Has anti-semitism taken on a new form within the British media?

Written by David ‘Goldie’ Goldsmith

Britain’s tabloid press has, in recent years, been constantly accused of venting bigotry aimed at Jews. But it is surprising to find certain elements in the ‘quality press’ using their medium of communication to ‘Jew-bait’ and criticise Israel in a way that is hurtful and damaging. The media has tried to define the differences between blatant anti-Jewish rhetoric and acceptable disagreement with Israel’s political actions. Yet, for many, Israel and the Jews are intrinsically linked. Within the Diaspora, Israel is seen as the ‘spiritual’ home of the Jewish people. This adds an emotional element to anti-Israel articles and comments within the media, resulting in journalists having to tread a fine line, fearful of being classed as ‘anti-semitic.’ This contentious topic has led some commentators to redefine ‘anti-semitism.’ Exponents of ‘Judeophobia’ see recent anti-Zionist texts as masking ‘a hatred or fear of Jews’ which has infected the British news media. Scholars and writers, such as Winston Pickett and Geoffrey Alderman, argue that anti-semitism has taken on a new form within the media in Britain. It has been suggested that recent articles are merely ‘pure unadulterated anti-Jewish prejudice’, indicative of a ‘new anti-semitism.’

Peter Beaumont, The Observer’s diplomatic editor, rejects the idea of such a ‘new anti-semitism.’ He sees the idea merely as an attempt to deflect criticism away from the actions of an Israeli government by declaring criticism as out of bounds. “Criticise Israel,” he wrote, “and you are an anti-Semite just as surely as if you were throwing a pot of paint at a synagogue in Paris.”   This came in response to Geoffrey Alderman’s article in The Jewish Chronicle in which he accused Richard Ingram,  a columnist in the Observer, of being prejudiced toward Jews. Mr Ingram is a former editor of the Private Eye, renowned for its decades-long sarcasm and bitterness toward the Jews. He had confessed to not reading letters sent to him in favour of Israel if the writer had a Jewish name. He went on to say that Jews should declare their ethnicity when writing for papers.