News
Taken
from 'The Jewish Week'
Writer Says Britain Home
Of Anti-Semitism
Staff Report, June 22, 2006
(JTA) — Britain is overwhelmed by anti-Semitism disguised
as criticism of Israel, London newspaper columnist Melanie
Phillips says in her book “Londonistan: How Britain
Is Creating a Terror State Within.” “The fight
against Israel is not fundamentally about land. It is about
hatred of the Jews,” she says.
Meanwhile, London’s mayor was cleared of anti-Semitic
charges over comments he made regarding two British Jewish
businessmen. A governmental investigator decided that Ken
Livingstone was not guilty of anti-Semitism when he said
David and Simon Reuben should “go back to Iran and
try their luck with the ayatollahs” because he did
not know at the time they are Jewish. The Reubens were born
in India to parents of Iraqi Jewish descent. Livingstone
was criticizing the brothers’ conduct regarding the
Olympic village for the 2012 Games.
Also in England, several British Jews were honored with
titles by Queen Elizabeth as part of her 80th birthday festivities,
including Philip Green, owner of the retail chains BHS and
Topshop; David Michels, the former chief executive of the
Hilton Group; Esther Rantzen, founder of a hotline for young
people; Joan Burnstein, co-founder of the Browns fashion
chain; Naim Dangoor, a 90-year-old Iraqi Business man; Rabbi
Harry Jacobi, vice president of the liberal Judaism movement
in the United Kingdom and Cheryl Sklan, who is involved
in the Masorti movement.
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