Rosh Hashanh Evening 5767, 22nd September 2006

by Rabbi Dr Margaret Jacobi

This Rosh Hashanah should have been one of special joy for the Jewish community of Britain. For we have been celebrating this year 350 years since the Jews were re-admitted to England. However historical the actual date is, it has been a time to recall three and half centuries of uninterrupted Jewish life in this country, which has largely seen the Jewish community flourish and practice its religion in a freedom enjoyed in few other places.

Yet a shadow hangs over us at the moment. There is a sense of unease, fear even. That feeling was reinforced by the recent All-Party Parliamentary report which found evidence of a rise in anti-semitism in recent months. This linked anti-semitism to anti-Israel feeling, which created a climate in which it was acceptable not only to criticise Israel but also to make anti-Jewish remarks.

It is important that we take seriously the work of the Community Security Trust, support them by volunteering and by being vigilant.

But it is worth bearing some things in mind:
First, whilst there is significant anti-semitism in some Muslim circles, not all Muslims are anti-semitic – far from it. Our current bulletin highlights one small incident which is significant: Student Rabbi Nathan Alfred recently arrived by taxi at the Meeting House. Hearing about our Building, the taxi driver, who was called Ibrahim, donated his tip to our building fund.

Secondly, Islamophobia is far more prevalent than anti-semitism, and at present it is Muslims who are bearing the brunt of parties such as the BNP. We can work better together if we start to understand each other’s fears.

Nevertheless, the current attitudes to Jews and Israel are reason for serious concern. Israel has become the fashionable target for the left and the rhetoric, especially comparisons with Nazi Germany which are deeply offensive as well as displaying frightening and perhaps wilful ignorance of what Nazism involved, is cause for alarm. This is not to deny that there are injustices and human rights abuses directed towards the Palestinians in the occupied territories and Israel. They are often shocking and we should be concerned about them. But so are many Israelis in organisations such as Rabbis, Lawyers and Physicians, all for Human Rights. We are privileged that representatives of two organisations who work for peace and reconciliation will shortly be coming to Birmingham – speakers from the Bereaved Parents Forum and, on Thursday September 12th, Lydia Aisenberg of the Givat Haviva School for Peace. These Israelis deserve our help and support, for Israel’s sake as well as the sake of the Palestinians, for it is in the best interests of all Israelis to create a fairer, more just society.

But so many of Israel’s critics fail to understand Israel’s side, though they try hard to understand what motivates suicide bombers. They forget the background to the formation of the State – not just the Holocaust, but centuries of anti-semitism. They forget that there could have been a Palestinian state if the Arabs had accepted partition, as Israel did, in 1947. They fail to understand what it meant, and still means, to Jews, to have a place of their own. If anyone needs to be reminded of all this, then do read ‘A Tale of Love and Darkness’ by Amoz Oz, in which he tells an eloquent, moving and tragic story of the days and years leading up to the Declaration of Independence.

In Britain, we have a choice as to how we respond to the current climate. We can become defensive, concentrating on our security needs and feeling that the world is against us. But, though we must look after our security, if we only do this, our Judaism becomes something to hide away, not a source of pride and joy.

The alternative response is to deepen our understanding of what it means to be Jewish. It means to learn more about our heritage, in all its richness and diversity. It means to attend services and celebrations and become part of our Synagogue community, so that we feel the warmth that community can offer, and the joy of Shabbat and the festivals. And it means learning what Judaism can offer the world and taking those lessons into our daily lives and our contacts with others. For Judaism has so much to teach about the issues of today – about concern for the environment, about justice, about nurturing our children, about the importance of peace and understanding, and above all, about the divine in every human being. This is a message for all the world to hear and it is as important as ever, at a time when in so many parts of the world, human beings are regarded as expendable in some greater cause.
We should not, must not, hide away what Judaism has to offer, for it can help to create a better world. We can indeed say, in the words of the Psalmist: ‘Ashreynu, mah tov helkenu – how happy are we, and how good is our heritage.’

In the year ahead, there may be times when we feel fearful because we are Jewish. But let these times not determine our Jewish identity. Let us instead be strong and of good courage. Let us rediscover and deepen our knowledge of Judaism in the year to come, and may we put those teachings into practice in the world, so that instead of living in fear of our neighbours we may work with them to create a better world for us all.