A host of politicians, historians and celebrities have called for a British Jewish History Month to celebrate the community amid rising antisemitism across the UK since October 7.
Conservative backbencher Nickie Aiken will propose the “absolutely inspired” idea at a debate in Parliament on Thursday.
Names backing the plan include Maureen Lipman, Tracy-Ann Oberman, Churchill’s biographer Lord Andrew Roberts, Golders Green MP Mike Freer and Stephen Crabb MP, chairman of Conservative Friends of Israel.
The Coronation Street actress told the JC: “If you ask anyone how many Jews there are in England, they will say four million. The truth passes them by that there are more trans people than there are Jews.
“But the important thing is what we do for the entire community, not what we do for just Jewish people.”
She added: “Let’s make sure it's about what we've contributed to English life, in terms of for all people. I would support it in principle much more than building monuments because cities are full of monuments that you walk past, but education on our contribution to mainstream English life, political and social, entertainment and scholarship, that's worth writing down.”
Maureen Lipman (Photo: Getty)
Lord Roberts also welcomed the idea, calling it “absolutely inspired”. He said: “No minority has been so influential on British history in such a positive and fundamental way over the centuries as the Jews.
“It would also remind Britons that in the years when the Jews were expelled and banned, Britain languished, whereas when they returned, we thrived. What a marvellous way to celebrate the massive contribution to our national story.”
But fellow historian Simon Schama was sceptical. Speaking to the JC, he said that although he was in favour of “anything that contributes to a better and deeper understanding of Jewish history, which is desperately needed right now”, he did not think a Jewish History Month was the best approach.
“It's meaningless to separate out the history of this country's Jews from the rest of its history,” he said. “And ‘months’ worth of history runs the risk of calendrical tokenism, I think.
“Much better would be a commitment to an ambitious new museum of Jewish history, and to seeing that history taught in schools.”
Actress Tracy-Ann Oberman disagreed, saying that as antisemitism was raising, mainstream society would benefit from a greater awareness of the “rich and varied” history of British Jews.
“It absolutely should be taught in schools,” she said. “Britain can use the Jewish community as a bellwether for much of its own history and intolerances.”
Tracy-Ann Oberman (Photo: Getty)
In November, the Community Security Trust reported that antisemitic incidents had risen by 500 per cent since October 7, reaching record levels.
Cities of London and Westminster MP Nickie Aiken, who came up with the proposal, said she took the idea from existing months devoted to black history, Islamophobia and gay pride. She told the JC:
“The Jewish community is a minority in this country and we too often forget its contribution.
“Particularly with events that have occurred in the Middle East and the rise of antisemitism that we have seen at unprecedented levels over recent months, we have to remind both Jews and non-Jews of the important contribution that the community has made over centuries.”
“It is important to change the focus from antisemitism to something more positive”, she added.
“All forms of racism should be called out, and that includes antisemitism. But we also then need to remind ourselves of the contribution that British citizens within the Jewish faith have made to the benefit of us all. It’s about celebration.
“The Jewish community has always played a leading role across all sectors of society and made massive contributions to the wellbeing of this country,” she said. “It's time that we reminded ourselves of that.”
Golders Green MP Mike Freer
Stephen Crabb argued that a Jewish History Month would be “an important focal point for celebrating and promoting greater knowledge of the vital contribution of the Jewish community to our national life.”
And Mike Freer said that it would provide an opportunity to celebrate the Jewish community’s “overlooked” contribution to Britain’s armed forces, pointing to the “fantastic work” that AJEX, the Jewish military association, has done to preserve and celebrate records of Jewish service to the UK.
“The Jewish community has made countless important contributions to British life, and [armed service] is one that often goes overlooked,” he said. “A Jewish History Month would be an important opportunity to rectify this.”
