The judgements we face this Rosh Hashanah

British Jews both criticise the war in Gaza, and rush to Israel’s defence

Recent data from the JPR Research Panel show that many British Jews are struggling with the most pressing moral questions the war in Gaza has raised. 68% think the Israeli government hasn’t done enough to release the hostages; 52% think the IDF hasn’t done enough to protect Palestinian civilians. 72% disapprove of Prime Minister Netanyahu; 75% believe he has prioritised his own interests over those of the State. 

Yet as some make these judgements, others rush to Israel’s defence. Many worry that wider criticism of Israel is laced with antisemitic intent, and that it too often idly dismisses the threats the country faces. And British Jews overwhelmingly value and need Israel: over 80% see it as the ancestral homeland of the Jewish People and support its right to exist as a Jewish State; over 70% see its existence as critical to the future of the Jewish People. Israel is profoundly precious to many Jews, and they feel its precariousness deeply.

So any wider criticism, legitimate or not, is very difficult to manage, not least because it has come alongside a rise in antisemitic incidents and a broader climate in which many Jews feel judged for things far beyond their control.

A third of British Jews report being blamed for Israel’s actions

Indeed, JPR research shows that a third of British Jews report being directly blamed, at least on occasion, for the policies of the Israeli government. This is often less a political critique than a symbolic judgment: Jews being treated not as individuals with diverse views and experiences, but as representatives of a monolithic entity. The complexities of Jewish identity, the diversity of opinion within the community, and any moral convictions people may have about Israeli politics are flattened into a single, accusatory narrative.

That symbolic judgement has deep historical roots. ‘The Jew’ has long functioned as a metaphor in Western thought – a figure onto which societies project their anxieties, resentments and moral critiques. Whether as a symbol of capitalism, tribalism, globalism or nationalism, ‘the Jew’ becomes a scapegoat for broader societal ills. The real Jew, with real thoughts and feelings, disappears behind the myth.

JPR’s research shows us how Jews are responding to all of this. Some are withdrawing from non-Jewish spaces and gravitating toward Jewish ones. Some are using antisemitism as the foundation upon which to build their Jewish identities. Some are reassessing their relationship with Israel – perhaps out of political disagreement, but also as a response to the emotional toll of feeling judged for its actions.

And amidst all of this come the High Holydays. And their central questions – who are we? what do we stand for? how do we manage the judgements, or misjudgements, of others? – feel more overwhelming than ever.

Yet that is where we are. And so I wonder whether the fundamental task this year lies in reclaiming the power of self-definition. If others insist on judging Jews symbolically, perhaps Jews must insist on being seen authentically. That means resisting the temptation to internalise the judgements of others, and turning inwards instead – to Jewish values, ideas and traditions. It means remembering that judgement, in Jewish thought, is not only about punishment. It is also about clarity, accountability and renewal.

So perhaps this is the critical question this year: in a world that too often misjudges us, how do we ensure that we judge ourselves and one another wisely, honestly and with compassion?