Editorial

When we look at the history of the 20th century, we repeatedly, and painfully, explore the question of how people could have let the Nazi genocide happen. We ask, at what point – and how – could the step-by-step process of segregation, marginalisation, victimisation, dehumanisation, ghettoisation, deportation, imprisonment, and mass industrialised murder have been stopped? What were the mechanisms that made people collude, deny what was happening or fear speaking out.

This issue of Jewish Socialist is being produced simultaneously with Israel’s seemingly unstoppable devastation of Gaza and the West Bank – the destruction of lives, homes, institutions, culture, the very future of the Palestinian people. Month after month, since October 2023, we have demonstrated and campaigned in solidarity with the victims, supported the Israelis campaigning against their government and demanded an end to the complicity of ours. And the repression of protest has grown harsher and harsher.

At the same time, the far right and fascists here and elsewhere are being emboldened, encouraged by governments colluding with their racism. They are building on genuine fears to peddle conspiracy theories and dangerous false narratives, blaming migrants, minorities and whoever they deem to be the enemy – including the left. When people face real, concrete problems and encounter a crumbling framework of support – the health service, utilities, water, transport, housing – they are vulnerable to snake-oil salesmen, like Reform UK and beyond, who stoke up anxiety, paranoia, hostility and jealousy, promising solutions while pocketing their cash.

We have to distinguish between the villains and the targets of their villainy, even though they may seem to be entangled with each other. Mark Brown has reviewed a stunning piece of theatre that faces this conundrum head on. Revenge: After the Levoyah vividly, hilariously and brilliantly describes the tangled web of violently conflicting views in the Jewish context (page 30).

We know how dangerous it is to speak out, fight back and challenge wrongs, and how difficult it is to sustain a vision and find strategies for attaining a just and peaceful world. Uri Horesh writes a powerful account of how he was driven out of his job and his country (page 14) and Shimshun describes his time in Palestine, sharing and learning about the daily terror that residents of the West Bank experience at the hands of the army and the settlers (page 15).

Zrinka Bralo, a journalist who escaped from the Bosnian genocide, talks movingly about denial: people’s refusal to believe the worst, even as their lives, homes and families are being destroyed; and the impossibility of resolution when the perpetrators continue to deny their crimes for decades afterwards (page 18).

But there are models to inspire, galvanise and give us the courage to make real change.

Mike Feinberg, a political campaigner in America, describes the atmosphere in New York and across the USA during Trump’s second presidency (page 7). Trump is not a clown. His shock tactics and extreme actions are part of a longstanding plan that is being relentlessly pursued. But there are flashes of light in the darkness. Zohran Mamdani’s spectacular success in becoming the Democratic nominee for New York Mayor results from him confidently conveying his vision for changing the lives of New Yorkers, as well as his uncompromising criticism of Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians. He achieved this with the support of tens of thousands of volunteers, many of them Jewish, who canvassed for him on foot and by phone.

As the pictures on our screens become ever more horrifying, the claimed consensus within the British Jewish community is proving impossible to sustain. Joseph Finlay (page 12) recognises the immense pressure to stay united but argues that, however late in the day, we need to encourage people who have gathered the courage to speak out against the destruction Israel is wreaking in Gaza, saying that ending the violence is more important than communal unity.

Successful political activism, which changes hearts, minds and concrete situations, rests on foundations of real solidarity, collaboration and practical support. Andrew Feinstein’s political career has ranged from digging latrines in South African townships via serving in Nelson Mandela’s government, to standing as an Independent against Keir Starmer in the last General Election. We explore his ideas in depth in a fascinating interview (page 23).

Aviah Sarah Day, of the Black Jewish Alliance (page 10) argues powerfully for Jews to be active in anti-racist and anti-imperialist movements, saying: “Organising on antisemitism in those movements isn’t about gaining sympathy, virtue signalling or gaining a platform to showcase Jewish problems. It’s about understanding and dismantling a dynamic that isolates Jews and antisemitism from the wider struggle against racism.”

We apologise for the late arrival of this issue of Jewish Socialist, which was due to unprecedented personal and political circumstances, but hope you enjoy reading it and think it was worth the wait.