5 things Christian parents can do about antisemitism

With attacks on Jewish people rising in the UK, Olly Goldenberg urges parents to help children spot hate, reject prejudice, and show Christ-like courage in school and society

Since the Hamas attack on Israel, October 7, 2023, antisemitic attacks in the UK have increased significantly with 2025 incidents double those recorded in 2022.

Violent assaults, such as the recent stabbing of two Jewish men in London are high profile, but thankfully still rare in this country. But arson attacks of Jewish sites, verbal threats, abuse around synagogues and online hatred are all a regular occurrence. This has resulted in many Jews feeling unsafe in the UK, leading to them hiding their Jewish identity.

My son was at university when a spate of pro-Palestinian marches took place on his campus. As he walked through the campus (with his Jewish surname hidden) it struck him that these marches were not simply pro-Palestine, they were explicitly anti-Jew. The mob were chanting, ‘from the river to the sea, Palestine shall be free.’ This phrase refers to the land between the river Jordan and the Mediterranean sea, namely the nation of Israel. This is not just the land of the Gaza strip and the West Bank but the whole of the land of Israel.

But the land under the Israeli government is already free – Jews live together with Arabs (who make up 20% of the citizens of Israel) in a place of freedom for all its citizens regardless of race or religion, more than is afforded to Jews in the rest of the Middle East. This slogan is not calling for freedom in a land that it is already free, but for freedom from the Jewish people. In other words, they are calling for the removal or annihilation of all Jews in Israel.

How can we help our children to process the strong feelings of others and to not feel intimidated in the presence of anti-Jewish narratives?

The protestors in my son’s university were also shouting, ‘Globalize the intifada,’ a phrase seen as supporting Palestine, which has sinister undertones. In its most prominent forms around the world it involves violence against Israelis, Jews (regardless of their personal beliefs) and institutions supporting Israel. While the intent of those chanting it may not be violence, the interpretation by many antisemites is that Jews should be eliminated and Jewish people have seen that there are some who are willing to act on this. This mirrors the aim of Haman in the book of Ruth and of the nazis in World War II, both of whom actively sought to destroy all the Jews.

Here in the UK, visibly Jewish people have been told to turn away from some protests, for their safety. In other words, there are areas where the police have stopped Jewish people from going, not because they would instigate a crime, but because they would be at risk of attack from protestors. Instead of stopping the protestors who would threaten violence they remove the freedoms of the innocent. Antisemitism is on the rise in the UK and the Jewish people are experiencing it.

For our children in school, they will potentially hear the views of both sides of the Israeli war. With two clear sides and passionate proponents on both sides it is likely our children will have heard the debate around them.

As Christians we are to stand up for the marginalized. For our children this will mean standing up for those who are victimized by the tone of the debate, stirring up hatred against the Jews. How can we help our children to process the strong feelings of others and to not feel intimidated in the presence of anti-Jewish narratives?

Here’s five things we can do with our children……