It’s 2018 and anti-semitism is rising

The last 100 years has seen a change in direction. The right used to hate the Jews, now it’s the left.

Rob Spitz
Rob Spitz
Sep 2, 2018 · 9 min read

The world is changing, we are seeing more opportunities and equality across the globe and progress is being made to create a better world for everyone.

The last 100 years has seen radical improvements for many different groups of people,

I’m from Manchester and we are proud of 3 things:

  • Music
  • Football
  • Equality

We are the city where a young Emmaline Pankhurst led the way to revolution with the Suffragettes.

We are the city that’s club scene was so fundamental to providing a safe environment for LGBT+ people 30 years before the rest of the U.K.

We are the city that gave an opportunity for a Chinese woman in the 1940s to open up Sweet Mandarin and give the world a western version of East-Asian food.

I grew up in an environment with many different cultures but I always grew up noticing one thing…

It’s not easy being Jewish.

Why do I say this?

Well I have been fortunate to be around people who are proud of their identity.

I experienced an education environment that I believe kids all go through today.

13 year old boys open about being gay

14 year old Muslim boys able to pray 5 times a day during a school day

11 year old Sikhs wearing turbans and not being judged.

And yes I did see boys wearing kipput and not facing abuse.

But in the secular world, I would pick up on one fact that occurred in multi-cultural Jewish-friendly Manchester. They were scared to say ‘Jew’ in public.

I’ve met a girl, I really like her.

Oh that’s so cool, is she Wej?

This is an example of a conversation I would regularly notice. Too scared to say Jew in public that there was a common code word.

Where does this stem from?

Well, Jews are the most persecuted people in the world.

Jews come in all shapes, sizes and colours.

You cannot spot a Jew.

So many people stereotype the Jewish Nose but how can an Ethiopian Jew have the same nose as an Ashkanazi Jew? Impossible.

But this is an example of propaganda from major incidents in the past that still are rife in 2018.

Goebbels propaganda from WW2?

Mosley’s leaflets from the East London riots?

They were so powerful that even 80 years later, Jews still suffer from the stereotypes.

Even so, The Holocaust was only 80 years ago. That is not a long time ago.

6 million Jews were murdered that recently and this is only the most recent event of hundreds of horrendous persecution that happened.

We have grandparents who lived during World War 2. We have holocaust survivors still alive today. Jewish children will know from their elders the trauma of what happened.

It will always be in the back of any Jews mind that something like this could occur again.

US Talkshow hero Jerry Springer was born in a London Underground during the Blitz after his Jewish parents escaped Nazi occupied Europe.

He never discussed what his parents went through directly with them but there was a chilling moment.

His father was a short man and shrank more as he aged. His mother was concerned in their later years about her husbands ability to drive and asked Jerry to have a word with him.

They went for a drive when Jerry decided to bring up the topic with his dad.

“Dad, you can hardly see above the seat, do you think it’s safe to drive at your age?”

The reply was chilling.

“Jerry, I will not stop driving, I never know when I have to escape again”

As a result, Jerry allowed his parents to drive until their deaths.

This is an example of how the holocaust is always in the back of every Jews mind.

And the reality is, even in the UK and the USA, Jews have to take extra precautions other people don’t take.

Go to a Jewish school in the Western World or a Synagogue and you will notice something unexpected. High levels of security.

Jewish children have to walk through a heavy metal gate and past a security officer before they can enter school grounds. This is not just the Ultra-orthodox, this is the case for reform and secular Jewish buildings too.

This isn’t paranoia. This is because there is a genuine danger to them in today’s society and is a way of reducing the level of anti-Semitic attacks.

Hatred towards Jewish people still exists and even scarier, it is within the ‘Left’ of British politics.

1933–1945 – The Far Right

2001-NOW – The Far Left

Jeremy Corbyn is currently experiencing his biggest challenge.

His failure to notice how close to home anti-semitism is within the Labour Party has caused outcry throughout the world.

The list is endless. I could talk about my own opinion on the Labour Party all day but the reality is:

  • Mr Corbyn has too many times ‘accidentally’ liked anti-Semitic propaganda
  • Labour MP’s have regularly made anti-semitic comments without ‘realising’
  • Major Labour representatives have not been disciplined for anti-Semitic behaviour the way other parties would

The last point I find most interesting. Nigel Farage was the leader of UKIP who, as we all know, are on the right side of politics.

Under his time as UKIP leader, if a representative made a racist, sexist, homophobic comment….he expelled, suspended or punished immediately. Even major members such as Godfrey Bloom.

Ken Livingstone spent 2 years waiting for disciplinary action before resigning ‘for the good of his party’ for his astonishing remarks about Hitler and Zionism. Action needed to be taken.

In the left, I notice two factors that are causing ‘acceptable’ anti-Semitic behaviour in the parties that are meant to stand for equality for all.

  • Israel and its Governments actions
  • Searching for a scapegoat while defending others.

Now Israel is a topic that is causing so much outrage across the world. The level of propaganda, unequal reporting and fake news out there allows the whole world to have there opinion.

For me, I see Israel as a great place of freedom in a part of the world where equality doesn’t exist.

  • A place where Gay people can show affection in the street, as opposed to its bordering countries that will use the death penalty as homosexuality is still a criminal offence
  • A place where they were proud to have a transvestite (even in 1998) to represent them worldwide (Eurovision song contest winner Dana International)
  • A place where 50 years ago, they had a female Prime Minister. Where bordering countries don’t even allow women to drive.
  • A place where Arab-Israelis will call themselves Israeli and happily represent the country in events such as football.

There are so many positives.

The world discusses the negatives. The actions of the Government. Now this is a debate impossible for a Medium post. A debate totally empowered by opinion.

I am a traditionalist, a former law student and someone who will respect actions taken by my country. I would not say I was a Zionist, I respect the Balfour declaration and the later actions taken by my country (UK) in 1948 to create the state of Israel.

I understand the positives and negatives but I find it very scary that the leader of the opposition finds himself attached to Hamas and Hezbollah.

If I was a socialist, I would admire Israel. Socialism only exists in the modern world in Israeli Kibbutzim.

If I was a Labour leader. I would NEVER be friends with Hamas or Hezbollah. I would be friends with the Palestinian people or the Lebanese People. THIS IS 100% DIFFERENT.

The second point I mentioned is using the Jews as a scapegoat.

In my opinion, modern terrorism is an Islamic issue. Just as it was an Irish issue for many years pre-1998 Good Friday Agreement.

Again, I must stress this is my opinion and a topic that is very close to home. Last year, the two cities I consider home were attacked by extremist Muslims. I lost a friend in the Manchester attack and I was only on La Ramblas the day before the Barcelona attack.

These are not ‘real muslims’, I understand that. I feel this is the worst thing to say to these atrocious people and will only cause more acts of terrorism.

These people are killing in the name of Islam. If you tell them that they are not muslim and don’t take responsibility for bad teachings, the problem will never end.

An extremist Muslim will only change if they are taught by other Muslims they are not reading the Quran properly. They will never listen to white Christian opinion.

Going with this; you notice the ‘scapegoat’ affect.

9/11 defined the way any brown person has been treated since.

The reaction should be ‘taking accountability’. Accepting that Al Qaeda did it and distancing the religion from the terrorist organisation.

Unfortunately; we have seen conspiracy theories. Conspiracy theories are created to blame other people to prevent adversity.

For example, the media and the press are to blame for Princess Diana’s car crash. Not the Royal Family.

The two Paparazzi and Henri Paul’s level of alcohol is what caused the crash. The Queen was nowhere to be seen in the immediate aftermath and so a story was conceited to take the blame away from the media.

The fact is that Queen Elizabeth was looking after her two grandsons and felt it was more important the boys had a grandmother during the grieving process than needing to talk to the media. She did not arrange Diana’s death.

9/11 was a terrorist act. It was by a Muslim terrorist organisation and as a result; a rise in racism followed due to fear.

The reaction by some, was the create a conspiracy theory that Israel and Jewish people caused 9/11.

I’m going to say something anti-Semitic to prove why this is impossible.

If the Jews run the world, why would they destroy the place where the world is run

The amount of Cohen’s that perished alone should cut out this absurd story. They were not responsible for 9/11 and it’s offensive to the victims, to Americans and to Jews to suggest this.

But there is genuine belief, I have heard that ‘The Jews did September 11th’ on at least 7 occasions in Manchester.

The conspiracy is one of many that allows everyday people to think that Jews and Israel are the source of all problems in the world.

And what’s worse? This is similar to belief amongst Germans that allowed the Holocaust happened. It can happen again.

The belief that Germany’s problems were caused by Jews allowed 6 million to be brutally murdered by the regime.

And despite conspiracy theories, denial etc. It is a fact.

And the numbers are not fabricated.

No Nazi War Criminal ever said they did not do it, they said they were under orders

So the reality is. It is impossible to deny it happened and it’s appalling and rightfully a criminal offence in the EU to.

But the Middle East and North Africa regularly spread denial on the news. Shocking I know and there is nothing we can do about it.

And we should be scared. Israel is a tiny country and we are seeing many Jews leaving their countries for Israel for their own safety.

The Left, The Labour Party, The Arabic Countries need to take action NOW.

Education isn’t the only tool that will fix this. Everything has to change.

The first step is acknowledging there’s a problem and making people aware.

That is why this article exists.

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