Haviv Rettig Gur
Those crafty little Zionists. Used to be when a society needed a distraction from its failures and decline, it could just turn on its Jews. Nothing cheers you up faster than some chakra-cleansing, stress-relieving persecution. But now every time we make Jews feel unsafe, they go running into the waiting arms of those dastardly Zionists! The Jews only get stronger! The only way to defeat Zionism, to make Jews weak again, is (God help us) to make Jews feel safety and deep belonging in our country. Bastards! (And that, kids, is how your ancestors hacked history and made you the safest and strongest and freest generation of Jews who ever lived.)
Elad Simchayoff
Today, I saw the most vivid sign of how bad things have become for Jews in the UK — and most Brits have no idea. I was invited to an Aliyah Day event in London — a day for British Jews considering a move to Israel to meet Israeli officials and ask questions. The organizers expected around 400 attendees. Based on my experience, I thought they’d be lucky to get half that. By the time I arrived — two hours in — over 500 people had already shown up. They now expected more than 1,000. Last year, interest in moving to Israel among British Jews rose by more than 60%. This year, it spiked another 40%. I spoke with families with young kids, a newlywed couple, and people in their 20s. I asked: Why now, when Israel is still at war? They all gave the same answer: “Because the situation in London is worse.” The event was held at an undisclosed location. Security was massive. It’s rare to see people uproot their lives purely because of antisemitism. But every person I spoke with said antisemitism, the lack of government and community support, and a bleak outlook on the UK’s future are pushing them to leave. Britain is losing its Jewish community. Fast. There’s still time to act — to support those who remain. But that window is closing.