Blog
Lessons Learned: Why I told young people how I survived
16 Oct 2016 by CST
This article by Mala Tribuch MBE originally appeared in the Holocaust Education Trust and CST booklet ‘Lessons Learned? Reflections on Antisemitism and the Holocaust’. Read the full article in the booklet here.
At the end of World War II, when I was liberated from Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, the revelation of what had been happening in the occupied countries to Jews and others brought about such revulsion that I thought that antisemitism would be a thing of the past.
Sadly, the irrational hatred of Jewish people has not disappeared. I don’t use social media, so I was shocked when someone sent me examples of the foul antisemitic lies which appear there, and the disgusting personal attacks aimed at Jewish MPs, even by members of their own Party. I think that social media, which was originally introduced to allow friends to communicate and reconnect, has unwittingly provided a platform which allows any crank or bigot who previously could muster a small audience on a street corner to broadcast deranged ideas worldwide. I feel that those who have made a fortune out of allowing the publication of such filth bear a heavy responsibility for the spread of intolerance.
I recently had a very uncomfortable experience at a formal dinner at one of our ancient universities. It came up in conversation that I am Jewish. My dining companion, a teacher, immediately said “Oh, so what do you think of Israel, the rogue state?” I am well aware that there is scope for genuine disagreement about some of the policies of the Israeli government, but in my view this hostile question, damning an entire nation, is beyond the pale. I was especially disturbed that a teacher could have such an ignorant, dogmatic, and one sided opinion about the only Jewish State, and apparently be so ignorant of its history.
Lessons Learned: By remembering, we can look forward with hope
14 Oct 2016 by CST
The Jewish community in Scotland is a small but vitally important part of our national life. We are proud of the contribution that Scottish Jews make to our communities, to our national life and as active members of the Scottish National Party. As parliamentarians and political leaders we must be unequivocally clear that there can be absolutely no room for complacency when it comes to tackling antisemitism. Read more…
Lessons Learned: We must fight this battle through education
13 Oct 2016 by CST
On his recent visit to London, the Chief Rabbi of France, Haïm Korsia, shared with me what his father used to tell him when he was a child: “a country that tore itself apart about the fate of an obscure Jewish artillery captain is a country where there will always be hope and room for us”. These words resonated with me. Read more…
Lessons Learned: Standing together in tolerance, acceptance and respect
11 Oct 2016 by CST
One of the most humbling experiences I’ve ever had was my very first official engagement as Mayor of London. Along with the Chief Rabbi and many Londoners from the Jewish community, I joined over a hundred Holocaust survivors for Yom HaShoah. It was a privilege to meet Holocaust survivors and their families and to hear their remarkable stories - stories that will stay with me forever. That day, we stood together to reflect, honour and remember the six million Jewish lives that were lost during the Holocaust and the lives lost in subsequent genocides. Read more…
Lessons Learned: The boundaries of responsible discourse
10 Oct 2016 by CST
No-one enjoys being on the receiving end of an insult. Yet, it is a sad indictment of our times that insults of a certain mode can become the norm. In politics and the celebrity world they are widespread and likely to be considered the ‘price of doing business’. Prime Minister’s Questions offers a useful illustration of this phenomenon. Once a week, the men and women whom we have elected to represent us in Parliament trade jibes and insults. It is rarely out of genuine malice – in the modern world, that is just how the game is played. Read more…
Why we must protect the memory of Cable Street
9 Oct 2016 by CST
Today sees events marking the 80 th anniversary of the Battle of Cable Street, when antisemitic fascists were prevented from marching through what was then the Jewish East End of London. Former CST Chief Executive, Richard Benson, has the following article, summarising the memory of the event and what it means to CST. Read more…
Lessons Learned: Vigilance and resolution: Living antidotes to an ancient virus
9 Oct 2016 by CST
Antisemitism is an insidious evil. The habits of antisemitism have been burrowing into European and British culture for as long as we can remember. In England, during the late mediaeval period, the Jewish community faced constant persecution: Shylock, the great villain of the Merchant of Venice, was a cliché of his time. By the time Cromwell reopened England to Jewish settlement under the Commonwealth in the 1650s, antisemitism had mutated within common parlance and culture. Read more…