Jewish media outlets across world unite in historic first to slam anti-Semitism fuelled by Israel-Palestine conflict
JEWISH media outlets across the globe have united in an unprecedented move to slam the antisemitism sparked by the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Over 30 outlets have released a joint open letter about the impact of the ongoing war on Jewish people across the world as antisemitic attacks continue to rise.
The statement, led by The Jewish News in London, read: "We’ve witnessed raw hatred against Jews in cities across the globe."
It stated that the threat of antisemitism had previously been "tragically underestimated" and that "Jews worldwide haven't been this fearful in living memory".
Those behind the unprecedented letter said they were uniting "as Jewish news outlets spanning borders, continents, and religious affiliations to issue this open letter.
The authors described the move as "something we never envisioned as necessary or even conceivable".
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Antisemitic attacks have risen globally since October 7, when Hamas stormed the Israeli border and killed around 1,400 civilians in a brutal ambush.
Israel responded with heavy airstrikes into the Gaza Strip.
Global calls for a ceasefire have been growing in recent weeks as the conflict continues.
The letter begins by quoting former British Chief Rabbi, Lord Jonathan Sacks, who likened the discrimination of Jewish people to "a constantly evolving virus".
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It went on to say that nowadays, this discrimination "specifically targets the Jewish nation-state".
"Until recent days, the extent and intensity of this virulent strain of hatred were tragically underestimated", the letter reads.
"While the need for stringent security measures at schools and synagogues has long been a familiar reality, the realization that such profound levels of hatred and indifference to the threat exist on a global scale has been a devastating shock."
It goes on to give chilling examples of the kind of discrimination faced by Jewish people globally in recent weeks.
"In Dagestan, a mob ran towards planes on a runway to check passengers’ passports, hunting for disembarking Jews.
"In Sydney, when authorities lit the famous Opera House in Israel’s colours, a crowd sang ‘Gas the Jews’.
"In France, a woman was stabbed at her home, and a Swastika was spray-painted on her front door.
"In London, red paint was daubed on Jewish school doors and the Wiener Holocaust Library.
"In Berlin, Magen Davids have been spray painted on homes, a haunting echo of scenes in that German city 90 years ago.
"On campuses across the United States, ‘martyrs’ who butchered Jewish children in their beds are being celebrated while a student at Cornell University was arrested for posting death threats against Jews."
They slammed justifications for such behaviour as 'opposition' to the Israeli government.
"This is not a call for two states living side by side in peace. This is not legitimate opposition to Benjamin Netanyahu and his government" the letter reads.
"Clearly not everyone marching under the Palestinian flag fantasizes about our deaths or the destruction of the world's only Jewish state.
"But please, try to understand that whether it’s one person, 100 people, or 10,000, the chilling impact of seeing so many people echo and excuse hateful chants is profound."
In a chilling analogy, they wrote: "The level of fear among our readers is like nothing in memory. It feels like those two equilateral triangles that combine to form our beloved Star of David represent a six-pointed target."
"Our collective Jewish heart bleeds for the families of those who lost relatives in the Hamas atrocities and those facing agonizing waits for news of the kidnapped men, women, and children.
"Whether directly or not directly, many of our readers will be connected to these innocents. But our hearts bleed too for the innocents killed in Gaza as a result of this entirely unnecessary war launched by Hamas.
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"Over the unbearably painful days ahead, we - as providers of news for secular or religious Jews, those who frequently critique Israeli policy and those who don't, those who see Israel are central to their identity, and those who are drawn nearer by crises such as this - call on the world to listen and treat us as you would want to be treated.
"It shouldn't be too much to ask."