In the middle of a restaurant review of a Jewish deli last Sunday, Guardian writer Jay Rayner questioned whether he should write about the eatery because of the ongoing Gaza war.
"Should I really write about a Jewish restaurant given the current political turmoil? Would I get abuse for doing so?" wrote Rayner. "The horrendous campaign of the government and armed forces of Israel in Gaza cannot be allowed to make being Jewish a source of shame."
Rayner said that while Hamas's October 7 Massacre provided no good options, the Israeli government had chosen the worst one.
They have killed thousands, starved many more, destroyed homes and turned their country into a pariah," said Rayner. "As it happens, they have also made life for Jews who live outside Israel and have no responsibility for the decisions its government takes, so very much harder. I deplore what Israel is doing. But that doesn’t mean I can 'refute' my Jewishness. That is a surrender to antisemitism."