(Guardian-UK) David Feldman - Before anyone can effectively address the problem of antisemitism, they must rethink the way it operates in Britain today. Labour's friends and enemies say the party's problem is the number of antisemites in its ranks. But the more fundamental problem is one of antisemitism, not antisemites. The source of Labour's difficulty lies in our political culture. In Britain, the number of committed, ideological antisemites remains small: less than 5% of adults. However, a large minority, more than 30%, will readily agree with negative and stereotypical ideas about Jews. These ideas about Jews have accumulated over centuries and are embedded deeply within our culture. Antisemitism is not "virus" but a deep "reservoir" of stereotypes and narratives. A significant minority assent to antisemitic stereotypes and prejudices drawn from this reservoir. The writer is director of the Pears Institute for the Study of Antisemitism and a professor of history at Birkbeck, University of London.
2020-04-14 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive