VOICE OF THE JEWISH NEWS: Something’s very wrong – and most British Jews sense it too

The attack by West Bank settlers on the Palestinian town of Huwara on 26 February begged some big questions for Jews in the diaspora. How to respond? How to support Israel? Is this who they are? Is this really who we are? Is more to come?

This newspaper sees its primary job as news reporting. Do we like reporting what happened at Huwara? Of course not. Would we rather cover the good that comes out of the region? Absolutely. Our children go to Israel in their teens and we want them to fall in love with the country just as we did.

Is a savage attack on a West Bank town by crazed Jews news? Of course. A senior IDF commander referred to the abomination as a “pogrom”? That is news every day of the week.

Not only that: it’s crucially important.

There’s no sugar coating, rose tinting, or mood music, nor would we want that. There’s just news. To the extent that we editorialise (as we’re doing here), it is to reflect the thinking of the community as we see it.

Something’s wrong here. Something’s very wrong. And we strongly believe that the bulk of the British Jewish community senses it too.

It was utterly tragic that the crimes of a mob overshadowed the murders earlier that day of two Jewish brothers. We and other media used pages that were set aside to remember them to report on the mayhem that ensued in the hours that followed.

To say we understand the profound urge to protect Israel, to stand up for Israel, and to champion Israel, is a towering understatement. Our record speaks for itself. But something’s wrong here. Something’s very wrong. And we strongly believe that the bulk of the British Jewish community senses it too. In fact, we conducted a survey last month, the results of which back it up.

Every year, we talk to others about not being bystanders, about not looking away. For the good of Israel – the nation sate of the Jewish people – the British Jewish community is neither standing by nor looking away when those waving Israeli flags go on the rampage.

Nor are we.