Havering Council’s decision to cancel celebrations for the upcoming festival of Hanukkah — and then rapidly u-turn — is a good example of how not to navigate community relations in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war.
That’s not because the risks faced by Jewish communities are imagined. The Met Police found that antisemitic hate crimes in the UK have risen dramatically in the initial aftermath of October 7th. The stories of Jewish businesses vandalised, Jewish children unable to go to school, and Jewish students unsafe on university campuses have undoubtedly left many in the Jewish community feeling shaken and scared. The risks and threats that Jewish communities are facing are real.
