The Board of Deputies has insisted a new campaign film it commissioned for use at events and to be shown to the wider public is a “positive and proactive” response to the rising level of antisemitism in Britain.
The six-minute video, which was first shown at the Board’s President’s Dinner in central London last month, features a teenage Jewish girl detailing her worries and fears over everyday life as instances of Jew-hate mount.
She is shown repeatedly posing the question “what if?” .
In one scene, the girl is filmed asking: “What if someone sees I go to a Jewish school and punches me?”
In another, the teenage actress, who says she is almost 16, is filmed wondering through streets in London in which a swastika has been daubed on a wall and a “Boycott Israel Apartheid” sticker has been placed on a bus stop.
The film highlights the role played by the Board in “standing up” for the interests of the Jewish community.
The teenager is shown explaining how the Board was instrumental in getting an unnamed MP to change their views and publically apologise and admit “it was wrong” to be antisemitic.
The Board is also credited with stopping Amazon from selling Holocaust denial books and doing vital work to improve relations with the Muslim community.
Later the teenager says of the Board: “What if they didn’t exist – what would happen then? Whatever way you see it, it’s my future, my family’s.
“All of us here – that’s what they’re fighting for? What if they couldn’t do what we needed them to do? What’s our future then?”
The film was posted on the Board’s Facebook page on Monday.
One community figure told the JC they feared the film reflected the “negative feedback loop within the community right now”.
But Gillian Merron, Board chief executive, said: “We commissioned the film for our flagship President's Dinner and other events throughout the year and have been heartened by the response to its creativity and thought-provoking messages.
“Many in our community are concerned by the record levels of antisemitism, political polarisation and debate – recent events at Labour Party conference are a good example.
“While recognising the nervousness many people feel, the video also puts forward the positive and proactive responses taken by our organisation to combat prejudice, build bridges and ensure that government, the media and others are aware of the concerns and positions of the Jewish community.
“At the heart of all our work is our desire to ensure a vibrant and strong Jewish future in our country. We want this innovative film to impact and start conversations and debate.”
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