Wednesday, October 08, 2025

If The Jews Are Packing

 ... then it might be time for you to check to see if your luggage is in working order.

Dig this.

Also, this.

My own family arrived here at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. Like many Jews from Eastern Europe, they were fleeing the mass murders perpetrated by the Russian state. That journey brought them to Scotland, where they built new lives and laid down roots. I grew up in Glasgow, deeply proud to be British. I learned the kings and queens of the British Isles by heart and was captivated by the story of Mary, Queen of Scots. I absorbed the customs, values, and culture. I was always a proud Jew who understood my connection to Israel, but I also cherished being British.

This was my home. Today, I am preparing to leave it.

It has not been an easy decision. For years I clung to the belief that, despite the rise in hostility to the Jewish community, we could still build lives here. I had watched from abroad during Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership of the Labour Party from 2015 to 2020, when Jew-hate poisoned the party and seeped into wider politics. 

And then there's this.

Despite what right-wing antisemite loons might say, and I'm looking at you, Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens, Jews are civilization's canaries in the coal mine. If they don't feel safe, then it's a good bet you're not going to feel safe soon.

Looking back through history, you can take your pick of pogroms and see that they never preceded times of peace and prosperity. How could they? Jews are a boon to any society.

It's no secret that Jewish culture strongly values education and hard work. It's why, contra Hitler, they succeed wherever they go. And who doesn't want more of that?

If you've created an environment where that is not valued to the point where the Jews are looking for the exits, it's a strong indicator that things are about to go sideways for everyone.

Super Special Yiddish Bonus Content

Add New York City to the list of places you might want to avoid in the future.

1 comment:

Mostly Nothing said...

There is a little independent book story in downtown here, 3-4 blocks away (including coffee stand), that we frequent. They have mystery books, where they wrap up books and just put on the genre on the outside. My wife has given me a couple of those for various presents.

The last one was a biography. "The Hare with Amber Eyes" by Edmund de Waal. It's a bit different. It tells the story of 5 generations of his family. The Ephrussis family started with banking and had a dynasty that started in Vienna and spread to Paris in the 19th century.

It goes through their lives and the political events and how far back anti-semitism goes, and not just Germany. It was a very interesting book. It dragged on at times, as you were getting close to the end of one generation. But then you would get the next, and it would pick up again.

The biggest shift was how quickly the Austrian people as a whole turned on their jewish friends and neighbors,