THE rise in anti-Semitism was a source of regret for many speakers in the House of Lords debate, held on Thursday of last week, to mark Holocaust Memorial Day (27 January). The take-note debate was moved “with respect and solemn reflection” by the Minister for Faith, Lord Khan.
He recounted survivors’ stories, and stated how, in his view, “some foreign governments continue to rinse their history. . . It is up to each of us, every one of us, to forcefully condemn any denial of the Holocaust. It is up to us to combat not only anti-Semitism, but racism, bigotry, and intolerance in all their forms, here and around the world.”
The Government remained “determined to create the UK national Holocaust memorial and learning centre in Victoria Tower Gardens — a place where we can learn about the Holocaust, a place which will ensure that we never forget where hatred can lead”, Lord Khan said. “Subject to the passage of the Bill, and to recovery of planning consent, we hope to begin construction before the end of this year” (News, 12 September 2024.)
For the Bishop of Lichfield, Dr Michael Ipgrave, “this year has been particularly significant, as it marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz”. He was clear that “the Church must have a vital role and duty, in partnership with others, in actively standing against anti-Semitism,” because “through a distortion of Christian theology, the Church in almost all its branches has historically contributed to the immense suffering and injustice experienced by Jewish people over the ages.” Better education was “a major task for our renewed theological understanding today”, he said.
“While the horrors of Auschwitz move further into history, sadly, anti-Semitism does not. . . We must actively challenge anti-Semitism and all discrimination wherever we see it, to seek understanding rather than fearing those who are different from us. . . Interfaith dialogue plays an important role in this, as well as being an example of how those of different beliefs can come together to find common ground and connection.”
The Bishop of Manchester, Dr David Walker, commended the Church of England’s 2019 teaching document God’s Unfailing Word, which “speaks of attitudes towards Judaism over many centuries as providing ‘a fertile seed-bed for murderous antisemitism’, and of the need for Christians to repent of the ‘sins of the past’ towards our Jewish neighbours”, he said. “It notes the part played by flawed Christian theology in promoting negative stereotypes of Jewish people.
“There can be no overlap between the truth of our witness to Christ, which it is the task of theology to articulate, and the darkness of anti-Semitism. We have a duty as Christians to be alert to the continuation of such stereotyping and to resist it.”
Baroness Eaton (Conservative), a former Guardian of the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham, advocated for “each Holocaust Memorial Day [as] a day not just of reflection but of renewed commitment to tackling contemporary anti-Semitism in all its forms. . . Without this, the fight against anti-Semitism will continue to be overlooked, sidelined, and deprioritised on the political agenda.”
Lord Wolfson of Tredegar reminded all that the day was “the Jewish festival known as Tu Bishvat, celebrated each year on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Shevat . . . often known as the ‘new year for trees’”.
Baroness Anderson (Labour) concluded the debate: “This is our obligation: not simply to bear witness, but to act.”