I am, by nature, an optimist – my glass is not just full, but usually overflowing. I look for possibility and opportunity instead of obstacles and challenges. It is a quality that has shaped my leadership of Jewish Women’s Aid (JWA).
But since 7 October 2023, and the rise in antisemitism, that optimism has been tested. Like many British Jews, I have watched the rise in antisemitism with growing alarm. The attacks on Jewish communities, synagogues and communal spaces have created a level of fear that many of us never imagined we would experience in this country.
I am a deeply proud of our vibrant community and its contribution to British life. Yet it has been a dark time for our community.
My own synagogue, Finchley Reform Synagogue, was the target of an attempted arson attack. Like many Jewish parents, I have found myself having conversations with my teenage children about their safety and about how openly Jewish they want to be in public.
As CEO of JWA, I have also seen the impact on the women and children we support – women already living with the trauma of domestic abuse and sexual violence, who now find that sense of fear extending beyond their homes and into public life. I have seen it in my colleagues too. Conversations about security have become routine.
For Jewish women experiencing domestic abuse and sexual violence, the impact can be especially acute. At JWA, we know that one in three UK Jewish women will experience domestic abuse. As a specialist Jewish service, we understand the additional barriers many women face, from concerns around obtaining a Get to fears about stigma and isolation.
Within JWA, I can be confident that Jewish women are supported in a space that understands those realities. But for those Jewish victim-survivors who access mainstream violence against women and girls services, I cannot say the same for every space they may enter. Nor can I say it for every member of my staff team working across the wider sector. Our responsibility as a sector is to ensure that every woman can seek support safely, regardless of her faith or background.
In recent years, there have been moments when Jewish women - and indeed some of our own staff - have felt unsafe, misunderstood or excluded within wider VAWG spaces. At a time when the sector is rightly focused on anti-racism and inclusion, we must be willing to acknowledge that antisemitism forms part of that conversation too. Jewish women deserve the same safety, dignity and belonging as any other woman seeking support.
At JWA, we sit at the intersection of the Jewish community and the violence against women and girls (VAWG) sector. Following the Golders Green attack, and inspired by the leadership of many communal colleagues, I found myself asking what should our response be?
Like many Jewish organisations, we have received private messages of kindness and concern over the last three years. What we had never done was ask those same people to stand publicly with us.
There was a nervousness about making the ask. Asking publicly felt risky. We worried how people would respond. We worried about silence.
We often talk about allyship as though it is entirely the responsibility of the ally. Sometimes, however, solidarity requires an invitation
At JWA, one of our values is being brave and bold. So, I decided to be brave enough to ask.
With a mixture of hope and trepidation, I wrote an open letter inviting VAWG sector leaders to stand in solidarity with the Jewish community against antisemitism.
Pressing send took real courage but what happened next surprised me. Almost 80 organisations and leaders signed the letter. Among them were some of the most influential organisations in the sector, Muslim, Sikh and Christian organisations, Black and minoritised women's organisations, campaigners, survivor advocates and women's organisations from across the country.
We often talk about allyship as though it is entirely the responsibility of the ally. Sometimes, however, solidarity requires an invitation. By asking, we created an opportunity. The message was clear: You are not alone.
For JWA, that support has been profoundly reassuring. But I believe its significance extends beyond a list of signatures.
It demonstrates that antisemitism cannot sit outside conversations about racism and inclusion. Jewish women should not be excluded from those conversations.
More importantly, it creates an opportunity for deeper and sometimes difficult conversations about how antisemitism manifests, why it is often misunderstood, and how we can challenge it together. If Jewish women are to feel truly safe accessing support across the VAWG sector, then antisemitism must be recognised as part of our anti-racist practice, not separate from it. Genuine allyship is not just about signing a letter; it is about being willing to learn, listen and hold ourselves and each other accountable.
The fear currently being felt across much of the Jewish community is real. A letter does not change that. But it has shown me that solidarity is still possible.
Sometimes, you have to be brave enough to ask. There are organisations, leaders and communities willing to stand alongside British Jews. And that gives me hope.
Jewish Women’s Aid: jwa.org.uk or click here
Sam Clifford is the CEO of Jewish Women’s Aid
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