Rabbi Birnbaum’s holiday landlord
Rabbi Birnbaum’s article (My holiday landlord realised we were Jewish. This is what happened next, Jewish Chronicle June 26 ) is an incredible snapshot of the modern Jewish experience in Britain. His reposte was eloquent and restrained albeit, unsurprisingly, ineffective against those who have swallowed the hate narrative of the anti-zionists.
However, I take issue with one argument he uses which falls into the trap of modern antizionist racism. While the Holocaust and Dutch collaboration with the Nazis provides a clear and accurate counterpoint it does, nonetheless, fall into the antizionist antisemitic trap of drawing a comparison between Israel’s actions and those of the Nazis. This is what makes modern antizionist argument so malicious and racist in itself. It seeks to undermine and deny to Jews even the ability to define hatred of themselves and to accuse Jews of what has been done to them to preempt such accusations against the racists themselves.
I firmly believe that to counter the surge in antisemitism in Britain and across the west the community and its allies must propagate the notion that antizionism is racism. Motions must be put to councils, elected officials lobbied, coalition allies persuaded, IHRA definition pushed, Jewish culture and history in education curriculum. The list goes on. This is what the Jewish communities leaders should be organising and facilitating. They must move to the offensive, and “antizionism is racism” can be the vehicle.
Joel Sugarman,
London SE9
Having read the article in yesterday’s Jewish Chronicle, in which a rabbi found himself questioned by a landlord in France, I feel I need to respond.
I am myself a French citizen,having been born in the south west of France. If my name was Zola,I would write a big J’accuse!
I am deeply troubled by what happened and that it happened in my country, on my watch, as it were. The country of liberté,égalité, fraternité!
I have never written to any newspaper before, in this country or in my country of origin. I have never bought the JC before (I am a Christian). The reason I am doing so today is that I am very aware of what can happen when people remain quiet when bad things are done to others. I have a question: what can someone like me do about such discrimination? Can the anger I feel be put to good use? Would you tell me how?
Monique Davis
Nottingham
Middle east manoeuvres
Middle East manoeuvres
As he dissected JD Vance in the Gulf may we look forward to Dominic Green reviewing Marc Rubio being more successful in Lebanon (Why the Carlsonese-speaking JD Vance is trashing Israel to defend the Iran deal, JC June 26)
Meanwhile there is a parallel with the Sinai/Suez Campaign of 1956. Israel was harassed by Egypt’s fedayeen as by Hezbollah these two decades, but was restrained by size, resources and US politics from “knocking Nasser’s for six.” When Britain and France also wanted to settle a score in Cairo they piggy backed their vengeance on Israel’s. The US objected to assert its leadership and show the USSR it could manage “the West”.
This year we have seen the US play both the Franco-British piggy back excuse – and Israeli prowess – as well as its own role but that more in Munich style – so far. What happens if Iran provokes further campaigning especially as Trump has snubbed most of the US allies will be interesting, but the result we have to all go “green” quickly and rebuild all our capabilities for our independences.
Frank Adam
Manchester
Why is Vance calling for Israel to take action? Israel was not involved in negotiating the US-Iran Memo Of Understanding.
The MOU was produced by America, Iran and a group of Islamic states. Israel was not included and cannot be dictated to after the fact.
If America and Iran wanted Israel’s involvement, they would have invited it in.
Israel is a sovereign nation. It has its own agenda, which includes eliminating the Hamas and Hezbollah savages who committed heinous war-crimes against its people and are attacking it daily.
JD Vance and others, dragging Israel into the discussion, are in effect setting Israel up to be blamed if their deal fails, which it will, because Iran is deviant. This is classic Jew-hatred. It is beneath the values our Western democracies are based upon.
Jacques Fortier
Montreal
Bear essentials
Your article on Winnie-the-Pooh (Winnie-the-Jew, JC Magazine, June 26) failed to mention Pooh’s number one fan, my mother, the late Lady Frances Clinton-Davis. The Jewish Burial Society prevented us attributing the words “How lucky we are to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard” to her favourite bear but accepted the authorship of AA Milne on her stone. Her uncle, the late Arnold Silverstone took the title Lord Ashdown of Chelwood so Ashdown Forest is Jewish after all!
Susanna Clinton Fox
London N3
Out of tune
In the last few weeks I have had a Friday night dinner and Shabbat lunch in North London at very balabatisha homes.
On neither occasions were zemirot sang and grace after meals was like a grand prix race with an almost total lack of tuneful melodies .
What is happening to yiddishkeit in London?
Don’t even get me started on the shop bought challahs.
Llewellyn Gaba
Cardiff
Shehecheyanu?
Rarely does a month go by without a letter from one of your three most active correspondents: Shimon Cohen, Barry Hyman and Stan Labovitch. Last week (Letters, June 26) all three had letters published. Is there a blessing for such a special occasion?
David Finlay
London NW11
To get more from opinion, click here to sign up for our free Editor's Picks newsletter.