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Adam Sutcliffe

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Adam Sutcliffe,

adam sutcliffe

Analysis

Why everyone wants a piece of the Jews

Our historical dispute over what role we should play in the world has been exploited by both left and right — with polarising results

July 9, 2020 13:19
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5 min read

Why is everyone so preoccupied with us? Even amid a global pandemic Jewish matters have broken into the headlines. In the controversy over Rebecca Long-Bailey’s retweet and subsequent sacking by Sir Keir Starmer, the casual association of Israeli state violence with George Floyd’s murder in Maxine Peake’s initial tweet was widely seen as a reminder of the persistent susceptibility of the British left to Jewish conspiracy theories. Others argued that the degree of attention given to the incident reflected a disproportionate focus on antisemitism relative to other forms of prejudice. Whatever one’s view on the issue, Jews seemed in one way or another to be singled out for special attention.

International condemnations of Bibi Netanyahu’s push to annex parts of the West Bank, meanwhile, appear to some as yet another example of Israel being placed under uniquely intense scrutiny. American backing for the plan, though, is above all based on Donald Trump’s political need to appeal to the theological fascination of evangelical Christians with the Holy Land and the Jews who live there. Once again, from both ends of the political spectrum it seems that it is outside interest in this issue that makes it a very special case. For over 200 years many Jews have yearned simply to be considered and treated in the same way as everyone else – but this hope of normality remains as elusive as ever.

The complexities of ‘singling out’ lie at the heart of Judaism. In the biblical covenant God singles out the Jews as a ‘chosen people’, and much of the Jewish tradition is devoted to grappling with what that means. Talmudic sages and medieval rabbis interpreted the covenant as a divine promise of a future messianic age, when Jews would in some way lead the world into a transformed state of harmony and peace. This messianic destiny marked the Jews apart as special, and invested them with a unique purpose in the world.

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