Scottish Jewish leader: Jews feel today how they did before Holocaust
Dr Sue Siegel has spoken of the impact of anti-semetism on Jewish communities in Scotland
Jewish people are experiencing something similar to what they felt just before the Holocaust following recent attacks, a Jewish Council of Scotland (JCoS) member has said.
Sue Siegel claimed that people are afraid to walk the streets and some are not wearing visible signs of identity related to being Jewish, such as skull caps and the Star of David.
She said that Jewish communities in Scotland are concerned about physical violence and are not publicising where many events are being held as they are worried about being targeted.
It comes after a suspected terror attack in north London that saw two Jewish men taken to hospital after being stabbed in the Golders Green area.
A 45-year-old man, said by police to be a Somali-born British national, was arrested following the incident on Wednesday.
It was the latest in a number of attacks on Jewish sites in London which have included an arson attack on Jewish community ambulances and attempted arson attacks at synagogues.
Today, around 5,800 people who identify as Jewish live in Scotland with the Giffnock Newton Mearns Synagogue the largest in the country.
Dr Siegel, a member of the Jewish Council of Scotland (JCoS) and chairwoman of a synagogue in Glasgow, said that people in the Jewish community in Scotland are feeling “scared”.
She told BBC Radio Scotland Breakfast: “We’re concerned about walking the streets. Most of the people I know are not wearing any visible identity related to being Jewish. I know that some of the young men are not wearing their skull caps.
“I know many women are now hiding the Star of David, and it is very concerning. I’m also the chairman of a synagogue, and we’re quite concerned for our building and for what could happen in our neighbourhood.”
She added: “We’re afraid of physical violence, and we need to ensure that we can step up the security at any event, so we’re not publicising where many events are being held, and we’re doing things more privately than we were in the past.”
Dr Siegel said that antisemitism seems to be more prevalent now and compared it to the situation before the start of the Holocaust.
She said: “People should be allowed to practice their religion and to be the way they need to be in the way they want to be, freely, without concern.
“This is similar to what people felt just before the Holocaust.”
Dr Siegel also said the community feels as though it is being held responsible for what is happening thousands of miles away in the Middle East.
She said: “Very often, Jews are being blamed for what’s happening in the Middle East, and we don’t quite understand where this surge is coming from.”
The JCoS member said the community is in close contact with authorities and that police have been “extremely supportive”.
She also told the programme she has received letters of support from other faith communities in the last 24 hours
Dr Siegel said: “I think other ethnic groups have experienced similar situations.
“There have been attacks on mosques and in other places, and I think people do realise how difficult it is for our community.”
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