A few months ago, I wished broadcaster Jonathan Sacerdoti a Merry Christmas, and he returned the thanks, even though he most likely was not celebrating the tradition. Christianity and Judaism have historically been bridged together, which is one of the reasons why we respect each other’s traditions. Jonathan Sacerdoti told a story that his father, Cesare Sacerdoti, had been saved in Italy by Catholic nuns as a young boy during the horrific Nazi persecution of Jews. This story clearly highlights the strong bond between Christians and Jews, who are as loyal and inseparable as Orestes and Pylades were to each other. Moreover, I believe Jonathan Sacerdoti to be one of the heroes of Britain today who is curtailing antisemitism and continuing to honour the friendship between Christians and Jews.

Not talked about enough, Jonathan Sacerdoti has been a gallant educator who deserves more adulation and has drawn parallels to the co-founder of The Daily Wire, Ben Shapiro. Sacerdoti hosts an intellectual podcast called “I’m Jonathan Sacerdoti” where he addresses complex issues, but there is more to him than meets the eye. Like how Johann Wolfgang von Goethe isn’t a Muslim and evaluated the poetry of the Quran, Jonathan Sacerdoti in 2019 narrated an audiobook in English of the Quran, which to this day indicates he is an open-minded individual. However, the well-intentioned Sacerdoti was unfortunately contrasted with hardline, doctrinaire students during the debate in the esteemed Oxford Union, held on 28 November 2024.

It is fair to say the atmosphere of that specific debate can be characterised by words such as “toxic” and “appalling”, and was figuratively a mob rule comparable to Jack Cade’s attempt to destroy constitutional order in Shakespeare’s Henry VI, Part 2. British barrister Natasha Hausdorff, who has an affinity for international law, was on the same boat as Jonathan Sacerdoti. She describes the debate as a “dark moment in the Oxford Union’s history”.

Jonathan Sacerdoti was a founding trustee for the Campaign Against Antisemitism, which educates many people about the horrors of antisemitism with fantastic volunteers. Not only that, he has not been afraid to challenge the highest echelons of media such as The Guardian and the BBC, notably for not being impartial to Israel. In some people’s perspective, The Guardian has rationalised vandalism against Jewish businesses by publishing a controversial and, in my opinion, antisemitic column from Jonathan Liew that described a British Jewish bakery as an “act of heavy-handed high-street aggression”. It is thanks to people like Sacerdoti that we don’t succumb to the hallucinating media that masquerade as friendly and champions of the public but hide their true intent. As Hamlet would say, “God hath given you one face, and you make yourselves another”. I myself am skeptical of believing these news outlets are under an antic disposition, and I believe they intend what they say with their dagger strapped in velvet.

Sacerdoti had exposed more widespread corruption as he submitted evidence to Parliament, which advocated for conditional Palestinian statehood. This aligns with point 19 in Trump’s peace plan for Gaza. We also saw him briefly mention UNRWA corruption in the Union debate which discussed the education of palestinian children and how they used real people and sometimes martyrs for learning mathematics. A consortium formed by Sir Robbie Gibb in 2020 was created to save a liquidating Jewish Chronicle, which is the oldest Jewish newspaper. Jonathan Sacerdoti had joined this consortium that saved the newspaper, showing his love for preserving antiquity.

Indeed, I am 18 and have published articles, but that does not compare to when Jonathan Sacerdoti, at only 17, had his first newspaper byline published in The Daily Telegraph. Thus, not only is he considered by some, including myself, a hero of Britain, but he is also prodigious and has a deep passion and desire to protect the Jewish people from antisemitism. Such a voice must be heard by all.

Jonathan Sacerdoti continues to host his aforementioned podcast where you may see experts on the Middle East give their opinion. The podcast, since its launch, has over 54 episodes. He consistently writes for The Spectator and his Substack about issues that not only affect Jewish people but also the everyday individual. The truth is, Sacerdoti from a young age has heroically done a lot to educate us on the world to which we owe him our gratitude. Britain for a while needed someone like him to anchor us in the right path.

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)