Keir Starmer – the day is short!

Last night we read about a reception held with Chief Rabbi Mirvis and PM Starmer at Downing Street. Jewish News article here.

I gave Keir Starmer a lot of slack. I was impressed with how he tried to root out antisemitism in the Labour Party. (I am aware of his inconsistencies when serving under Corbyn). What I couldn’t understand is why he did not apply the same passion to rooting out the anti-zionism of the past two years? Despite it coming two years late, I was pleased to see his comments at the event:

he ended by saying that in the same way he had rooted antisemitism out of the Labour Party he would now seek to do the same as he tackled Jew-hatred in wider society.

However, looking at his other statements at the event, it is clear that he still fundamentally doesn’t understand the problem. We don’t know what conversations the Chief Rabbi has in private, but I can only hope that he made some of the following points to the PM directly.

“We’ve got to defeat all ideologies of hatred against Jews, and that includes Islamist ideologies of hatred towards Jews—a political ideology distinct from Islam and abhorrent to the vast majority of Muslims. But we have to address that ideology. We have to recognise what it is and call it out for what it is.”

Is Islamism a political ideology distinct from Islam? Who decides? Is Catholic hatred of Jews a political ideology distinct from Christianity? Or has the historic interpretation and explanations of Islam/Christianity as those religions have developed, included antisemitism as foundational to those religion’s doctrines?  Isn’t that why the 1965 declaration of Nostra Aetate from the Catholic Church is so significant? Is there an Islamic equivalent?

Islam has a fundamental problem with Jews (and other religions), and this gets to the core of the Israel-Arab conflict ever since the earliest days, even before the State of Israel was established. Any amateur historian knows this.

Any survey of British Muslims will find an antagonistic attitude towards Israel, especially inflamed these past two years.  Which ultimately has led to the state we are in today, where British Jews are under attack. (Obviously globally, not just Britain).

Starmer stressed that some antisemitic sentiment is disguised as anti-Israel rhetoric.

Some 99% of of anti-Semitic sentiment you see online, or from MP’s, or on the streets is based on misinformation, fake news and lies about the war in Israel. Attacks on Jews and Jewish community, plots discovered in the past two years have been 99% Islamist (some sponsored by Iran). It would almost be a pleasant break to have some good old skinheads, white BNP antisemitism that I grew up with in my childhood, back. That often led to some broken windows, some broken eggs, some traditional beating up of Jews (I once had a mouthful of beer spat in my face) – much less lethal than the Islamic State shit we are seeing these days.

“We need to reach out to Muslims, we have to make that bridge. The vast majority of Muslims absolutely abhor these attacks,” he said.

He is 100% right. In the same way Holocaust education has become a part of the national curriculum, we must make basic Zionist/Israel education part of the national curriculum. Why are the Jews fundamentally linked to Israel? What is Jewish history? Most importantly, zero tolerance for anti Israel sentiment. Critique of governments and policies yes. Obsessive conspiracy theory, singling out and anti semitic rhetoric against the Jewish state, no! He is right and I am sure British Muslims abhor terror attacks on civilians, no one wants to go to a music concert and get blown up. However, sadly, hatred of Israel, IDF, Israelis is most likely the norm for 95% of British Muslims. This, IS the issue. Tackling this, IS the call of our times. Until it is faced up to and dealt with, nothing will change. In fact it will only get worse.

It is time to update the Holocaust Education curriculum. Enough generalising, universalising the Holocaust – we need to double down on the “Jewish” aspect of the Holocaust and understand the history of Jew Hatred (Christian) and the mutation of Jew hatred (Islamic) – as brilliantly outlined by the late Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks. This needs to be highlighted on television, at the public Holocaust remembrance ceremonies and most importantly in schools.

We need to reject the imposition of islamaphobia every time the word antisemitism is mentioned. Why are these two things being grouped together? Again, this is taking away from antisemitism and the history of Jew hatred. I can guarantee you one thing, if society can solve the antisemitism problem, then flowing from that you will also solve many other bigotries affecting society. Instead of islamophobia, we must tackle Islam and encourage the moderate voices that genuinely do preach a peaceful Islam, one that is at peace with liberal democratic Britain and also at peace with Zionist Israel and the Jewish community.

This is the work of the day that Keir Starmer must lead and the day is short!

Rabbi Tarfon would say: The day is short, the work is much, the workers are lazy, the reward is great, and the Master is pressing. (Ethics of Our Fathers 2:15)