Why did we go wrong?
Why are we having difficulty coming to terms with this reality, the realization of how much we are hated ?
Jeremy Rosen
As a student growing up in Britain, I took part in demonstrations against racism, prejudice and fanaticism wherever it appeared in favour of tolerance and universality. A new era in which the post-war hopes of building a brave new world would at last be within reach. At university, we always debated in a civilized manner.
Even then, the anti-Israel gang always pushed their agenda. At Cambridge University in 1962 there was a debate that the state of Israel had no right to exist. It was conducted in a typically British gentlemanly manner. I recall saying how ironic that after Jews were told to “go home’. When they did, they were then told they had to leave. At the same time the Oxford Union hosted a less civilized debate: “The Creation of the State of Israel is One of the Mistakes of the Century”.
The most controversial issues in post-Second World War Britain were the Cold War and immigration. The first wave of immigrants was the West Indians. They shared many religious, cultural and political views with the host country. But because their skin was different, they suffered discrimination and alienation just as Jews had for hundreds of years previously. The British politician Enoch Powell warned against losing British values and identity and welcoming different people into the country would lead to rivers of blood. For this, he was ostracized and considered to be mentally unstable, however brilliant he was. Discrimination continued even as both parties fought for integration. We were civilized and tolerant, and besides, we needed cheap labour. But it was never the aim of West Indian immigrants to impose or change British society, just to remove the barriers. The black community into British society could now be said to have been an overwhelming if not yet complete success.
When Muslim immigration began to increase, that too was met initially with opposition, which we fought against. I was a spokesman for Chief Rabbi Immanuel Jakobovits working strenuously to build bridges and to help the process of Muslim integration into British society. Later Chief Rabbis wrote and spoke about the importance of multiculturalism and all the politically correct tropes and themes of the beauty of living together and sharing the same house. How naive we were.
There is no reason why in a free society different religions and cultures should not co-exist while preserving their own. But when one tries to impose on society as a whole or one other minority, this is a recipe for disaster especially when it infects politics.
We should have known that the conflict in the Middle East however much we might have dreamed that it could be solved by peaceful negotiation, was going to be the one issue that got in the way of genuine dialogue and cooperation with many, not all, in the Muslim and the left-wing socialist , antisemitic community. We thought it being England, and a reasonable society it was something that would be manageable and the English tendency to want to see both sides of an argument might prevail. But this has not happened.
Today with some exceptions we face a Tsunami of hatred and American, European and British citizens of all kinds calling for death to the Jews. Professor Jeffrey Alderman in a recent blog accurately described the re-entry of religion and ethnicity into the British Political system. Wherever religion enters politics the results are disastrous. Think of Northern Ireland, Iran and Israel as examples. In the west we used to vote according to our political not our religious preferences. Now for the first time in the UK, we have a Muslim religious party entering the arena.
Before the recent election people would ask me what I thought about the leader of the Labour Party Keir Starmer. They pointed to the fact that he had tried to root out anti-Semitism in the Labour Party and that his wife was Jewish. They assumed from this that he would take a balanced position on Israel. Of course, the Foreign Ministry, under all parties, has always been pro-Arab and anti-Israel. I wondered whether he would be able to maintain his balanced view. Or would he capitulate to pressure and play the universal political game or realpolitik, and compromise and use Israel as the scapegoat. So far it does not look hopeful.
Serge Klarsfeld’s response to the situation in France today was that if it’s a choice between a very antisemitic party and one somewhat antisemitic, he would prefer the somewhat. Henri Bernard Levy said he simply could not vote either for the anti-Semitic left or the anti-Semitic right. So, what are we to do? Not vote? Put one’s head down protecting what we have as communities even if we have to be armed? Or move somewhere where we think we will be treated with greater respect and with less violence?
Both Melanie Phillips and Niall Fergusson ( who have been ostracized by the left ) have spoken about the moral decay and betrayal of values in the West today caused by delusions of pluralism, ludicrous, damaging dogma and digging up the past to claim colonialism, white privilege and oppression now. Everywhere, there has been capitulation to politically correct values (especially when it comes to Israel and the Jews). Meanwhile, the Protestant Christian has also capitulated to political correctness and failed to fight for its values.
As the Bible says we cannot put our trust in Princes. This doesn’t mean to say we shouldn’t continue to try to talk to another side or to try to pressure politicians as best we can. But it does mean, once again, we Jews are being forced to protect ourselves. We know the dangers of appeasement and not to hide our heads in the sand like ostriches or expect either a politician or the heavens to intervene and solve our problems for us.As Ecclesiastes ( Kohelet) says the world goes round and round. There is constant change. I hope the circle will turn again soon.
Rabbi Jeremy Rosen lives in New York. He was born in Manchester. His writings are concerned with religion, culture, history and current affairs – anything he finds interesting or relevant. They are designed to entertain and to stimulate. Disagreement is always welcome.
