Recently, British Jews marked a milestone: 350 years of continuous coexistence with their gentile hosts and neighbors. (You can read a brief account of the Jews’ turbulent history in Britain here.)
Even after three and a half centuries, however, it is still an uneasy coexistence. Here’s a recent cartoon from the Guardian that portrays Jews bashing children in the face while they swat away pesky terrorist insects:
Oops! I guess cartoonist Martin Rowson meant that it’s Israelis who are bashing children.
“Yesterday’s cartoon [above] on page 29 (Comment) portrayed Israeli military action in Lebanon in the form of a mailed fist with Stars of David as knuckle-dusters. By failing to identify them in a specifically Israeli form - such as in the colours of the flag - the point the cartoon was making might have been interpreted as implicating Judaism rather than the Israeli government in the present conflict. That was not the intention, and we are sorry if anyone saw it that way.”
Dear Jewish readers: gird your loins for the Jew-baiting to come. Dark days ahead.
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Many of us on the ‘decent’ British left have been appalled by the incredible outpouring of anti-semitism seen in this country in the past two weeks, culminating in the weekend’s sickening display of Hezbollah-worship on the so-called anti-war march (not anti-war, just cheering on the other side).
People really don’t seem to like seeing a strong Jewish state defending itself against terrorist murderers.
Unfortunately, you seem to be right, Tim.
I wish I could say I’m surprised. But I’m not.
It has been brewing since 9/11, and a lot of people have written about it. I’ll be posting more on this painful subject.
Meanwhile, check out the David Mamet cri de coeur I link to in my “reference room”:
“If I Forget Thee, Jerusalem: the Power of Blunt Nostalgia.”
[...] That last sentence is a gross understatement, judging by the hostility to Israel routinely expressed by many mainstream media outlets and commentators (sorry: too many to link to), particularly in Britain. [...]
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