.
Do you live in or regularly pass through Swiss Cottage?
For those who live near or pass by Swiss Cottage, the police are asking for the views of the Jewish community on the impact of the weekly protests on Fridays between 17:30 and 18:30 at the end of Eton Avenue next to Swiss Cottage Station.
They are finally considering instructing that it be moved.
Please consider e-mailing [email protected], including thinking about the following questions which might be helpful.
(Please do not copy and paste the questions – please compose an e-mail that incorporates your thoughts on them instead.)
- Are you a local resident/Jewish Londoner?
- Does the protest cause serious disruption; fear and concern; fear and intimidation; unacceptable disruption; distress and alarm; or harassment?
- Have there been antisemitic signs, slogans or speeches?
- Does the protest create a hostile/intimidating environment particularly on Shabbat, a Jewish holy day?
- How does it make you feel on your way to synagogue/Swiss Cottage Underground Station?
- How does it make you feel when walking to see family/friends for Shabbat dinner?
- Have you had to change your usual route to/from somewhere?
- Have you found it very noisy/disruptive?
- What impact do you think this has on communal tensions?
We are aware of the impact that these protests are having on locals and wished to bring this consultation to wider attention.
In footage from last Friday at Swiss Cottage, a man can be seen shouting: “Don’t think because you are a Jew you are better than the whole world. You are the scum of the world.” In the video, a Met officer appears to witness this shocking interaction but take no action.
If you were involved in this incident and wish to speak with us, please e-mail [email protected].
This Holocaust Memorial Day, we are faced with the challenge of commemorating historic antisemitism while confronting the scourge of anti-Jewish racism in our own time.
The scale may be different, but it is the same ancient hatred.
It is difficult to believe that the world has learned anything.
But now we have tools to fight back, and at Campaign Against Antisemitism today we are rededicating ourselves to continue to lead that fight for a better future for British Jews.