Anti-Palestinian racism testimonies project
Our campaign shares the experiences of British Jews who have witnessed anti-Palestinian racism taking place within our communal spaces. We have come together and embraced our Jewish values of understanding, respect and compassion so that we can challenge the hate and build a more loving community.
We must call out the anti-Palestinian racism which prevents the Palestinian people from being seen as individuals deserving of freedom, equality and justice. Through this campaign, we will expose anti-Palestinian hate and challenge the racist stereotypes which uphold support for the occupation.
Submit your own testimony
If you would like to get involved, please fill out this form to share your experience however you’d like – in writing, recording a video, or in conversation with us – all with the option of remaining anonymous.
Below are two examples of testimonies submitted by our Na’amodniks. They can be used as a framework for your own testimony, or simply provide you with some inspiration.
What’s the future of the campaign?
The call for testimonies is currently being kept within Na’amod’s own circle. As our library of testimonies grow, both the collection and our call for more testimonies will be put out to the public. Where we take the campaign from there will depend on the type of response we get.
Please do not share this page with anyone outside of Na’amod
anne’s testimony
Anonymous testimony
Last year I attended a virtual event hosted by my synagogue featuring a speaker from an organization called “My Truth”, a group of former IDF soldiers who work to present a positive image of the IDF.
Early in his talk, the speaker showed us photos of Israelis on the beach which he described as normal life for Israelis. He then showed us photos of Palestinian children with weapons, and described this as normal life for Palestinians. I had been expecting the speaker’s political views to differ from mine, but this flagrant racism genuinely shocked me.
When I spoke to a couple of people in the community after the event they agreed that the comments were racist and unacceptable. But I believe we need a public discussion about anti-Palestinian racism, so that people feel empowered to challenge it when it arises, and say that it is unacceptable in Jewish spaces.
I know my community would not tolerate generalisations of this kind about other groups. I think the idea that Palestinians are inherently violent has however become normalised and accepted in our community because it has long been employed to justify Israel’s policies in the West Bank. It saddens me that our community’s determination to encourage uncritical support for Israel has resulted in racism being tolerated when it comes to Palestinians.
