For many in the Jewish community, this election is about antisemitism

All elections are about a range of issues, but with the surge in antisemitism since the Hamas attack last October, for so many Jews and our allies, so much of this General Election is also about that.

With the surprise calling of a snap election, in the midst of this global rise in antisemitism, CAA has sprung into action.

We have exposed candidates from across political parties – with some stories making the front pages of national newspapers – and there will be more to come this week.

We are also urging all Parliamentary candidates to sign up to our pledge to adopt and abide by the International (IHRA) Definition of Antisemitism, and to encourage and promote its widespread adoption and implementation, unamended and in its entirety, to the exclusion of any other definition or modifying document.

With the polls showing likely changes in the size of the party representation in the House of Commons and so many incumbents stepping down, we are likely to see a vast number of new MPs in July. It is vital that we engage as many of them as possible, educate them about antisemitism and win their commitment to the Definition.

Scores of candidates from across the political spectrum have signed the pledge so far.

Please encourage your local candidates to sign the pledge by inviting them to e-mail us at [email protected].

We are also looking closely at the parties’ manifestos in relation to antisemitism, and will have more to say in the coming days, but you can put your questions directly to party representatives at our antisemitism hustings in London tomorrow evening.

Hustings on antisemitism tomorrow: Have you booked your place?

We have organised an urgent hustings, where, for the first time, candidates from the major national political parties will participate in an open event focusing exclusively on the fight against antisemitism.

Join us for an evening with the Conservatives’ Security Minister, Tom Tugendhat; Labour’s Shadow Policing Minister, Alex Norris; the Liberal Democrats’ Lords Foreign Affairs Lead, Lord Purvis; and Deputy Leader of Reform UK, Ben Habib.

The hustings is taking place at a venue in North London tomorrow evening – Monday, 24th June – so please book your place now.

For more information, please visit antisemitism.org/hustings.

Victims of antisemitism speak out

As part of our work making the voices of British Jews heard, our unique series of powerful testimonials by members of the Jewish community and allies continues, detailing how they have been affected by the events of the past several months.

Previously, we have shared testimonials from:

• Lysa, who revealed the precautions that she feels that she must take to maintain her safety as a Jew in Britain.
• Anatole, a Jewish student at Leeds University, who, like so many other students, does not feel safe right now.
• Sarah (not her real name), who told us that when she and her friends went out one evening to put up posters of hostages taken by Hamas, they were assaulted, and she now fears for her safety.
• Josh, who recounted how the screening of his film about two gay Jews at an LGBTQ+ support group was cancelled, leaving him questioning where he fits in as a gay Jewish man.
• Farhad, who, though not Jewish, is horrified by what is happening on our streets, and believes people should speak up when they see antisemitism occurring.

We have now published our final three testimonials.

The anti-Israel marches in London have forced Jessica* and her family to alter the way they live. It is the same for many British Jews.

She describes in her testimonial how there is a sense of “doom” when the marches take place.

Jessica and her family are not alone. A staggering 90% of British Jews say that they would avoid travelling to a city centre if a major anti-Israel demonstration was taking place there. Our urban centres have become no-go zones for Jews.

*For security reasons, we have changed the name of the interviewee.

When Liahav and other Jewish audience members were hounded out of a comedy show, Campaign Against Antisemitism immediately investigated the situation to ensure that the comedian was held to account.

As a result of our efforts, the comedian has been banned from the Soho Theatre in London, and was also recently disinvited from the Glastonbury Festival.

No one should have to endure the events described in this testimonial.

In the final instalment of our testimonial series, Simon recalls the night when he was told by a fellow London Underground passenger that he “kills Muslims” because he is Jewish.

More than six in ten British Jews say that they have either personally experienced or witnessed an antisemitic incident since 7th October or know somebody who has.

As our eight-part testimonial series has shown, there are faces with stories behind the statistics. Racism against Jews is only getting worse in Britain, and we won’t stay quiet about it.

We would like to sincerely thank everyone who agreed to be interviewed for this project. Their stories are being used to educate and spread awareness of the current situation for Jews in Britain.

Fight for our Future

This week, Campaign Against Antisemitism will be running a crowdfunding campaign, to give you the chance to join us in the fight for our future. We will be trying to raise the funds that we need to continue bringing cases, exposing political parties, assisting victims, exposing hate on the marches, supporting students on campus, holding the media to account, putting antisemitism on the front pages and giving a voice to the Jewish community and our allies.

Please consider making a donation when the campaign goes live on Wednesday morning.

If you would like to help by becoming a Team Leader and spending just a few minutes this week encouraging your family and friends to support Campaign Against Antisemitism, or you would like more information, please e-mail us at [email protected].

No previous experience is necessary, and we will provide all the resources and instructions that you need.

If you can’t wait to support us and want to make a donation now, you can do so by clicking here! But you may wish to wait, because during the crowdfunder your donation will be matched.

Maccabi Fun Run

Campaign Against Antisemitism was proud to join organisations from across the Jewish community at the Maccabi Fun Run this weekend.

Thank you to everyone who visited our stall for such a positive reception!

With election day fast approaching, we are proud to have arranged the first-ever hustings focusing exclusively on antisemitism, featuring senior representatives from the major national political parties.

This will be your opportunity to ask them about what they propose to do to defend the Jewish community during this unprecedented surge in antisemitism. Tickets are going fast, so be sure to reserve your place.

We hope that you will join us!