I have thought long and hard about what we are witnessing in Gaza and whether I should speak out against the injustices and the war crimes we are seeing on a daily basis. Do I have a duty to speak up to break the silence and say “enough is enough”?. What would that look like for me? Would I be ostracised, would I be called a terrorist sympathiser or antisemitic perhaps?
I watch the horrific scenes unfold in real time; scenes of emaciated children, of parents torn limb from limb, the bombs that rain down on them and the vacant lost stares in the eyes of the innocent. I see the spin the media put on it.
Gaza: not in the name of Judaism
I wonder what my great-grandparents would say, what my grandparents would say. My great-grandparents were forced to flee their homes and make a treacherous journey to a country they did not know simply because they were Jewish. My grandfather, although born in the UK, was so terrified of the Black Shirts and the rise of fascism that he cut his hair short to hide his Jewish afro. He changed the family surname to assimilate into British life, because he was both scared and ashamed to be Jewish. His children were taught from an early age not to be openly Jewish.
The fear of antisemitism and of being attacked was very real to them. This was the 1930s on the streets of London. I also wonder what my great-grandparents felt, having fled for their lives from an oppressive regime, some 30 years after reaching relative safety to be confronted with men marching on the streets against their very existence.
What would their reaction be if they saw the scenes I am bearing witness to? My great-grandparents have long passed, but I have spoken with my father and my cousins. They are horrified at what is being done supposedly in the name of Judaism and preserving the state of Israel.
They are appalled at the inhumanity of it all. This isn’t Judaism, these are the actions of the power-hungry megalomaniac Netanyahu. The Jewish faith teaches us to respect one another and treat each other with dignity and kindness. Largely like our Muslim brothers and sisters, the Jewish faith is a peaceful one born out of love for one another.
Complicity in the media: fear of antisemitism accusations
There is a very real issue in the media and in our society now that I and many Jews fear will cause a huge backlash and a rise of antisemitism. The idea that one cannot criticise the actions of the state of Israel without being called antisemitic is pushed down our throats daily. Even Jews are being accused of being antisemitic for criticising what the state of Israel is doing. Our voices aren’t being heard; our views aren’t being covered by mainstream media.
Thousands of Jews all over the world have stood up and said “not in our name”. I am one of them. What Netanyahu is doing is not in the name of Judaism. He is acting not with love in his heart but with a cold-hearted drive to provide a homeland at any cost. It is not antisemitic to wish to see an end to this war, it is not antisemitic to wish to see an end to the suffering of the people of Palestine.
It is not just Jews that are being lumped together either. Just as the media and society would appear to have you believe that all Jews support the actions of Netanyahu, they would equally have you believe that all Palestinians support what happened on 7 October 2023. This simply is not true.
Netanyahu’s outrageous acts continue
I, like many, was horrified at the actions of 7 October. What happened was barbaric. It was an act of terror but to quote Martin Luther King Jr, one of the greatest advocates for peace: “The old law of an eye for an eye leaves everybody blind”.
Even if you accept the argument that Israel had a right to defend itself, Netanyahu has gone far beyond that. He is openly committing war crimes, starving children, attacking peacekeepers and shooting at aid trucks. He is simply out of control and he does it because the world leaders sit by idly and let him.
Recently a British registered ship, the Freedom Flotilla, whilst in international waters, had its communications jammed, was surrounded by speedboats and quadcopters flew overhead. Reports state a chemical substance was poured on to it to subdue those inside and it was boarded by Israeli Forces. It was then diverted to Israel and those on board were taken and shown a video of the 7 October attack. This is a direct breach of international law. Could our government have made a call and told them it was untouchable? Yes, they could. Did they? No they didn’t – and so it continues as Netanyahu acts with utter impunity.
A new kind of antisemitism
There are those who say he acts for his people and for all Jews around the world. I say he acts only for himself. There have been protests inside Israel against what he is doing to the people of Gaza and his forces have crushed this opposition. He is making Jewish people and non-Jewish people who speak out personae non gratae in Israel. They are quite simply silencing dissenting voices.
These dissenting voices are being accused of antisemitism, a word weaponised to stifle opposition – and sooner or later, the inevitable will happen. Antisemitism will rise and no-one will take it seriously as it is the latest buzz word in the media.
My family has seen antisemitism in its purest form, from the pogroms of the USSR to the desperate scrambling to get to a safe place with the rise of the Nazi Party. They witnessed the Battle of Cable Street, they had things thrown at them, were called “dirty Jew”, have heard the conspiracy theories about a ‘Jewish World Order’ and the jokes about Jews being misers. They have lived it. Now they are experiencing a different type of antisemitism, one where people they know, so-called friends of theirs, are rounding on them simply because they speak out against what Israel is doing.
Netanyahu is conducting a genocide – time to speak out
It is absolutely possible to differentiate between the state of Israel and Israel as a country. In my family we refer to the government of Israel as the state of Israel. We criticise them, what they stand for and what they are doing. That is not to say we believe that Israel should not exist, of course we don’t. To imply otherwise is as ridiculous as criticising the British government and being accused of being anti-British or criticising Trump’s government and being accused of being anti-American.
If you criticise any other country and their government for doing what the state of Israel is doing to the people of Palestine would you be accused of being against the whole country and its people? Would you speak out? If the answer is yes, then rise up, speak out, do so respectfully, do not let them silence you and do not fall into a trap. Be careful, don’t let them dictate your narrative.
I say “not in my name” – will you?
