Brexit fears are boosting antisemitism in Britain

The fear of the economic unknown has created fertile ground for Jeremy Corbyn’s hatred and a degree of legitimization of antisemitic incidents committed by Muslim immigrants.

By ODED REVIVI
Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May and the leader of opposition Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, attend an Armistice remembrance service at St Margaret’s Church in London on November 6, 2018 (photo credit: JOHN STILLWELL / POOL / VIA REUTERS)
Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May and the leader of opposition Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, attend an Armistice remembrance service at St Margaret’s Church in London on November 6, 2018
(photo credit: JOHN STILLWELL / POOL / VIA REUTERS)
The fears of Brexit and economic difficulties have unleashed an antisemitic demon in Britain. The opposition Labour Party is pointing an accusatory finger at the Jews, just as they did 80 years ago. Joining this release from all restraint are the many Muslims who have immigrated to Britain over the last few years.
The latest polls should spur us to prepare for a serious influx of British Jews making Aliyah.  The Britain that I once knew does not exist anymore. When I was a child, my parents served as emissaries of the Jewish Agency to Britain. I grew up there, made friends, and absorbed the culture before returning to Israel.
Later I returned to London for my academic studies. My wife made Aliyah from England and her family still lives there. I don’t recall ever having experienced an antisemitic incident there. It now appears though that the Britain I knew has completely changed. The Commission of the European Union recently published a survey which showed that 75% of British Jews feel that antisemitism has become a very large and serious problem. As a result a third of British Jewry is considering emigration due to the upsurge in antisemitism.
In the last year, we have encountered many antisemitic statements made by British Labor Party and opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn. Once treated as a fanatic,  he has now become a central, influential figure. When attending a conference of the “Center for Palestinian Return”, he didn’t hesitate to compare the Israeli presence in the West Bank to the Nazi occupation of Europe, saying that “we Europeans recognize occupation since we too have suffered similarly in World War II with checkpoints on roads, jailing, and irrational behavior of the army and police”. In another interview with Iranian TV he stated that “the BBC is under the pressure of the Israeli government.”
Corbyn’s reelection as Labour leader gives him a platform to spread his ideas. This along with the increase in antisemitic incidents perpetrated by Muslim immigrants, shows that Britain has a double problem: that of old fashioned classic antisemitism along with the increase in the number of Muslim immigrants who hold antisemitic beliefs.
Among Laboor Party members, Corbyn’s reelection has loosened the reins and many of them have joined him in making antisemitic statements. This includes statements such as those of Damien Enticott, a local Labour town councilor who posted on his Facebook page that “Jews are in the habit of sucking blood” and that “only Talmudic Jews do this, Talmudic Jews are parasites!”
Enticott and three other Labor members have been suspended from the party, but there are many others whose statements have not been condemned. All this leads to a movement of more and more Jews to the Conservative Party, in contrast to the last decades in which the Jewish community split its support between both parties.
As part of my job, I occasionally meet, Jewish and non-Jewish British representatives. From these conversations I get the impression that the fear of Brexit, i.e. the British withdrawal from the Eurozone, and the anxiety about the as-yet-unformulated policies that will accompany the exit are what fuels the latest waves of antisemitism. But history teaches that when there is an economic crisis and a need to find someone to blame, it is very easy to point a finger at Jewish public figures, Jewish businessmen and the Jewish community as a whole.
The fear of the economic unknown has created fertile ground for Corbyn’s hatred and a degree of legitimization of antisemitic incidents committed by Muslim immigrants.
British Prime Minister Theresa May is weakening. Some of her cabinet members recently resigned over her attempt to approve the current Brexit agreement. It seems that Britain, like Israel, is approaching national elections and it is quite possible that we will be exposed to more antisemitic statements. It is even possible that at the end of the day Corbyn will become prime minister. Then the Jews in Britain will have to consider their moves – immigration to Israel or lowering their heads until the storm passes. However, I hope that the British nation will be wise and sober enough not to get carried away by the blood libels.
The writer is the mayor of Efrat. Jerusalem Report columnist Matan Dansker, the co-founder of Speakup, a public speaking and political consulting firm, contributed to this report.