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24/10/2018
Brexit? Nein!
Oh the irony! After the incident when a certain leader of a political party suggested that some Jews have no sense of irony, let me start by reclaiming that word and illustrate it’s definition with a real paradox: that of the descendants of German Jewish refugees now seeking citizenship of the country that persecuted and murdered their antecedents. A daily glance at the news will give even the most uninitiated the impression of chaos that Brexit has unleashed. While some repercussions such as a weakening pound, were clearly identified, it has also created societal issues. Immediately after the referendum there were reports of discrimination against Polish and Hungarian workers, whose status after next March has been uncertain. The decision to leave the EU has also prompted a steady stream of enquiries from the children and grandchildren of former German refugees exploring the possibility of acquiring German citizenship. Descendants from other countries...
18/09/2018
New book on Human Rights published
AJR's Chief Executive, Michael Newman, is on the editorial board of a new book recently published to mark the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). Entitled "Contemporary Human Rights Challenges: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights and its Continuing Relevance", this publication is an edited collection of new essays by leading international human rights experts including President Jimmy Carter, UNESCO Secretary General Audrey Azoulay and the former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams. Michael said: "It was a personal privilege to be part of the group that has produced this timely addition to an evaluation of human rights published in honour of former AJR member Clemens Nathan." It is a contemporary and clear sighted contribution to our understanding of both the evolution of the Universal Declaration and its continuing relevance to the world today. This is a stimulating and accessible read, with real world examples for anyone...
04/09/2018
It can’t happen here?
Antisemitism is spreading and allowed to go unchecked in the UK and across Europe. The frequency of unchallenged antisemitic comments in a mainstream political party, as well as in the pernicious sections of social media, is increasing. The number of recorded malicious acts motivated by prejudice against the Jewish community is rising and has been for some time. The Guardian reported that 2017 saw a 34% rise in violent assaults against Jewish people in the UK, and the number is increasing in 2018. The same-old antisemitic myths and conspiracy theories are spreading openly and seem to be equally acceptable to educated people on the left and the right. We need to raise stronger opposition on all sides to the rehashing of these ancient fictions. We must not sit back and think it won’t get worse, that nothing can really happen in the UK. No civilised society can ignore, hide or...
16/08/2018
AJR Volunteer Newsletter
We hope you enjoy reading this collection of articles written by ARSP intern Julie Manseck during her year working with AJR and compiled in this volunteer newsletter.
07/08/2018
Statement by the UK Delegation to IHRA on the Working Definition of Antisemitism
Recently the work of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) has featured prominently in discourse concerning the troubling rise of antisemitic incidents in Britain. As members of the UK Delegation to the IHRA, we feel it is only appropriate for us to add our voice to this conversation in order to clarify what exactly the IHRA is and why its non-legally binding working definition of antisemitism, adopted on 26 May 2016, should be adopted widely, without amendment. The IHRA exists to unite governments and experts from 31 Member Countries to strengthen, advance and promote Holocaust education, remembrance, and research worldwide. The UK has the proud distinction of being one of three founding members. As the only intergovernmental organisation mandated to focus solely on Holocaust-related issues including antisemitism, our network of experts was compelled in 2016 to address the global rise in antisemitic incidents by putting forth a clear ‘gold-standard’ definition...