1 min read
ByDavid Delew, David Delew
The antisemitic incidents report published by CST shows yet again that too many people think it is OK to shout abuse at Jewish people in the street, or send threatening emails and letters to our synagogues, or daub swastikas and other hateful graffiti on Jewish buildings.
Yes, the total of incidents has gone down by over a fifth, but let's face it - if it hadn't dropped after 2014's record high then things would be much worse than we had realised. The total remains way too high, despite this fall.
It is impossible to know for certain whether it has stayed so high because so many incidents are taking place, or because more people are reporting them, or both. But it is vital to respond in the right way, by understanding the nature of the problem we face and what we can do to reduce it.
We are not in the same situation as our European neighbours. Antisemitism, thankfully, does not define Jewish life in Britain. Recently, Jewish leaders in France have been debating whether to recommend wearing baseball caps in public rather than kippot. I understand their concern, but surely we cannot rely on a flimsy baseball cap to stand between us and catastrophe.
And what are we supposed to tell the Charedi parts of our community: that they should ditch their shtreimels, and tuck in their tzitzit while they are at it?
Better to stand up strong and proud as a community and assert our basic right to live our Jewish lives openly and in safety and freedom, a right that is intrinsic to British and Jewish values.
We will work in partnership with police and government to ensure that we continue to be able to do so. Since 2010, we have administered government funding at Jewish state schools to protect our community's children. Last year, that funding was extended by the government to cover independent and private schools, synagogues and other sensitive Jewish locations.
This is millions of pounds of government money, to follow the millions that CST has previously spent from our own fundraising on security hardware at Jewish buildings across the country.
We do this not so that Jews should hide behind fences and gates, but so that our community can continue to flourish and play a full role in wider society.
The terrorist threat is likely to endure for years. After the attacks at the Hyper Cacher supermarket in Paris and the Great Synagogue in Copenhagen, the demands on CST rose significantly. We met this increased need, helped by a record number of people who came forward to volunteer or to donate money. With your help, we will continue to do so for as long as antisemitism remains a problem.
David Delew is CST chief executive