Content Warning: discussion of antisemitism, terrorism and gun crime

The events of Saturday January 15th were shocking but far too familiar. Four Jews were held hostage in a synagogue in Colleyville, Texas. One was released after six hours, whilst the other three escaped four hours later when the Rabbi threw a chair at the terrorist. Waking up to the news that all were unharmed was of great relief to me, as other times, we had not been so lucky.

I will always remember sitting in front of the TV watching the coverage of another hostage situation involving Jews, this time at a kosher (the Jewish dietary style) supermarket in France. I had just returned from a trip to Israel and instead of looking back at the great memories I had made, I was looking across Europe hoping and praying that the situation would be resolved with no harm done. Sadly, four men were murdered that day.

These events, though on the extreme end, are why Jews undertake security measures that others do not. My primary and secondary schools were gated, they had 24/7 security and the school bus would pull over for inspection every morning before school. I never thought much of these measures when I was younger. I had heard of the school shootings that occurred in America and presumed that all schools undertook security measures to prevent their students from similar atrocities. 

I never thought much of these measures when I was younger.

In retrospect, I was being naive. I attended synagogue weekly where our members, alongside paid professionals, would stand guard each week during the Sabbath services. I knew the purpose of this, and it would follow that if a large gathering of Jews were at risk at their weekly prayer service, they would also be at risk attending school. This should not be the case, and I hope that one day these measures will not be needed, but we are not heading in the right direction. 

There is a likely chance that the past year will be ‘the worst year on record’ for antisemitism according to the Community Security Trust (CST), the charity that provides security services to the Jewish community. A large increase in antisemitic incidents were recorded during the first six months of 2021, fuelled by the recent Gaza flare-up.  This demonstrates how antisemitism is not a thing of the past and is not confined to other countries, it is a real danger today in the UK.

This demonstrates how antisemitism is not a thing of the past and is not confined to other countries, it is a real danger today in the UK.

The 27th of January was Holocaust Memorial Day and this year it was the 77th Anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. It was very heartwarming seeing all the posts from sports teams, politicians and university societies. Since I visited Poland two years ago and saw the places where some of the horrors of the Holocaust took place, Holocaust Memorial Day took on a new meaning to me. It became more important for me to educate myself and others so that we never forget where hatred can take us. Sadly this year, this message was confounded by news of an attack the evening before on two visibly Orthodox Jewish men in North London. This is why I had all that extra security at school and synagogue and why at university, that remains the case.

All Jewish society events that occur within and outside of the university also need this security presence. They also do not publish the location of their events online to further protect the students. Sadly, this is the picture nationwide. What is it that makes this society more of a target than any other? This is what it is to be a Jew.

What is it that makes this society more of a target than any other?

Jeff Cohen, one of the hostages, revealed that the terrorist chose the Synagogue due to his conspiratorial views about Jews.  One common antisemitic falsehood is that Jews ‘have too much power,’ as is depicted in the inaccurate and antisemitic text authored by the Czar of Russia’s secret police, The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion. In the book, it is posited that Jews control governments, banks and otherworldly institutions.  The terrorist bought into this idea and believed that the Jewish hostages ‘would call President Biden and release’ a convicted terrorist. But the hostages were not powerful agents controlling the World’s most powerful country. They were ordinary citizens engaging in prayer, yet they were the target.

This is the danger with antisemitism, what starts as a belief quickly escalates into action. We saw this in Texas and doubtless, we will see it again. This is why we have to take the protective measures we do, and this is why Jews need your allyship. 

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