A British philosemite speaks out

SAMUEL SOKOL

One of the more common complaints among both Israelis and Palestinians, and, in fact, groups that are engaged in conflict in general, is that there exists a media bias against them. While it can be difficult to evaluate the veracity of such assertions, there is one media personality who has stated on many occasions that such a bias does exist in his native land’s press corp and he says he has stepped up to the plate to combat the negative press that he believes Israel receives.

This someone is British journalist, author and philosemitic blogger Chas Newkey-Burden.

Newkey-Burden has written several bestselling unauthorized biographies of celebrities, as well as humorous tomes, and his articles have appeared in the Guardian, Ynet and other news outlets. He is a regular guest on British radio and has been interviewed on Sky News, the BBC and CNN. His takes on Israel’s day-to-day situation can be found on his blog, Oy Va Goy.

SS: Tell me a little about your background.

CNB: I grew up in southwest London. My father is English; my mother is Latvian, though she grew up in Australia. I don’t really have a religious background as such, nor an ideological one. My parents sometimes go to church at Christmas and, obviously, for weddings, but that’s about it. Politically, in as much as they take an interest, my parents are both open-minded and encourage me to be the same. My father and my paternal grandmother both visited and enjoyed Israel many decades ago.

SS: What caused you to identify with Zionism?

CNB: In 2001, I was working for a media company run by a Jewish family. There were quite a few Jewish people working there. On Sept. 11, as we watched the events unfold on television, the reactions of my co-workers really made me think. There was none of the shameful anti-Americanism that some Londoners expressed on that day. Instead, there were hopes expressed that now the world might understand what Israel had been facing for so long.

So, I became keen to learn more about the Middle East, and I struck an arrangement with one co-worker there that I’d buy us lunch. In return, I could ask him anything I wanted about Israel, even if some of my questions were ignorant and potentially offensive. It turned into several lunches; he answered many questions and opened my mind. I then started following Israel and the Palestinians in the media, as well as reading many dozens of books on the conflict, from pro-Israel books to pro-Palestinian ones and everything in between.

Around this time, by coincidence, I also began to visit America. When I was in New York, I was struck by the way that Jews lived there, and what a positive atmosphere exists in New York for Jewish people. I realized there and then for the first time just what a problem there is in England with antisemitism. That realization added to my determination to be involved in Israel advocacy and also the broader fight against antisemitism.

By 2006, I was firmly on Israel’s side. I then paid my first visit to Israel and fell deeply in love with the country, the land itself and, of course, the wonderful people. Although I’m not Jewish, I kind of feel the issue personally now.

SS: How do your friends, co-workers, community and family react to your Zionism and blogging?

CNB: Some people find my dedication to such an issue a bit strange – I think I do myself sometimes! The thing is, I am not a Christian Zionist, nor an Islamophobe. I love Israel because I love Israel. That means sometimes it is hard for people to pin down why I do it. But, like most things, as you stick with something over time, people grow to admire it more. They see it is motivated from a good place.

SS: What compelled you to start blogging as a philosemite? How was your writing received?

CNB: I was running a general, and fairly inconsequential, personal blog during the second half of 2008. Then, when Operation Cast Lead began, I turned it into an Israel-specific blog and renamed it Oy Va Goy. I was livid at the hatred and ignorance that was being thrown at Israel in Britain. Many thousands of rockets were fired at Israel for years, and there was not a drop of interest or sympathy. Yet, the moment Israel finally responded to try and prevent further rocket fire, suddenly Britain was up in arms.

A lot of the reaction here had a nasty undercurrent of antisemitism, so I turned my blog into a pro-Israel blog to try, in some small way, to work against that. How was it received? Well, Israel-haters tended to hate it, Israel-supporters tended to love it. Nicely, many people who are in neither camp have told me that my blog has changed their mind on the conflict and made them more supportive and understanding of Israel’s case.

SS: How connected are you to the Zionist and Jewish communities in the United Kingdom?

CNB: Very connected to both. I have good relations with all the major Jewish and Zionist groups in the U.K. I go to Israel events and protests, I give speeches at events organized by Jewish organizations, from the Zionist Federation to StandWithUs and even the Jewish class at Eton College. I also go to synagogues occasionally and I spend Friday night with Chabad sometimes. People have been so welcoming and kind.

SS: How do you react to antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiments among your fellow British citizens?

CNB: It breaks my heart to see any antisemitism. I find it deeply distressing. I react by staying calm and by encouraging people to share their concerns or feelings honestly with me. It’s amazing how powerful and positive it can be to say to someone, “Tell me bluntly what your concerns are about Israel, you won’t offend me.” It puts people at ease and then we take the discussion from there.

I’m proud of how many times I’ve been able to turn around people’s views. There’s that Jewish saying, “To save one life, it is as if you’ve saved all of mankind.” I live by a similar principle with Israel advocacy, to change one person’s mind is so powerful.

Here, between friends, I’d say that one of the things that is driving the peculiarly virulent strain of Israel-hatred and antisemitism here is the high level of envy in British society. If you compare America and Britain, there is certainly a much higher level of envy here. As we know from history, where there is lots of envy, there is also often lots of antisemitism.

SS: Have you used your position in the media to weigh in on Middle East issues?

CNB: Where possible and appropriate, yes. For instance, I’ve written about Israel in a football magazine and a gay magazine, as well as more obvious places like political journals and, of course, the Jewish press. Where possible, I raise positive stories about Israel on the radio as well. I also wrote a chapter about Israel in a mainstream book I co-wrote, which was published by Random House.

SS: Tell me about your professional accomplishments and recent published works and media appearances.

CNB: I’ve been a professional journalist for 16 years. I’ve written for most of the leading newspapers and magazines in England, as well as international publications. I’m a columnist for the Jewish Chronicle, and I am regularly on BBC Radio as a studio guest. I’ve written over a dozen successful books, including several international bestsellers.

SS: Not long ago, you were in Israel on a tour for bloggers. How often do you come to Israel and what are your impressions?

CNB: I’ve been to Israel four times since 2006. I absolutely love it. I feel a strong connection with the place in my heart. Tel Aviv I fell in love with the moment I first arrived there. I love just walking round aimlessly, with one of my beloved Aroma iced coffees in my hand. It’s amazing. I love Jerusalem, too, though it took me a little longer to get to know and really understand the heart of the place.... The Israeli people are wonderful. The much-discussed combination of blunt speaking with a big heart is something that is very refreshing for a Brit. I do love England, but the politeness that often exists here sometimes seems less than sincere. Israelis show that you can speak very directly to people while still being kind. I also love the food and culture of Israel. The road signs even fascinate me – it’s like being in the Bible! Just thinking about it now, I wish I was there right now.

SS: How do you see the future of British-Israeli relations?

CNB: In the political world here, there are so many issues with Israel.

On the Conservative side, there is a tradition of Arabism, a deferential and almost fetishistic feeling towards the Arab world. You can also add into that mix that there are some people in that world here who are still hung up about how the Jews defeated the Brits at the end of the Mandate period in pre-state Israel.

On the left-wing and liberal sides, there continues to be bizarre alliances built with some of the more extreme and unrepresentative Muslim groups. That leads to particularly nasty anti-Israel rhetoric becoming acceptable in those circles. There is also the issue of the growing Muslim vote in many constituencies, which sees MPs put the boot into Israel for popularity.

In the wider British psyche, there still exists a mourning for the days when the country meant more on the international stage. I think Brits know that most of the regimes in the Middle East couldn’t care what we think of them now, and aren’t listening to our pronouncements on them.

So, people here have this tendency to wag their fingers at Israel, telling it how naughty they think it is. This has less to do with their views on Israel and more to do with how they see themselves. They desperately want Britain’s view to matter again, and are telling themselves that Israel-bashing is a means to an end.

Therefore, politically and governmentally, I think Britain’s relations with Israel could become more hostile. But I think that will matter less and less, as Britain’s influence and authority on the world stage continue to decline.

SS: What do you see as the desired endgame between Israel and the Palestinians?

CNB: My desired endgame is security, peace and autonomy for both people. I don’t believe we are anywhere near achieving that because of the intransigence, dishonesty, racism and brutality of the Palestinian leaderships.

SS: What is the feeling towards Israel now in the United Kingdom?

CNB: This is an important question. Most people in the U.K. don’t have any feeling towards Israel, by which I mean most people don’t have any opinion, favorable or otherwise. Sometimes, those of us who advocate for Israel here forget that. Most people are too busy getting on with their own lives and pursuing their own interests to care what is going on in the Middle East.

Among those that do care, less of them are anti-Israel than we might think. The thing is, anti-Israel people here make a noise far greater than their number, while pro-Israel people here make a noise far less than our number. We have been too quiet and polite, while the other side has been extremely loud and militant. Therefore, politicians and the media have leant towards the side making the most noise.

There are many great new groups and initiatives starting here on the pro-Israel side, particularly among the younger members of the community. Things will change soon, we have much to be optimistic about!

Samuel Sokol is the Jerusalem-based Middle East correspondent for Zman magazine and the Five Towns Jewish Times, and news director at Koleinu, a newspaper serving English-speaking communities in Israel. He has reported from all over Israel and from areas under Palestinian Authority control.

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