Jack Mendel, at The Blogs

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Nov 28, 2021, 3:27 PM

Azeem not knowing about Auschwitz is a symptom of a much wider problem

Lily Ebert, 97, shows Azeem Rafiq her tattoo from Auschwitz.

The real tragedy behind Azeem Rafiq is the profound gaps in his knowledge, typified by the fact he didn’t know what Auschwitz was. We all now know what Rafiq said. We know he’s sorry. And we now also know, he was ignorant of what many...

Nov 22, 2021, 7:19 PM

Compared to the usual non-apologies, Azeem Rafiq’s was sincere

Screen grab from Parliament TV of former cricketer Azeem Rafiq giving evidence at the inquiry into racism he suffered at Yorkshire County Cricket Club, at the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) committee on sport governance at Portcullis House in London. Picture date: Tuesday November 16, 2021.

From Jeremy Corbyn’s go-to ‘and all other forms of racism’ to the classic ‘sorry if you were offended’, the non-apology-apology has become an art form. In the past seven years working as a Jewish News journalist, I’ve heard my fair share of mealy-mouthed, fingers crossed...

Oct 21, 2021, 12:53 PM

The Markaz row was never about parking

The Hippodrome building in Golders Green

The predictable disparity in outrage between a Muslim and Christian centre taking over the Golders Green Hippodrome, shows it was broadly never about parking, pollution, or noise – but intolerance. The news that Justin Bieber’s old ‘megachurch’ will be coming to the heart of Jewish...

Jun 1, 2021, 5:10 PM

Spike in antisemitism shows the police are out of their depth

Met officers look on as an elderly Jewish man confronts the two Youtubers (Jewish News)

The spike in antisemitism over the past month has been entirely predictable, and it has been accompanied by a concerning lack of action from authorities. Whenever there is war in Israel, there is unfortunately a well-oiled routine, of antisemitism rearing its ugly head in the...

Oct 15, 2020, 7:55 PM

Gal Gadot – too white, but not white enough

Gal Gadot (Jewish News)

The outrage over the casting of Gal Gadot as Cleopatra is a firm reminder, that Jews can never be ethnically pure enough for some. Following the announcement that an Israeli actress was to play an ancient Egyptian princess, critics furiously typed away on social media...

Jun 10, 2020, 4:53 PM

It’s not about us

I don’t often feel uncomfortable about the front page of the newspaper I write for – but last week, it jarred with me. It read: “Derek Chauvin knelt on us all”, referring to the police officer filmed kneeling for nearly nine minutes on the neck of...

May 1, 2020, 12:35 PM

Starmer must clear up Corbyn’s mess – and it needs action not words

Keir Starmer (Photo credit: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire via Jewish News)

The community may trust Keir Starmer to clear up Jeremy Corbyn’s mess on antisemitism, but the clock is ticking and words must start translating into action. Since being elected, he has been keen to stress that he’s not Jeremy Corbyn. When he got the job,...

Jan 26, 2020, 2:10 PM

Blood libel for the digital age

George Galloway's tweet, claiming Israel had murdered Qusai Abd Abu Ramileh

Antisemitic libels may have historically been associated with medieval Christianity, but in our digital world, a simple tweet can have the same impact. On Saturday, George Galloway took to Twitter, and told his 342,000 followers, that Israel had murdered a toddler, despite ample evidence that...

Oct 28, 2019, 1:02 PM

Labour can’t be the judge for its redemption

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn (Via Jewish News)

Labour is less concerned with weeding out Jew-hate at the root, as opposed to managing the fallout when the problem rears its ugly head – and the reason is its rotten processes. Last week, there were numerous instances of local activists being in the frame...

Oct 8, 2019, 1:57 PM

Sadiq needs to up his game to see off straight-talking Rory

Rory Stewart during his visit to Golders Green and JW3 (Jewish News)

After four years of Sadiq Khan allying himself to the community, the entrance of Rory Stewart into the 2020 mayoral race is the first real test of his stickability. The Mayor of London has somewhat been an exception to the rule of the community drifting...

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Jack Mendel is Online Editor at Jewish News UK

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