The granddaughters of Holocaust survivors have said that the “triggering” events of October 7 compelled them to set up an organisation to combat the misinformation on Israel and antisemitism.
Friends Lottie Leigh and Keren Beaumont have set up Challenge Hate, together with Olivia Manson, Nicole Manson (who are not related) and Katy Cresner.
The Challenge Hate committee: (from left) Keren Beaumont, Lottie Leigh, Katy Cresner, Olivia Manson and Nicole Manson (Photo: Blake Ezra Photography)
Leigh’s paternal grandparents were Holocaust survivors and 160 family members were murdered by the Nazis, while Beaumont’s paternal grandparents met in a displaced persons’ camp in Italy, later moving to Israel.
The two women, who first met through work – Leigh is a jewellery designer and Beaumont is stylist – went for a coffee after October 7. “We were in floods of tears. As the granddaughters of Holocaust survivors, it was very triggering for us,” said Beaumont, 43.
“Seeing the antisemitic responses after October 7th gave me a tiny taste of the helplessness my relatives must have felt in the 1930s and 1940s,” she said.
Beaumont said that as a child, she had “recurring nightmares of being persecuted”, so when she heard about the terrorist attacks, “I had a foreboding sense of fear that [the Holocaust] was happening again. I thought: ‘What can we do to take action rather than be sitting ducks?’”
For Leigh, 42, October 7 was “the realisation of my worst nightmare. I felt very down and was in a fog. I felt I needed to do something.”
Leigh decided to set up a small women’s group “so we could help each other and the community ”, and from there, came the idea for a larger event.
Blake Ezra (Photo: Blake Ezra Photography)
Attracting 350 people, the inaugural event at Finchley Synagogue, north London, included talks from photographer and writer Blake Ezra, founder of From the Depths Foundation Jonny Daniels and journalist Brendan O’Neill.
Ezra encouraged the audience to join what he coined “Israel’s digital Iron Dome” by speaking up for the Jewish nation; Daniels gave an update on the military operation and talked about his charity work and Brendan O’Neill, the former editor of Spiked, addressed the “complete and utter inversion of morality, truth and reason … in the media debate, in the political debate and in the public debate” since October 7.
Jonny Daniels (Photo: Blake Ezra Photography)
Speaking after the event, which raised funds for From the Depths Foundation and Myisrael, Leigh said: “The aim of what we are doing is to give people the facts, so if they want to stand up for Israel and Jewish people, they’ve got the right information. We also want to suggest proactive ways people can get involved, so we can change the narrative.”
Aside from running events for the Jewish community, Leigh said they hoped to “reach out to the silent section of society, who are on the side of the Jewish people”.
Brendan O'Neill (Photo: Blake Ezra Photography)
Both Leigh and Beaumont said that it had been difficult to defend Israel online, for fear of damaging their respective businesses.
“Social media is a cesspool,” said Beaumont. “It’s a microcosm of what’s happening in wider society, so as small business owners with a following on social media, we had a moral dilemma about whether to go public with our views on Israel.
“I felt guilty about not using my platform [for Israel] so I thought: ‘What else can I do to challenge misconceptions?’”
The hope is that the evening will have inspired audience members to go away and do something themselves in support of Israel. Said Leigh: “Something small goes towards a bigger goal. It doesn’t matter if it’s just sending a WhatsApp message. If you can make someone think differently, it has a ripple effect.”
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