Bad week
It has been a crap week, and it hasn’t really got off the ground yet, it being only Monday night when I am writing this. There had been a bit of a build-up I have to admit. Firstly one or our new neighbours has taken to wearing a Palestinian kafir around the street. Its mostly a Jewish Street where I live so that didn’t make me feel particularly happy and also begged the question, if they don’t like Jews why come and live amongst us? Unless of course they haven’t got a clue what they are talking – or rather wearing – about. Let’s go with that. I should just say now that there is going to be some ranting here, not least because I am so angry about these various incidents. You have been warned.
Then more articles in the Jewish press from supposed leaders or former leaders where they feel compelled (really?) to write about food or lack of it in Gaza and demanding Israel take action. No acknowledgement of course about this being the result of Hamas’s action, that would be too simple. No, this particular article talked about moral imperatives and how there were reliable reports from Gaza. You just could not make this rubbish up. Seriously, if you put that narrative together for a book or film you would just be laughed at.
What next? Ah yes, the Board of Deputies of British Jews. I used to be a deputy so have some knowledge here, but it was a few years ago so things might have changed. Or not. There is an emergency meeting tomorrow (Tuesday) night to discuss the humanitarian crisis. I am going to make a little prediction here. The meeting probably will not be live streamed so we won’t know what is being said and there will be a statement which criticises Israel. There will be passing reference to Hamas but it will be Israel that gets it in the neck, ie the crisis is down to Israel and they need to fix it. Or something like that. Honestly, I am so fed up with most of the Jewish leadership in the UK and their supine attitude I could weep.
So, with all of this as a background I was hoping for an okay day at work. I am a solicitor. Quick explanation for non-UK readers on what I do. Essentially when there is a dispute a client comes to me, and I start the ball rolling by writing letters. If that doesn’t work, I threaten legal action and still no result I then go to a barrister (specialist lawyer who goes to court regularly rather than me who is office based) and they put together the necessary papers. As you would expect, I use the same group of barristers regularly and we pretty much get along well. I say that because I had a metaphorical kick in the stomach. One of the barristers we use posted on LinkedIn about how badly they felt about the genocide in Gaza being perpetrated by Israel.
Work for me is largely an Israel free zone. I go into the office, speak to clients, write letters, get involved in legal proceedings, have lunch, do more of the same and then go home. Today was different. The post on LinkedIn hit right home. I felt as if someone had come into my room at work and hung up a massive Palestinian flag. It was the icing on the hideous cake which is now so widely available. Lies being told about Israel with impunity. Accounts from Hamas being taken at face value and Israelis disbelieved.
Everywhere I turned today there was bad news. At home the neighbour with the kafir. In London communal leaders lining up to blame Israel for something which was not their making. Incidentally I have no idea why, unless it is just more virtue signalling which I have to say has been pretty heavy of late. And now these bloody barristers. I forgot to say that another one from the same group had posted something just as ridiculous a couple of months ago. So here I am. Surrounded by people who hate Israel and Jews. I have long ago recognised that they are pretty much the same thing. Just look at social media. I never expected that things would get this bad, but they have. The levels of anti-Semitism continue to rise and are now getting embedded in the mainstream, something which I thought would never happen. Well, I got that wrong.
It is one thing to experience anti-Semitism through the BBC or social media, it is something quite different when it is right in front of you, as it has been for me. I don’t even have the comfort of our leaders standing up for themselves and me. Hopefully someone will speak with the kafir neighbour, the barristers might remove their posts and the Jewish leaders will say something sensible. My prediction is the first two might happen. As for the third. Two chances, fat chance and no chance. Just me being cynical. Maybe. Let’s wait and see. I don’t think we will need to wait that long.