Forum Topic

Antisemitism

"The term ‘antisemitism’ is being weaponised and stripped of meaning – and that’s incredibly dangerous"by Rachel Shabi"When the international criminal court issued arrest warrants for Israeli officials in November, the response from the country’s government was all too familiar. The prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, rejected outright the warrants for alleged war crimes in Gaza against him and the former defence minister Yoav Gallant, calling them “an antisemitic decision”. The ultranationalist national security adviser, Itamar Ben-Gvir, declared that the court had shown “once again that it is antisemitic through and through”. And the transport minister, Miri Regev, chimed in, claiming: “This is modern antisemitism in the guise of justice.”Bleakly, none of this was a surprise. Over a year into Israel’s assault on Gaza, which some experts have described as a genocide, accusations of antisemitism raised to counter criticism of Israel have gone into overdrive. Such claims have been made against protesters crying out for an end to the bloodshed in Gaza and against the UN and aid agencies warning of a humanitarian catastrophe. They have been levelled at global news channels and the international court of justice; against actors, artists, pop stars and even British-Jewish film-makers. So sweepingly and speech-chillingly are such claims made by Israel’s diehard defenders that the very term “antisemitism” is losing its meaning. It is exactly as the British-Jewish philosopher Brian Klug warned 20 years ago: “When antisemitism is everywhere, it is nowhere.” Blanket misuse has, troublingly, turned the term into a feature on an Israeli politician’s lingo-bingo scorecard."https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/dec/31/antisemitism-israel-gaza-war-right

David Ainsworth ● 70d31 Comments

'Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson was last night accused of taking a ‘simplistic’ approach after she said that top exam results alone will not make children ‘happy’. Laying out her vision for schooling in her first address to academy trust leaders since Labour came to power, Mrs Phillipson said that while a string of A* grades may ‘open important doors’, pupils need a ‘wider’ set of goals for a ‘healthy and happy life’.In a clear swipe at the Tories’ former regime, she accused them of having ‘tunnel vision’ when it comes to exam results - and said she wanted to promote ‘collaboration’ rather than ‘competition’.She has called for a review of the school syllabus and the emphasis to be placed by schools on teaching in general.She is to be aided in this by a committee lead by Professor Becky Francis.Prof Francis, who criticised the Tony Blair government for “an obsession with academic achievement”, and the committee leading the review are now considering proposals suggested by teaching unions, school groups, think tanks and Royal Societies.From Andrew Pierce in Mailonline - "Labour appoints academic (Prof Becky Francis) who specialises in equality and gender issues and accused the Tories of being obsessed with improving exam grades in charge of overhauling school curriculum"On her watch, the conventional orthodoxy on education will be turned upside down, with less reliance on rote learning and even less emphasis on exam grades.Don't take my word for it, just note what Francis wrote with co‑author Louise Archer in her 2006 book about schools, ­Understanding Minority Ethnic Achievement: Race, Gender, Class and 'Success'.In the preface, they say: 'Our intention is to help lever social justice concerns back into mainstream educational debates that have been dominated by the neo‑liberal language of 'quality' – in which concerns with ­'equality' have been evacuated and consigned to the margins.'So the new education supremo is more concerned about equality than quality. Improving grades will take second place to tackling so-called injustice.In the book, Francis also despairs over what she regards as the then Labour government's 'obsession with academic achievement'. She wrote: 'This is amply illustrated by the proliferation of testing regimes, academic league tables and the regular high profile publication of achievement statistics, from children's earliest years through to GCSEs. 'Indeed, we would assert that achievement is not just an educational issue for the current government it is the educational issue.'

John Hawkes ● 67d

Even fewer children will now get the opportunity to learn Latin as they are forced to leave private education due to the increased cost of fees which their parents can no longer afford. Not sure how many (if any) state secondary schools provide the option of Latin?

Lucille Grant ● 67d

Jane I completely agree with you about Latin.  The logical way in which sentences are formed and translated and trying to work out what words in English and several other languages mean is often helped by a knowledge of Latin.  We definitely need plenty and a wide mix of people to have the Latin for the judging.

Philippa Bond ● 67d

"Well mankind would if it were sensible."Well we aren't sensible.

David Ainsworth ● 68d

Well I dont claim any ‘deep and meaningful’ credit but I did actually work for the Latin programme in state schools and I would strongly oppose the plan to abolish it. The whole point was that it was not elitist; the children, many from poor areas, loved it and were fully engaged. There was ample evidence that it helped in the learning of other languages and English. However, if it goes, then learning of Latin will be entirely elitist as it will be only accessible for children in private, grammar and a few Catholic schools.

Jane Carter ● 68d

Of course John Hawkes' reply was an attempt to take the conversation away from the point.  We are after all supposed to learn from history and not repeat its failings.  Well mankind would if it were sensible.  Not watch it being recreated again and again.

Philippa Bond ● 68d

I think the original poster was in truth using this quote to criticise Israel for the destruction caused as it fights in Gaza to destroy its enemy Hamas.But also to show how deep and meaningful his posts must be as he can speak Latin.

John Hawkes ● 68d

"Mr Google tells me it means "Where they create a desert, they call it peace"."Weh mi did too. Yuh did tink seh mi did have much knowledge a Latin?

David Ainsworth ● 68d

"perhaps David would like to provide a translation?"For e=mc² ?I'm sorry but I have no knowledge of Einstein speech. More to the point nor does Google Translate. It would appear just above English and Esperanto in their table.

David Ainsworth ● 68d

Mr Google tells me it means "Where they create a desert, they call it peace".

Jonathan Callaway ● 68d

Was that a trap to take this thread off topic? And, of course, it's lost on those of us who didn't have the benefit of a classical education - although I'm sure if I loaded the Latin module Google translate would tell me.Still, I had to tell someone on LinkedIn that e=mc² is the complete equation for mass/energy conversion but I did have the decency to follow up with an explanation ... perhaps David would like to provide a translation?

Michael Ixer ● 68d

'Ubi solitudinem faciunt pacem appellant'.Where did you achieve such classical erudition ?Perhaps you should keep such learning to yourself.Labour thinks Latin is too 'elitist' and is scrapping 'a programme, successfully launched by the Conservative’s Former Education Secretary Gavin Williamson, aimed to democratise access to Latin, a subject often dismissed as “elitist.” It brought classical studies to over 40 state schools, largely in economically deprived areas, and reached over 5,000 pupils—one-third of whom are eligible for free school meals.However, in an abrupt decision, the Department for Education (DfE) under Labour has announced the scheme will end in February, with funding terminated from March 1. Schools have been left scrambling to mitigate the fallout, as the programme supported teacher salaries, created training resources, and funded educational trips to Roman heritage sites and Rome itself'.This could certainly cause problems as these pupils will now have to join the already crowded 'Post-colonial studies' and 'Diversity, Equity and Inclusion training' classes.  But of course we are assured there will be 6,500 new teachers potentially available to teach these subjects resulting from the imposition of VAT on private school fees.

John Hawkes ● 68d

Ubi solitudinem faciunt pacem appellant

David Ainsworth ● 68d

Hopefully an end to rockets flying in and the hostages brought home.

Robert Wheeler ● 68d

As usual Steven you most eloquently explain the current situation in Israel/Gaza. Thank you.

Lucille Grant ● 68d

I wish you were right. But, as I think you yourself said, neither Hamas nor Netanyahu want peace, they want victory. God knows what victory would look like.

Jane Carter ● 68d

The figure of 45 000 which you you quote, Jane , is the total number of people killed in Gaza, of whom, according to the Israelis, almost half are Hamas militants. The scale of destruction in Gaza is awful. But there would almost certainly be a ceasefire if Hamas returned the hostages.

Steven Rose ● 69d

There are none so blind as those who will not see.Hamas has been compared to the mythical hydra as the longterm treatment of and killing of Palestinians is thought to be just increasing and exacerbating the problems for everyone.

Philippa Bond ● 69d

The people in Gaza that are being targeted are not the normal Palestinians that live there but the cowardly male members of Hamas who merge into their society and use them as human shields in their attempt to bring down Israel.That’s no doubt true but more than 45,000 ‘normal Palestinians that live there’ have been killed and many more injured and left homeless. The criticism of Israel by and large is not against the country per se or against Jews, though some undoubtedly is, but of this terrible loss of life and mass destruction. There’s also of course the danger that this mass killing, far from eliminating Hamas, is acting as a recruiting sergeant.

Jane Carter ● 69d

'To really deal with any problem it is necessary to stop shadow boxing and struggle against the toxic core: the settler takeover of the state, settlements and occupation'.More biased analysis.Some might have thought a more toxic core is the desire of certain Palestinian groups to annihilate the state of Israel.Anyone else getting bored by this man's fixation on and hatred of Israel in his posts to the exclusion of any other geo-political issue ?Why does he act this way and for what purpose ?

John Hawkes ● 69d

'Over a year into Israel’s assault on Gaza, which some experts have described as a genocide'.'Genocide is violence that targets individuals because of their membership of a group and aims at the destruction of a people'.The people in Gaza that are being targeted are not the normal Palestinians that live there but the cowardly male members of Hamas who merge into their society and use them as human shields in their attempt to bring down Israel.Read their Charter.

John Hawkes ● 69d

'Does Israel get more criticism than other states that commit atrocities?'Yes of course it does.On this Forum and the wider media.As I have pointed out before - 'However there are no posts from him I can recall on China's treatment of the Muslim Uyghurs, nor the massacres between black African tribes in Sudan, Chad and the 'Democratic' Republic of Congo often involving the Islamist group Boko Haram.And let's not forget the Turkish oppression of the Kurds.No, all we get are attacks on Israel, ironically itself under attack by Palestinian Arabs.I can only assume these other conflicts are of no interest to him and are viewed as petty in nature'.

John Hawkes ● 69d

Yes, good letters under the Engel article too:-"Yosef Engel should have realized by now that anything which interferes with the settler agenda of grabbing more land (or that calls p Netanyahu to accountability) will not happen. A hostage deal could end the present war but settlers need war to facilitate land grabs. So—no hostage deal. If Yosef Engel asks "what country is this?" The answer is settlers's world—not his country. The time to have stopped this settler takeover was years ago. Where was Yosef Engel then? And now will Yosef Engel just shadow box by struggling for a hostage deal? To really deal with any problem it is necessary to stop shadow boxing and struggle against the toxic core: the settler takeover of the state, settlements and occupation. That is what is necessary. Otherwise there will be no country to ask about.""I really admire Mr Engl's persistence and courage. His grandson Ofir is home, yet he continues to tirelessly advocate on behalf of all those still in captivity.""Sad that it took such a dire state of affairs to wake this one person out of his torpor. Just how bad will it have to get before the rest have their eyes opened, one wonders."

David Ainsworth ● 69d

Mr RoseAnother excellent analysis of a complex situation.However I am afraid it will have no effect on the fixed and one sided views and comments of certain posters on this topic for whom 'Israel bashing' seems to be a daily exercise routine.But not unfortunately one for the brain.

John Hawkes ● 69d

The desire on the part of the families of the remaining hostages to get a deal  is understandable. Unfortunately the price demanded by Hamas for their return, namely that Israeli forces should quit Gaza, is too high, for it would leave Hamas free to regroup, rearm and continue their attacks on Israel. No Israeli Prime Minister could agree to that and neither could the Prime Minister of any country threatened by an implacable enemy.But to return to the question of antisemitism (though I am not sure David Ainsworth is interested because he has already started another thread), the habitual critics of Israel include some antisemites as well as Jews embarrassed by their heritage. But I would hesitate to use labels of this kind against individuals, particularly individuals I don’t know personally. It is safer to examine what people say rather than speculate about what they are.  In my opinion, however,  some of the comments posted about Israel on the Forum, perhaps unthinkingly, fall within or come close to the examples of antisemitism given by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. These include 1) suggesting that Israel is guilty of ‘genocide’ and is seeking ‘lebensraum’ in Gaza, both of which make an implicit comparison between the Israelis and the Nazis2) denying Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state , which is equivalent to the view that Zionism is a ‘racist endeavour’3) accusing Israel of weaponising the Holocaust4) holding Israel to a higher standard of behaviour than other nations.

Steven Rose ● 69d

My thoughts are with the hostages and their families not states, governments & politicians.But ultimately we should be holding our own government to account and do not vote or support parties that support extremism where ever that is. This means demanding more transparency and sunlight into murky areas that governments would rather remain hidden.Does Israel get more criticism than other states that commit atrocities?Yes I think it does. But that doesn't mean the criticism is unjustified it just means other states are/have done much worse. That includes the UK & the US. Perhaps they were not blatant about it and dressed it up as "collateral damage" but the end is the same. Minority communities wiped off the planet, people displaced, mass refugees and immense human suffering beyond comprehension. "100 Hostages, 454 Days in Captivity | 'It's Hard to Believe How Hostages' Families Are Treated. Is This My Country?'Yosef Engel, whose grandson Ofir Engel was released in a hostage deal last year, attends every hostage-related protest in Jerusalem, but he rarely sees any Knesset members there. 'They say they're in favor of a deal. Great – do something!'"https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2025-01-02/ty-article/.premium/its-hard-to-believe-how-hostages-families-are-treated-is-this-my-country/00000194-2751-da14-adb7-777da5c70000

Ed Robinson ● 69d

I don’t personally believe that every critic of Israel is motivated by antisemitism, though some undoubtedly are, notably the Islamist groups who organise the demonstrations in London. But in the final analysis the motivation  of the critics is relatively unimportant. What matters is whether their criticism is justified. I don’t think it is. The fact is that for over twenty years Israel has been the target of attacks from Hamas, a fanatical terrorist organisation whose avowed aim is to destroy the State of Israel and exterminate its Jewish population. These attacks culminated in the massacre of October 7 in which two thousand Israelis died. As a result tens of thousands of Israelis have been forced to abandon their homes in the south of the country. In my view Israel has the right to eliminate the threat from Hamas, who have promised to repeat the massacre ‘again and again’. What the critics of Israel - the protesters, the International Court of Justice, the actors, the artists, the Jewish film-makers, the ‘Guardian’ journalists including Rachel Shabi - have failed to explain what else Israel should do to eliminat3 the terrorists, recover the hostages and allow Israelis to return to their homes. Until these critics present an alternative, their criticism is pointless.

Steven Rose ● 69d

I really wonder whether this whole Israel discussion has become somewhat  pointless. Any criticism of Israel by non Jews is seen as anti semitic and by Jews as self hating.

Jane Carter ● 69d

An anti Semitic Jew who writes for the Guardian. I'm well aware that there are self hating Jews in the Jewish community. As I have already stated the Guardian is one of the most anti Semitic papers around. And of course they will find a Jewish writer who agrees with them.

Lucille Grant ● 70d

"I just love it when non Jewish people tell Jews what is and what isn't antisemitism. And quote the Guardian to boot - among the most antisemitic periodicals you can find."Wikipedia:- "Rachel Shabi is a British journalist and author. She is a contributing writer to The Guardian and the author of Not the Enemy, Israel's Jews from Arab Lands.Early lifeBorn in Israel to Iraqi Jewish parents in Ramat Gan, Shabi grew up in the UK. She studied politics and literature at the University of Edinburgh."None of the words are mine. They are hers.The Guardian - "among the most antisemitic periodicals you can find."

David Ainsworth ● 70d

I just love it when non Jewish people tell Jews what is and what isn't antisemitism. And quote the Guardian to boot - among the most antisemitic periodicals you can find.

Lucille Grant ● 70d