The Corbyn years were dark ones for Britain’s Jews.
Keir Starmer improved matters. He pushed Labour away from the antisemitism that had become impossible to ignore.
But many British Jews feel his actions never matched his words.
Some would summarize his legacy this way:
Less antisemitism inside Labour.
More antisemitism outside it.
I recently returned from a family visit to the UK. While there, I spoke at a synagogue, sharing my story of surviving October 7.
Several people told me I was brave.
I told them they were the brave ones.
I live in Israel. I don’t need security to enter a synagogue.
They do.
I don’t think twice before donning my big beautiful Star of David and my Hamsa with the engraving: “I’m that Zioness-on-the-border Jew”.
Some of them do.
What stayed with me wasn’t what I said.
It was what I heard:
Concern about rising antisemitism.
Concern about the direction of British society.
Concern about how much longer Jews will feel comfortable calling Britain home.
History teaches a consistent lesson:
When Jews no longer feel they have a future in a country, the problem is rarely the Jews.
Their departure is often a sign of moral failure, societal decline, and a nation losing confidence in its own values.
The writer (aka "Zioness on the Border" on social media) is a mother and a grandmother who since 1975 has been living and raising her family on Kibbutz Nirim along the usually paradisiacal, sometimes hellishly volatile border with the Gaza Strip. She founded and moderates a 14K-strong Facebook group named "Life on the Border with Gaza".
The writer blogs about the dreams and dramas that are part of border kibbutznik life. Until recently, she could often be found photographing her beloved region, which is exactly what she had planned to do at sunrise, October 7th. Fortunately, she did not go out that morning. As a result, she survived the murderous terror infiltrations of that tragic day, hunkering down in her safe room with her 33-year-old son for 11 terrifying hours. So many of her friends and neighbors, though, were not so lucky. More than she can even count.
Adele was an educator for 38 years in her regional school, and has been one of the go-to voices of the Western Negev when escalations on the southern border have journalists looking for people on the ground. On October 7, her 95% Heaven transformed into 100% Hell. Since then she has given a multitude of interviews, going abroad on seven missions in support of Israel and as an advocate for her people. In addition to fighting the current wave of lies and blood libels about the Jewish state, she is raising money to help restore their Paradise so that members of her kibbutz can return to their homes on the border, where they can begin to heal.
If you wish to learn more about how you can help her and her community return home, please feel free to drop her a line.
