By Phyllis Chesler
This is what a real resistance movement looks and sounds like. Feminists Against Antisemitism have principles that they put into action. They put their bodies at risk for the sake of standing up to racist evil. In this piece, Susan McDonnell asks where all the alleged British anti-racists are. Not a single individual, not a single group (all left-wing, all Jew-hating) turned up to stand with and for the Jews of the UK. I am posting some of her piece today.
I also highly recommend Eve Barlow’s kick-ass piece about the scandalous and shameless New York Times coverage of Israel. They are openly a mouthpiece for Hamas, Iran, Hezbollah, and Qatar–they are our very own Al Jazeera. I spent 23 years documenting their Big Lies about Israel and the Jews. Now, there are many others who are doing the heavy lifting. If I had a commanding officer, I would respectfully ask to be relieved of my post and re-directed to other missions.
A letter to my Anti-Racist Sisters
Susan McDonnell calls it what it is: anti‑racism that excludes Jews is not anti‑racism at all
Feminists Against Antisemitism
Dear anti-racist sisters,
I was so sorry not to see you on Sunday. The event slogan read “Britain stands with Britain’s Jews”. It was explicitly anti‑racist: a demonstration against Jew‑hatred. I hoped to see you because anti‑racism is supposed to mean showing up when a minority is under threat.
So I’ve been wondering why you weren’t there?
Maybe you were just scared?
Jewish events now require serious security because the hate marches are normalising violence, and that violence is no longer theoretical. The sight of Jews queuing within barriers to surrender their belongings for searches to take place had hideous, humiliating echoes. And it had to be a fortified static rally, not a march, almost certainly because it was easier to secure. That alone says something disturbing and the fear is grounded in unprecedented reality. Antisemitic incidents in the UK are at their second‑highest levels ever recorded. For the first time in modern history, Britain has seen fatal antisemitic terrorism on its own soil. Jews are now the most targeted religious group per capita in the country.I was scared, too – but I know my Jewish friends’ children go to school through double airlock security, their teenagers are shunned and face death threats at university, and their synagogues are guarded by professionals and by volunteers – friends of mine – for whom rotating security duty in stab‑proof vests has become routine. If I don’t stand up for my Jewish sisters, who will? Maybe next time I can help you find the courage. Solidarity has to mean something.
What does it tell you that this wasn’t an activist crowd?
Those gathered were of all ages, with a wide range of skin colours and from all classes. But I didn’t meet a single activist; ‘I’ve never done this sort of thing before,’ more than one person told me. There were no mantras; there was no ‘call-and-response’ chanting. Everyone I met expressed sadness that this was necessary, but was resigned to the inevitable fact: it is.The phrase that came to mind was ‘an atmosphere of quiet disquiet.’ It is in marked contrast to the jubilation I have seen at the pro-Palestinian marches.
Read it all here
First published in Phyllis’ Newsletter
