3 min read
Jews and Pride
According to the last census, British Jews were about two-fifths more likely to identify as LGB than the national average, and almost three times as likely as British Muslims to say they’re gay, lesbian or bi. Despite this, the country’s largest Jewish charity has once again felt compelled to withdraw from the vast London Pride festival, feeling that the organisers were not taking action against antisemitism on the march.
This sorry saga is a disgrace, and it underlines how certain, limited yet influential, sections of the LGBTQ+ community leadership, particularly modern far-left incarnations, have become obsessed with Israel at the expense of what they should be focusing on: inclusivity and equality for all gays, lesbians and bisexuals in society, irrespective of their background.
Happily, a huge number of individual gay and bi people despise the far-left organisation of events, but they should speak up more about the radical anti-Western and antisemitic narratives that are being promoted, rather than simply not attending.
Sebastian Monblat
Lonson SE14
As a disabled, queer, Jewish person, I feel deep concern and horror at Keshet’s withdrawal from Pride due to what has been described as systematic failures within the organisation.
Pride is meant to champion equality, intersectionality, and justice. There is no place for prejudice in a space that should be rooted in solidarity and inclusion, especially not from a group that claims to advocate for those of us living at the intersections of multiple marginalised identities. This not only undermines trust but also alienates the very people Pride is meant to support. I urge them to reflect on the impact this has on their community and take meaningful steps to rebuild integrity, transparency, and true allyship.
Nikki Dean
London SW19
Antisemitism on the right
The opinion piece by Shany Mor ( What Britain’s Corbyn era can teach American Jews, April 25) posits antisemitism as a leftist ideology. Anyone with actual knowledge of the history knows that is false to the point of absurdity.
Antisemitism is not a creature of any political ideology, right or left, but a product of xenophobia and populism. Two millennia of history show this.Those seeking to blame only the left avoid or even deny the prominence of antisemitism on the far right. That includes the Trump camp. There are none so blind as those who refuse to see.
As a pulpit rabbi who has fought all forms of bigotry for a long lifetime, I can see how antisemitism is worse now than ever before in my lifetime. I grew up in Skokie, Illinois in the 1950s and experienced it in the schoolyard and even the classroom.
The politics of dividing Jews on antisemitism is dangerous. When will Jewish publications with a rightward bias take on the antisemites in your political camp? Or are you waiting for the next Tree of Life massacre?
Rabbi Philip J Bentley
Hendersonville, North Carolina
Scoring against hate
A young Israeli footballer, Manor Solomon, by scoring the winning goal for Leeds United, in the last seconds of the match, has done more in the fight against antisemitism, than 10,000 banner waving, slogan chanting demonstrators. As the ancient Essex fathers said: “It’s what you do, more than what you say.”
Barrington Black
London NW3.
Motoring on
Your contributor Angela Epstein (What makes a car Jewish? I mean, how long you got? April 25) can take heart: there is an electric Volvo: it’s called a Polestar.
Our Polestar is serving us brilliantly but the most important aspect - to us at least - is that it’s so cheap to run. Our previous - and much loved - Saab was costing us about 19p per mile in fuel to run. Our Polestar costs us about 5p per mile. The secret is to charge overnight during the cheaper tariffs. We couldn’t afford to have a conventional car now. There’s food for thought!
Harry Hicks.
Norfolk.
How interesting to read (Letters May 2) that whilst Benz was credited with the car’s invention, it was the Jewish Siegfried Marcus who first built one. There is a parallel with penicillin: although Fleming discovered it, it was Florey and the Jewish Ernst Chain who made penicillin usable, having discovered its therapeutic action by isolating its germ-killing agent. Chain had only arrived in Britain from Germany less than ten years before with £10 in his pocket.
Peter Fineman
Wiltshire