Letters to the Editor, December 26 2025

It should have been a moment of warmth, pride, and shared joy. Instead, I was shaken to see armed police standing guard. I am grateful for the protection, but deeply saddened that a peaceful religious celebration required it.

No one should have to celebrate their faith while fearing for their safety.

Seeing this made the reality of antisemitism painfully clear. It is not distant or abstract – it is here, and it affects real people gathering simply to mark traditions, teach their children, and share light in dark times. That is heartbreaking.

I am writing to say that many of us who are not Jewish see this and refuse to be silent. When Jewish people are targeted, it is not only a Jewish issue – it is a human one.

Your fear matters. Your grief matters. Your right to live openly and safely matters.

Please know there are non-Jews who stand with you, in solidarity and care.

May the light of Chanukah continue to shine as a symbol of resilience and hope. With heartfelt support and solidarity,

Sharon Scully

Bootle

Merseyside

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I am writing to express my growing concern regarding the Jewish community’s response to the alarming rise in antisemitism across the country. While I appreciate the efforts of some that have been made to protest against these disturbing trends, I cannot help but feel that our actions lack the vitality and urgency required to effect real change. There seems to be a certain blandness to our protests, a lack of the necessary edge that might truly capture public attention and spur meaningful dialogue.

Moreover, it is disheartening to witness how few people, in relation to our national numbers, are drawn to these demonstrations. The relatively small numbers in attendance speak to a broader problem: a sense of apathy or perhaps a lack of confidence that our voices will be heard. This diminishes the impact of our collective outcry and fails to communicate the seriousness of the situation to the wider public.

Given these observations, I am left wondering: who, if anyone, apart from the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA), possesses the authority and capability to coordinate Jewish protests on a national scale? Where is the organisation or influential leader who might galvanise our community, unify our message, and ensure that our response is both robust and far-reaching? Without such powerful leadership, which, at the moment, appears to be sadly lacking, I fear that our protests will continue to be fragmented and ineffectual.

I urge the community and its leaders to reflect on these concerns and to consider how we might reinvigorate our activism. The challenges we face demand a response that is passionate and united. Let us strive to ensure that our protests are not only visible, but powerful enough to make a difference.

Jeffrey Leader MBE

Loughton

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The solution to the current wave of violent, murderous antisemitism, culminating in the massacre at Bondi Beach, Australia, is quite simple: Zionism.

I grew up in the East End of London in the 1950s and experienced violent, ignorant antisemitism. I have described these incidents in my book Amanuensis. I went to Cambridge and did a PhD and there I experienced polite antisemitism. After so many incidents I decided that antisemitism is inherent in English (Christian) culture and that I would not continue to live where I was not wanted.

I moved to the US and then to Israel. To those who say Israel is not safe for Jews, I say at least here we have Jewish police and a Jewish defence force that protects us very effectively. Yes, IDF soldiers are killed, but at least Jews are not being killed at the rate of 10,000 a day, as they were throughout Europe during the Holocaust.

In Israel, Jews can walk in the streets wearing their kippot and their prayer shawls without fear. They can’t do this any more in any of the so-called Western democracies. So I urge especially young Jews, of all religious persuasions, take the obvious step and make aliyah to Israel.

This is the best response to the hatred of the antisemites.

Jack Cohen

Beersheva

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Sir Keir Starmer would be mistaken to believe that photo ops of him and his wife lighting the menorah in the window of their home will diminish Jewish  anger that he refused to censor the genocidal street cry “globalise the intifada”. It will not.

Leila Cumber

London N3