Marches, rallies, and headlines related to post-October 7 events and antisemitism have been common in cities throughout the world since that black day.
What do the people on the ground have to tell us?
The Magazine took to the London streets and spoke with those involved in providing support and those on the front lines at universities and community spaces.
Unity in London Jewry amid the Israel-Hamas war
Since the war broke out, there has been a feeling of unity in London’s Jewish community, including tens of thousands who went to Parliament Square this past weekend with various government representatives and public figures to march against antisemitism.
A local rabbi, who asked to remain anonymous, has been actively assisting people in Israel and London since the war began.
“It’s a bit mixed,” he says. “There are many who are afraid, anxious. And there are many, as the weeks have gone on, who have become somewhat more relaxed about the situation in London. I’m seeing people who didn’t want to come to Jewish events three or four weeks ago now coming again. But I do feel people are still nervous and concerned.
“When I talk to people, I try to give them this confidence that they ought to be able to walk around openly Jewish, and I tell them how I walk around. I don’t change my routine. I take Ubers with a lot of Muslim drivers, and I talk to them. I’ve walked through the demonstrations, and I haven’t had any trouble. I’ve had people say things to me, not at the demonstrations but in general, and before the seventh of October. A lot of people are seeing what’s reported elsewhere.
“For university students, it is difficult,” he concedes. “Your supposed friends, flat mates – you see what they’re writing about Jews on social media. It can be distressing and sometimes frightening. Students are also feeling intimidated by demos on campus and walkouts, some of them initiated by their lecturers.
“There are genuine challenges and threats yet not nearly as bad as the media and interested parties make it out to be and definitely not a reason for Jews to be afraid and to hide their Jewishness. On the contrary, being openly Jewish and exuding confidence and pride – not arrogance – in our Jewishness keeps us strong and more safe. It encourages our friends and also those who are not really hostile, and it discourages many of those who are hostile from taking it further. Fear breeds fear and encourages bullies; confidence encourages confidence and deters bullies.”
Alec Bachman is a student at the London School of Economics. Originally from New York, he is studying International Business and has worked at the Knesset.
“Since the war broke out, I’ve seen a lot of Jewish students feel afraid both on campus and off,” says Bachman. “A lot of Jewish students have described being excommunicated from their former friends and classmates and targeted for their connection with Israel and Judaism in class. There have been a lot of protests on our campus, where they repeatedly chant ‘from the river to the sea’ and ‘globalize the intifada.’ The school administration has recently gone out of its way to say that it supports the students chanting this.
“The biggest challenge to having a productive dialogue is the students and individuals who take up space in the community, [who] are neither Jewish, Israeli, nor Palestinian. They think that shutting out Jews and Israelis is a means of ‘resistance’ and fighting ‘oppression,’ while it ruins any chance for a collective understanding. You can’t chant ‘from the river to the sea’ and ‘death to Israel’ and then talk about the need for a two-state solution. Just as there is no two-state solution without both states, there is no dialogue without both groups of people.”
Like Bachman, Keren Schneidinger is an international student. Originally from Zurich, she is doing a Master of Science in Security Studies at UCL. In that program, a branch of Political Science, she is surrounded by people who have been following the situation closely.
“A lot of students have felt very uncomfortable on campuses in the UK,” she says. “There are people handing out anti-Israel posters, spewing an antisemitic agenda.” During interactions with these people, she adds, if they have no way to refute a point you have made, they often start “attacking you, which can be quite unpleasant and loud.
“There’s been a variety of protests and walkouts. UCL has had a walkout the past two Fridays. Living in central London, I’ve heard antisemitic chants and seen antisemitic signs. I’ve heard the chants from my flat.
“I’ve been attending every pro-Israel event and rally. Sunday was a really beautiful opportunity for people coming together because it was a march against antisemitism. Seeing how many people who were there was really moving, and I think it made the Jewish community in the UK feel a lot better. I saw quite a few people that I know who aren’t Jewish, and some who have been at the Palestinian marches on Saturdays, who made it a point to show up.”
UNLIKE BACHMAN and Schneidinger, who are fighting antisemitism on the front lines, Shira Joseph, through the organization GIFT, of which she is the program director, has been providing support for Israel on the back end since the war began.
GIFT, which stands for “Give it Forward Today,” is a not-for-profit organization based in North London. Together with groups of volunteers, Gift supplies a weekly food bank and a giving kitchen and responds to international situations by donating its resources. It has sent supplies to Israel in shipping containers and coordinated events for Israelis in London, among other activities.
“After Simchat Torah, I turned on my phone and suddenly was getting flooded with messages of ‘what can we do to help?’ We knew we had to do something,” says Joseph. “We started off with a small collection done in 24 hours, which ended up being 200 bags. We filled two shipping containers within a week for civilians [and] displaced families, [including] toys for Hanukkah. Seeing the community come together to help has been humbling and moving.”
Two weekends ago, Gift organized an event called Am Yisrael Chai for Israelis who went to London during the war and for families of soldiers. “The idea was to give them a really fun afternoon and enjoyment. There were a few hundred volunteers, and we engaged with about 150 Israelis,” says Joseph. “We sent a group on a mission to Israel to pick fruits and vegetables, help with supplies, [and] give out gift vouchers...
“Right now, everyone is feeling a lot of pain, not just for Israel but for Jews, who feel sad that the whole world is reacting so badly to them,” she adds. “The one thing to take away is that when we come together, we are a force to be reckoned with. I’ve never seen the mobilization of people doing so many acts of kindness so quickly. Imagine if we worked together as a team constantly. Imagine the power of our unity. I hope that when the situation improves in Israel, that kindness will continue.”