Richard Baum

Last night I was interviewed by a local lady who is writing a dissertation on anti-Semitism as part of a degree in Theology which she is studying for. It was an interesting discussion, which surprised me because I was worried I might have little to say.

For a Jewish guy in a slightly-more-public role than a lot of people, maybe I might be exposed to more abuse than someone else, but I can honestly say that I have never knowingly been the victim of anti-Semitism. I’m obviously lucky, because the papers report a lot of it, and it’s on the rise.

Of course, as a member of the community, I am a victim as much as the next guy when some mindless thug desecrates a cemetery, or hijacks a political campaign to send out vile and explicit anti-Jewish literature as happened over Heaton Park. These things are horrible, and I feel like a victim when they happen. They do go on, they need stamping out, and the perpetrators need hefty punishment because crimes motivated by racial-hate are amongst the worst that there are. But I’ve never been singled-out for abuse.

These attacks are clearly anti-Semitic, but I think they represent just one of a number of types of crimes, all of which can be reported as anti-Semitic, but a lot of which aren’t, although they remain awful acts.

It is unfortunate, but we live in a world where visible difference marks a person out as a target. The more observant in our communities, like people with a different colour of skin, are visibly different, and thus a potential target not just to anti-Semitic attack, but attack in general. And there is a difference, I think. A big difference, between someone daubing a swastika on a grave and someone beating up an observant Jew not because he’s Jewish but because he’s not like them. It wasn’t that the attacker hates Jews alone, or even hates Jews at all, he just hates everyone who isn’t him. Is that attacker closer in nature to the cemetery vandal, or would he just as easily have thrown a brick at a Mosque or shoved past an old lady and knocked her over on the street? Does he even think what he’s doing? And can the community do anything at all to stop a person like that?

Even less clear to me is the treatment of crimes where Jewish people are victims, but the motives seem absolutely nothing to do with race or religion. A Jewish boy gets mugged, or a Jewish restaurant robbed. Is the motive racial, or financial? Or both? I don’t know, but sometimes the newspapers seem a lot more sure than that, and a race crime makes a better story. Does that type of reporting make things worse?

It works the other way too though. I heard last night though about some disturbing comments which add to something I’ve been thinking for a while, and do present a worrying picture. I don’t quite know how to say it, because it isn’t clear, but it’s a sort of half-said under-current of anti-Semitism which pervades more of us than I thought. Off-hand remarks about “people with money” and “connections” made by people who should know better but clearly aren’t letting on about what they really think. And newspapers – national newspapers – making thinly disguised comments about Israeli connections and Jewish people holding undue sway. It just isn’t on. It’s growing too, and we’re right to be worried about it because it’s a dangerous road to be on, I think.

But I don’t know.

Understanding this problem needs more than just one mind. Solving it needs lots more than that. I’m just dipping my toe in the water because it’s on my mind. This isn’t some manifesto on race, it’s me splurging some thoughts down, stream-of-consciousness style. I’d welcome people’s thoughts on this though, I really would.

I’m looking forward to reading the dissertation when it’s done. I have my views, and they might be narrow or naïve or just plain wrong. I’m just talking from experience and a personal stance. It will be very interesting, very relevant, and absolutely necessary to read the research and find out the views of others. Anyone who purports to be a representative of Jewish people needs to do the same.

Rick