Opinion

OPINION We have friends

OPINION PIECE BY ROBERT FESTENSTEIN

Whilst the shrill voices still linger following recent campaigns against various Jews in the UK and Israel, the support from those outside the Jewish Community has continued unabated.

Whilst those Jews on the left or progressive side of politics were tying themselves in knots trying not to condemn Jeremy Corbyn or the Labour Party under his control, those non-Jewish supporters who could see the writing on the wall in letters of fire weighed in to support us.

J.K. Rowling’s support in 2018 made a huge difference, not only in bringing to a wider audience the issues faced by the Jews at the hands of the Labour Party but also by stating this was a crisis which affected everyone, and not just the Jewish minority. So, whilst the Board of Deputies and the Zionist Federation are busy picking fights with Jews, our supporters are doing what the communal organisations should be doing, and that is calling out the lies constantly spread about Jews and Israel.

Some of those are reasonably well known, such as Col. Richard Kemp CBE. Colonel Kemp has been one of our strongest supporters and fearless in exposing the hatred so sadly evident in the UK today. Add in Rod Liddle (Sunday Times), Douglas Murray (Daily Telegraph) and it becomes clear that we have dedicated and committed friends.

It is time that those who claim to represent the community look up from their screens and look around as to what is really going on. Last week the CST produced a report which stated the following: “CST obtained a description of the ethnic appearance of the offender or offenders in 744 of the 2,255 antisemitic incidents reported during 2021. Of these, 297 (40%) were described as white – North European; 25 (3%) as white – South European; 86 (12%) as black; 116 (16%) as South Asian; seven (1%) as Southeast Asian; finally, 213 (28%) were described as Arab or North African”.

Adding the black, Asian and Arab/North African figures together gives these groups overall as being responsible for 57% of those incidents where the ethnic appearance was reported. Taking into account that these groups represent no more than 15% of the overall population the numbers per thousand will be a multiple of those from the white population. For reasons which defy belief, the communal leaders have ignored this and instead have concentrated on either attacking Jews or Jewish groups they don’t like or naively claiming that the only risk is from the far right.

Fortunately, our supporters are prepared to speak out and for this we should thank them. Profusely. It is hard enough to motivate those in the community to get involved sensibly in the fight against those who seek to harm us, let alone those outside. Yet, the input from Douglas Murray et al is so much more significant because they are not Jewish. They cannot be tainted with the claim that they have an axe to grind or some self-interested agenda they are following. For this support, they should be thanked and respected and this columnist is very happy to do just that. Thank you.

Whilst those Jews on the left or progressive side of politics were tying themselves in knots trying not to condemn Jeremy Corbyn or the Labour Party under his control, those non-Jewish supporters who could see the writing on the wall in letters of fire weighed in to support us.

Robert Festenstein is a practising solicitor and has been the principal of his Salford based firm for over 20 years. He has fought BDS motions to the Court of Appeal and is President of the Zionist Central Council in Manchester which serves to protect and defend the democratic State of Israel.