Lessons from London on anti-Semitism

Every school should mark Holocaust Remembrance Day. According to a report in The Times, the report compiled by Sir David Bell will call for the inclusion of anti-Semitism as an explicit and central theme within the curriculum. The proposal comes against a backdrop of concern, given that some schools have refrained from commemorating the day – which falls on 27 January each year – due to the conflict between Israel and Palestine. The report also highlights that three in five Jewish pupils have experienced incidents of anti-Semitism and that some of them choose not to report what has happened, fearing they will not be taken seriously. In March, the government led by Keir Starmer had commissioned Bell to conduct an independent inquiry. Schools must also ‘consider the appropriateness’ of allowing political expressions or symbols, such as the wearing of badges in the classroom in support of the Palestinian cause.

It is also hoped that all educational institutions will adopt the working definition of antisemitism formulated by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). Yes, the very one at the heart of the controversial anti-Semitism bill in Italy, which many on the left regard as a ‘gag’. The experience in the UK shows that accurately naming the phenomenon, providing structured education and protecting school environments from political propaganda does not amount to stifling debate, but rather to preventing hatred and disinformation from taking root amongst young people. A nine-year-old Jewish pupil attending a state primary school in north London recounts that his teacher told him that the blame for the massacre on 7 October “lies with the Jews”. If we do not act – and act swiftly – against this age-old virus that has mutated into new forms, there is a risk that historical memory and democratic coexistence will be fatally weakened.