It is one thing to adopt a definition of antisemitism. It is another thing to start enforcing that definition and hinging state funding for organizations on their decisions to adopt it or not.
By JPOST EDITORIALBritain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson and opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn attend the State Opening of Parliament in London(photo credit: KIRSTY WIGGLESWORTH/REUTERS)
In 2016, the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance passed a non-legally binding definition of antisemitism, which was adopted by a number dozens of countries, including the United Kingdom.“Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities,” the definition reads.It is one thing to adopt a definition of antisemitism. It is another thing to start enforcing that definition and hinging state funding for organizations on their decisions to adopt it or not.That is exactly what the UK is starting to do, according to Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Robert Jenrick. In an interview with The Jerusalem Post last week, Jenrick – a member of Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party – said local councils and universities are being asked now to adopt the IHRA definition of antisemitism, and if they refuse, the government will consider holding back funding.This is just one step that the new government in London is implementing to fight the rise in antisemitism, which peaked under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn as head of Labour, once the party favored by British Jewry.In addition to the threat of cutting off state funds, Johnson’s government is taking three additional steps. It is upping funding of the Community Security Trust, the agency that works to ensure the safety and security of the Jewish community and its institutions.It is passing a law to illegalize BDS with the aim of preventing universities and local councils from engaging in foreign policy and taking steps like banning Israeli speakers or goods. It is also in the final planning stages for the construction of the UK’s first Holocaust memorial, which will be located in Westminster just next to Parliament. The memorial will include a learning center that will be used to help educate youth about the Holocaust.“We want to send the strongest possible signal, as a government, to the people of Israel and to the Jewish community all over the world, of our complete commitment to fighting antisemitism and ensuring that we never forget the Holocaust,” Jenrick told the Post.“I think the lived experiences of the Jewish community in this country in recent years is a real cause for concern, and we have to address that. I don’t want to live in a country where people are having to wear stab-proof vests,” he added.These are all commendable measures and are needed especially after the past few years of Corbyn’s reign over Labour, which led many members of Britain’s Jewish community to consider leaving the country had he won in last month’s fateful election.
What Johnson’s government seems to understand is what Jewish communities around the world have known for centuries – Jews might be the first target when antisemites go on the attack, but they are rarely the last.As Deborah Lipstadt, the renowned Holocaust scholar said in an interview with the Post in June, “I compare antisemitism to the herpes virus. It never goes away. Herpes thrives, and comes out under several conditions: stress and hospitable conditions, like when you have an infection, which gives the virus space to breed, and then it will spread – from one person to another.”While important, Corbyn’s loss to Johnson does not mean that the fight against antisemitism is over. Whoever succeeds Corbyn as head of Labour will need to take serious and concrete steps to eradicate the hate for Jews that has taken hold of the party and many of its members. Corbyn is just one piece – albeit important – of the Labour antisemitism puzzle.Antisemitism does not hinge on one person. It requires education, awareness and proper legislation that can be enforced and used to punish people who engage in spreading hate and acting on it violently. Under Johnson, the UK seems to have turned a page but it cannot become complacent. The battle is not yet over.
