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Groups 'need more unified message' to fight antisemitism that is 'worst since Second World War', JLC chair says

Jonathan Goldstein says organisations are not 'maximizing our resources' and problem is 'getting out of control'

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Jewish organisations must find a "more unified message" in the face of growing antisemitism that is the worst since the Second World War, the chair of the Jewish Leadership Council has said.

Jonathan Goldstein said anti-Jewish racism was "a disease which is threatening to be out of control" but that Jewish groups were not “maximizing our resources as a global people".

"The future of global Jewry is under threat to an extent which it has never been since the end of the Second World War," he said in an interview with the Times of Israel.

Moving on to talk about the Jewish response to the situation, he added: "Our major organisations are so at war with each other in a global sense; they are so disparate.

"There are so many different narratives. Just last month, to have competing Holocaust memorial events in Jerusalem, with so many world leaders showing support, and in Krakow at the same time is, to me, a missed opportunity.

"We could and should have sent a more unified message."

Mr Goldstein, who was one of the main organisers of the Enough Is Enough rally against Labour antisemitism in March 2018, suggested British Jewish groups were too slow to call Jeremy Corbyn an antisemite, saying: "We took it slowly. We hit the easy ground."

He added they had focussed on calling out more overt, "classic" antisemitism but needed to do more against the "modern" type of anti-Zionism.

He revealed that people were asked not to bring Israeli flags to the Enough is Enough demonstration, saying: "We didn’t want to confuse the messaging at the time. Now, it’s different.

"When you look at world Jewry today, we can no longer afford in 2020 to avoid the tough questions. We, as the global Jewish community, including Israel, have to have a much better narrative.

"We have to be braver about addressing this pernicious level of anti-Zionism, because it is getting out of control."

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