For years, the response to antisemitism has been predictable: more education, awareness campaigns and structured teaching designed to help people recognise antisemitism when it appears; Holocaust remembrance. These tools are no longer enough because they are not fully engaging with the world people are actually reacting to now.

Antisemitism is rising again, but what’s far less agreed and far more uncomfortable to talk about is why?

The current rise in antisemitism is happening alongside the devastation in Gaza. That’s not the only factor, but it’s a significant one affecting the emotional and political environment in which antisemitism is now being expressed. It is also why, as the Jewish Voice for Peace has said, “Many Jews are speaking out because we believe the actions in Gaza violate our deepest values”.

Many of the resources guiding how we understand antisemitism are still largely focused on past patterns, rather than how those patterns are being triggered now. If we’re serious about addressing antisemitism, we must have honesty about what’s shaping it now, not only what shaped it in the past.

Education works over time. It influences thinking and values slowly, across generations. However, spikes in antisemitic incidents have often followed........

© Pearls and Irritations