Standing firm to protect the community

It is strange to be writing about love, when our world since October 7 has felt at times to be overflowing with hate. At CST, we confront hate every day. Usually, we hear about it anecdotally, when people who have seen it in the wild call to lean on us for support. Occasionally, we are its direct recipients. When confronted so consistently with the reality of antisemitism, questions inevitably arise. What motivates one to hate? What drives them to act upon it? What makes someone shout abuse at schoolchildren, or vandalise a place of worship, or cross the street to beat up a stranger?

This hatred can take many shapes. Whether propelled by a hate of the Jew, Judaism, everything that the world’s sole Jewish state represents, or a combination of all of the above, it is rarely clear-cut. In this work, one thing has become increasingly clear. Despite what some antisemites would have you believe, Jew-hate is not an innate part of the human condition.

It is learned. Antisemitism has formed part of the social fabric for millennia, yet the fabric of antisemitism has not changed much in that time. It is undercut by the very same tropes, narratives and conspiracies that held Jewish people responsible for Jesus’s death, that blamed them for the spread of the Black Death, that propagated the myth of ritual child sacrifice and that, in the minds of antisemites, have justified the repeat expulsions or worse of Jewish communities worldwide throughout the centuries. The language changes, defined and decided by whatever the current sociopolitical context, but the ideas remain the same, whether in the conscious or unconscious. This is something passed from generation to generation. We all have the capacity to hate, but whom, what and how to hate is garnered from example and experience.

And, in the face of a hatred which, to use some of the preferred imagery of its perpetrators, has its claws so deeply and seemingly ubiquitously embedded under the skin of our society, the challenge of fighting it can seem at times daunting, overwhelming, impossible.

So, what keeps us motivated to keep going? The staff, volunteers, trustees and donors who make CST what it is today come from all over the world and all walks of life. As with a cross-section of any slice of humanity, there is a spectrum of interests, passions, politics, values and religiosity. There are many reasons why we may have chosen to get involved with the organisation. However, the one thing that unites every single one of us is a shared and profound love of British Jewish life. This love, in one way or another, is what brings us to CST and what brings CST to action.

The old quip that our holidays broadly share the same narrative – “They tried to kill us. They failed. Let’s eat!” – may be facetious but, as with most good jokes, holds a kernel of truth, and not just because its punchline acknowledges that the ultimate, universal Jewish love language is feeding. Jewish history is one of survival, often against the odds, often as a result of self-organisation against the people and ideas that would do us harm. CST is honoured to continue this tradition of self-defence, but we know mere survival is neither enough, nor a sustainable way to live. We owe it not just to the generations before us who built UK Jewry from the foundations up, but to ourselves, to ensure Jewish life is able to thrive in all its colour and vibrancy. CST’s mission is to facilitate this, so that our community can be Jewish openly, proudly, and fearlessly. This is our unending commitment, a signal of our love, and the beacon that guides us through and banishes the darkest clouds of hate.

Since October 7, many Jewish people have found that connection with each other and the broader community has been an invaluable source of support, strength and love in these challenging times. These bonds throughout the community and our volunteers have provided an incredible sense of solidarity, comfort and resilience, reminding us of the power of unity. At CST, our commitment to you is unwavering, the future remains uncertain, but together, we will keep facing whatever lies ahead.

​Yoni Gordon-Teller is CST incidents data analyst. cst.org.uk

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