Golders Green stands together against planned neo-Nazi demonstration
Jack Mendel is the former Online Editor at the Jewish News.
Communal and religious leaders have launched an urgent campaign against a planned anti-Jewish protest in Golders Green, writes Jack Mendel
Board of Deputies president Jonathan Arkush, chair of the London Jewish Forum Adrian Cohen, London Assembly Member for Barnet Andrew Dismore and local MP Mike Freer joined faith leaders including Senior Reform Rabbi Laura Janner-Klausner at the launch of Golders Green Together on Monday.
Organised by the London Jewish Forum, anti-Racism organisation HOPE Not Hate and the Board of Deputies, the event took place in front of the war memorial in Golders Green.
The campaign opposes a demonstration “against Jewish privilege” planned for Golders Green – the heartland of the community – on the first Shabbat in July. Police say they are powerless to stop the event as it will be a static demonstration. Among those thought to be involved in organising the rally – which follows a similar, though unsuccessful event in Stamford Hill in April – is right-wing group New Dawn.
Arkush told Jewish News: “This send a message to the community that the people behind this provocative demonstration in Golders Green are bigots and society rejects their bigotry, their racism, their prejudice. Jews are not being left to fight anti-Semitism alone.”
Freer called the event “heartening” – adding that it was “good to see so many people from different walks of life, different faiths, different communities, uniting for a common cause”.
Dismore branded the planned demonstration “outrageous”. He added: “This is the start of showing the far right that they will not divide Golders Green. They will not be able to pit one community against another.”
He also condemned the neo-Nazi protest’s planned location next to the war memorial, calling it “an insult to thousands of people who gave their lives in the war for freedom”.
London Jewish Forum chair Adrian Cohen said: “This underlines the enthusiastic spirit with which we will aim to ensure the voice of Golders Green’s diverse community is heard. We’re very pleased to have come together with HOPE Not Hate, which has a strong record of anti-fascist, anti-racist activity”.
Also present was Senior Rabbi at the Movement for Reform Judaism, Laura Janner-Klausner. She said: “This challenges the assumptions that people of different faiths or races have to live in conflict. We believe we live together in harmony in a diverse, creative and positive Britain.”
Mitzah Day founder and interfaith activist Laura Marks added: “We want our children to grow up in safe societies where everyone is valued for who they are.”
HOPE not hate told Jewish News: “We had Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs and Christian leaders standing alongside their Jewish brothers and sisters. There was a real energy present, that we will now use to build a permanent benefit for the whole community.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
