No deal or managed exit? Are we heading for an autumn election? Or another referendum? No one knows.
There is no Nostradamus on Brexit, even though you may come across one or two self-appointed constitutional experts over conversation at Shabbat tables.
PM Boris Johnson has attacked “the doubters, the doomsters, the gloomsters.” He wants an injection of national optimism. However, it takes more than a call to arms to restore morale.
A therapist looking at contemporary Britain would probably diagnose post-traumatic stress disorder or a related condition. Each time we hear some bad news — of a company moving jobs away or a fall in the pound — it chips away at our national self-confidence.
But as Jews, in this time of uncertainty, insecurity and anxiety, we have a unique contribution to make in a number of ways. We are well-placed to help our fellow countrymen through the fog.
First and foremost, we can draw on our history. Throughout the ages, for 2,000 years in exile, and now in the diaspora, uncertainty has hung over us like a cloud.
The acronym “VUCA”, short for volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity, is used to describe today’s world. It’s also a neat summary of the key themes of Jewish history. We have lived in the best of times and worst of times, in societies that embraced us and those which were hostile to us. Over time, the Jewish experience has shown how changeable the mood music can be, depending on the whims of a particular ruler, and the vagaries of human prejudice.
Jews have reached prominent positions in society, only to be cast aside as we fell out of favour. The warning in chapter two of Ethics of the Fathers is a salutary one: “Be careful in your relations with the government… They appear as friends when it is to their advantage, but they do not stand by a man in his time of stress.”
Jews were expelled from England in 1290 and famously from Spain in 1492. We have been banished from virtually every European society in which we have lived.
Jews have learnt never to get too comfortable or, as the philosopher George Steiner remarked: “To always have our suitcases packed.” Our experience of living for today, not quite knowing what tomorrow will bring, can be a valuable one to share with the wider British public.
Another “Jewish quality” that we can showcase at this time is optimism.
There has been a lot of doom and gloom about Britain’s future since the referendum. Even many people who voted leave worry where the country is heading. A poll three months ago showed that 64 per cent said Brexit was damaging their mental health.
Jews have been used to looking on the bright side. David Ben Gurion took this to the extremes when he said: “Anyone who doesn’t believe in miracles is not a realist.”
As a people, we are glass half full, rather than half empty. Our brand humour is built on a sense of tragedy and the absurd, and keeping a sense of perspective when things go wrong. Where there is life, there is hope. At this time, the country needs to hold its nerve and look to its many strengths — economic, diplomatic and soft power — and harness these.
A third area where Jews can make a unique contribution at this time is entrepreneurship. As a people, we have a proud record of starting and building businesses.
One hundred years ago, Jack Cohen started Tesco from a market stall in Hackney. One hundred and fifty years ago, John Sainsbury and his wife started the eponymous business in a shop on Drury Lane; his son married Mabel Van den Bergh, who was Jewish, and together they built up the company.
Jews have been responsible for some of the leading brands on the high street. Spotting opportunities and starting ventures is in the Jewish DNA. As the country embarks on a new phase, we will need more of this spirit.
There are fewer than 80 days to go to the deadline. Wherever you lie on the spectrum between Remainer and No-dealer, most would agree that we have been suffering from a Brexit anxiety disorder since the referendum.
We need to draw on the Jewish experience of living with uncertainty and our sense of optimism.
Rabbi Sacks has described being a Jew as “the courage to live with uncertainty.” We need to capture the “Jewish spirit” and show our compatriots how we can all flourish in an age of uncertainty.
Zaki Cooper is a communications professional
