London – 16 February 2024
Yesterday’s report from CST on antisemitic incidents in the UK in 2023 demonstrates what has been clear for many years: that it is undeniable that the major catalyst of modern antisemitism is the hatred of Zionism and of Israel.
The findings in the report confirm what StandWithUs UK has seen on the ground both before October 7th and at a greater rate since the atrocities of Hamas on that day. Anti-Zionism has become one of the most significant platforms to generate hatred towards Jewish people and incite violence against them. No civilised society can tolerate this form of hatred, which attacks the very freedom and values to which we all hold dear. If our country does not stop this disease from spreading, then it will overcome and destroy us all.
Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks z”l said it very clearly: ‘Antisemitism is a virus that mutates, so that new antisemites can deny they are antisemites at all, because their hate is different from the old. In the Middle Ages Jews were hated for their religion. In the nineteenth and early twentieth century, they were hated for their race. Today, they are hated for their nation-state, Israel.’
StandWithUs UK shall continue to do what it has always done: support Israel and fight antisemitism in all of its ugly forms. We will not allow hatred of Jewish people and the only Jewish state on this planet to become an acceptable normality, and we will continue to offer a helping hand to anyone who needs it.
About StandWithUs UK:
StandWithUs is an international, non-profit and non-partisan Israel education organization that works to inspire and educate people of all ages about Israel, as well as challenge misinformation and fight against antisemitism. Founded in 2010, StandWithUs UK has become a recognised support system and leading resource for students on UK campuses. We empower and energise students and communities with leadership training and educational programmes on both school and university campuses. StandWithUs informs through social media, printed materials, digital platforms, film and newsletters. The StandWithUs flagship Emerson Fellowship programme seeks to raise students into future leaders, equipped to stand strong in the face of antisemitism and anti-Zionism. We believe in the right of the Jewish People to self-determination in their historic homeland of Israel. We educate the facts in an unbiased and holistic manner, with an open mind, reflecting on views from all sides of the political, social and humanitarian spectrum whilst promoting peace. StandWithUs UK believe the current discourse surrounding Israel on campus all too often crosses the line between legitimate criticism of Israel’s policies and the dangerous, mainstream, antisemitic rhetoric which stands contrary to the IHRA definition of antisemitism. We work to educate on that distinction, encourage civil discourse on legitimate criticism of Israel, and to fight antisemitism wherever it emerges.
