Jews and racism

durhamjen
You don't believe these facts but you do believe the Guardian when it claims that 1,000s of academics, Doctors, nurses are leaving the uk over brexit. Selective reading me thinks.

There is too much data in the survey to make instant comments on sensibly. The thing that does stand out is that a lot of Jewish people are unhappy, and that more of them are unhappy at the Labour Party's record than at anyt other party.

From the unweighted sample of 1857 in the 2017 survey (I can't copy the table formated accurately with different ages etc,, to see this bit you will have to download the survey and look at page 75) but to paraphrase it:-

"DO YOU FEEL THAT ANY POLITICAL PARTIES ARE TOO TOLERANT OF ANTISEMITISM AMONG THEIR MPS, MEMBERS AND SUPPORTERS?

Labour Party 87%
Conservative Party (Tories) 12%
Liberal Democrat Party 35%
UK Independence Party (UKIP) 43%
Green Party 48%
Scottish National Party (SNP) 39%
None of the above 2%
Don’t know 4%"

The problem once again comes down to the definition of anti-semitism and if it is anti-semetic to oppose the actions of Israel . Many members of the Labour Party and many Labour voters find the treatment of the Palestinian people unacceptable and have said so very loudly. It is a very narrow line and no doubt some Jewish people will feel some Labour supporters have crossed it. However it doesn't mean they have any antagonism towards Jewish people just to the policies which have seen people suffering.

I'm not surprised about the reported complaints from Jews about antisemitism in the Labour Party. A lot of it is because Corbyn supports the Palestinians. Most liberal Jews do see both sides, but not the ultra-orthodox.
OTOH one of the main spokesmen for the N. London Jewish Community is a staunch member of the Labour Party.
I'll try to dig out the figure from an organisation which records the numbers of antisemitic attacks - verbal and physical.

Jen, check the O/P, it starts with IN THE NEWS THIS MORNING .

I don't read the red tops or the daily mail, but I would read one of them before voxpox

ps many Jews are also scared by the increasing number of terrorists attacks from Isis etc in the UK and other parts of Europe. On the whole orthodox Jews oppose violence, not like some of their brethren in Israel, the Sabra types.
As MissAdventure says, some communities in the UK are flourishing, TG, as we heard from some visitors from the Gateshead Jewish community last week.

Thank you Elegran for your posts, I could only post what was said in BBC news this morning,

Thank you, Annie.
I'll try and remember that IN THE NEWS THIS MORNING means on the BBC.

Good idea Jen, hope you succeed

I understand why some are denying the news report, Baroness Shami said it wasn't true!

Here's the report I referred to earlier:
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/anti-semitic-hate-crime-attacks-british-jews-assaults-uk-incidents-record-high-cst-research-a7861721.html

Thank you TriciaF, just seeing the brick makes one shudder

The CAA report on their own website says that antisemitism is falling.

antisemitism.uk/caa-research-shows-that-antisemitism-is-falling-but-1-in-3-british-jews-has-considered-emigrating-with-concern-mounting-over-antisemitic-crime-and-antisemitism-in-politics/

I have no idea of how the Jewish community might be feeling but I really hope that what this report is saying is not the true picture. Before the war there were large groups of Jewish people living in London and following various trades. My mother knew a number of Jewish people and indeed worked with and for a number of them. She only had good to say of them.
The U.K. a took in a lot of persecuted Jews in the war and rescued children - if it is true that they now feel unwanted and need to leave that is a great shame and does the UK no favours as a tolerant nation.
I read those posted references about the surveys but could not really make head nor tail of them!

Welshwife There are a lot of sections to the survey, and it has been broken down into so many different comparisons that it really needs a professional statistician to analyse it and explain the detail.

The Labour Party has a lot to do to convince Jewish people that their interests would be safe in their hands, if ever they come to power.Those figures are staggering, 87% !

Agreed trisher, I am not defending Corbyn or the Labour party here, but to my mind there is a big difference between hating what Israel is doing to Palestine, and being anti-semitic, as the groups of Jewish Israelis who protest against these acts would indicate. I hate what Israel is doing, but that does not make me hate every Jewish person.

If you want the most reasoned argument about anti-semitism, Israel and Jewish identity I have ever heard do listen to Jackie Walker- and I am aware that she has been branded an anti-semite. Though how this can be true when she identifies herself as Jewish I don't really understand.
www.facebook.com/TRTP2/videos/779171798908409/

Welshwife - there are still a few small Jewish communities like those your mother knew. After we left Gateshead we went to live in Southend where there's a thriving community, many from the old East End of London (the elders now dying off sadly).
We had one or two incidents there, but in general Southend people are tolerant and welcoming.
We spent some time in Hull too - similar story. Many Jewish families there descended from Russian immigrants in the early 19C.
It's a very mixed picture, which the media can't convey.

I believe the Jews who say they encounter anti semitism, others choose not to. But me thinks if the 83% had been the Tory party we wouldn't be reading denial posts

It seems to vary from place to place. I've read that Jews in London feel much less threatened than some other areas. The various jewish friends I've had over the years have shown no sign of wanting to take over the world.

It isn't 'denial' to say there is a problem with a definition of anti-semitism that includes criticism of Israel as anti-semitic. It is asking that the problem be discussed and not brushed under the carpet. There can be no solution to a problem if it isn't talked about and dismissing the people who support the Palestinian people as anti-semetic is vilifying a group who are speaking up for the rights of an oppressed minority. Arguably refusing to discuss or recognise the problem fuels the opinions of the far right who are the real enemy and who use such things as propaganda to recruit to their ranks.

The problem is that people think of all Jews as being one homogenous group. They are not, even more than all of any category of people are all the same. There are Jews of all races and nationalities, of several religious types or not practicing their religion at all. Some of them abhor what is happening to the Palestinian people and some approve.

The ones who responded to the survey are likely to the the more articulate ones with the strongest views - but that is true of all surveys. By agreeing to take part, people have answered the first and unwritten question of every voluntary survey - "Will I answer this?".

Tricia
Southend people are most welcoming
We certainly are

In the CAA report over half of those interviewed were from London, another three hundred from the South. Not many left for the rest of the country.