The visit by Sir Keir Starmer to the Berlin Holocaust Memorial was wholly appropriate and appreciated. As was his pledge to support CST both financially and in the work they do to fight antisemitism. But the visit itself was not the issue that erupted at the weekend. What caused offence to some in our community was that fact that in a political campaigning video, Starmer was seen casually walking through the solemn memorial as if it were just another backdrop.
For many of us, memorials to victims of the Holocaust - family members - are deserving of a certain level of respect. Yes, by all means visit, pay tribute to those lost and acknowledge the devastation done to the Jewish communities of Europe by the Nazi machine. But never treat these memorials, which so often serve as communal grave stones to those lost, as just another set location.
It felt crass. The failure to acknowledge the significance of the location meant that Jews recognised it but many others, those who would benefit from understanding why the leader of the Labour Party was walking among large stones, had no idea.
The importance and particular nature of the Holocaust as a specifically Jewish atrocity came under another spotlight over the weekend when it came to light that the Anne Frank Trust had invited not only Michael Rosen, a staunch supporter and close friend of Jeremy Corbyn, to write a poem in honour of the 75th anniversary of the publication of Anne Frank’s Diary, but also Nasima Begum, a woman who had claimed Jews were guilty of another Holocaust and used the term ‘Zionist scum’, to run a workshop for young people. All this while promoting a new strategy for tackling prejudice that lists every form of bigotry except antisemitism. Curious for an organisation named in the memory of a young woman murdered because she was Jewish, by a regime founded on antisemitism with the sole purpose of eradicating Jews from existence.
While we recognise the need to address all forms of racism and targeted hate, the universalisation of the Holocaust and the subtle moves to place it within ‘all other genocides’ feels disrespectful. The Holocaust was a unique occurrence, where one minority group was systematically marked for industrialised annihilation in a way never seen before or since. To water down its significance and to remove antisemitism - anti-Jewish racism - from the current zeitgeist of anti-racist dialogue is perverse.
But what is equally concerning is that in both these instances, those defending these actions turned on those who were offended by accusing them of having ulterior motives. In one case the deflection was a baseless counter-accusation of bigotry. Instead of addressing the issues raised and reassuring people that their concerns were being heard, there was a doubling down on the position with an accusation of acting in bad faith.
In the second instance was the accusation that Campaign Against Antisemitism, an organisation which has fought against antisemitism across society, was acting again in bad faith. It was also claimed they were agents for an opposing political party and that those individuals who had expressed concern were acting just to smear a political party and its leader. These accusations are offensive and unnecessary. We are all entitled to our own views and to express those views. It is possible to disagree without using extremist language. Those using these terms only need to look at the ugly responses their comments on social media evoked to see the impact they have had.
It’s easy to excuse a misjudged PR move when you are comfortable in the knowledge that it was just a mis-step. However the sad truth is that many of us still feel that the Labour Party is not yet a safe place for Jews, so the symbolism matters. And when we call it out, because those inside the Party know that the job really isn’t yet done, instead of offering reassurance or acknowledging that the optics weren’t great, they go on the attack, belittling our fears and making us feel even more insecure.
The backdrop to our fears is the dilution we see of the Holocaust and the relegation of antisemitism as a second-class form of racism in today’s anti-racist world. It’s all part of the same package, and coupled with the resurgence of antisemitism we daren’t just shrug it off.
Fiona Sharpe is spokesman for Labour Against Antisemitism and a communities consultant
