Non-Jew felt need to form Israel support group by Nigel Goodrich

IT was a pleasure to have bumped into Mark Lewis at the Say No To Antisemitism rally in Manchester on Sunday.  Having read an article about him in another publication on the train from Liverpool, I simply wanted to say hello.  I told him that I had just set up a new Israel advocacy group in our wee part of Scotland (Dumfries & Galloway Friends of Israel).  It was ironically on the way back that, saving the best until last, I saw his letter in the Jewish Telegraph.  I am not Jewish, so why a new group? A friend, who made aliya two years ago, sent me a flier from the Zionist Federation asking for people to support an Israeli-owned business at Braehead retail park, Glasgow, which had been suffering under the close attentions of the BDS campaign.  Two days and a few phone calls later, I was able to visit the Jericho stall and come away with 17 bags of Dead Sea products for 17 people who, like me, are not Jewish, but wanted to show their support.  The abuse I received from the protesters, being called among other things a “child killer” and “fascist ”, just for quietly and inoffensively buying cosmetics, served to strengthen my resolve to do something more to show solidarity with Israel and the Jewish community. But what?  The number of Jewish organisations is, to an outsider, bewildering, and in that respect Mark is correct that there are too many of them.  Our group is yet another “well-meaning ” one, admittedly subject to no central authority and representative of no ‘community’, since there is no Jewish community in south-west Scotland.  What we do have, however, is ignorance, misinformation, and growing antisemitism, disguised as humanitarian principle.  There were recent moves by county councillors to commit the council to supporting the BDS campaign. Who will speak for you?  So we non-Jews will be holding a day conference on November 15 called ‘Israel — challenging the mis-conceptions’.  Five speakers will represent five different Jewish organisations, but together they will surely speak as one.  Israel has every right to exist and prosper; antisemitism must be opposed and defeated.  There should be no need for yet another group, of course, but I would ask Mark to understand that we cannot sit idly by and confuse silence for wisdom.  If anyone would carry this burden for us, believe me, I would be delighted. Meanwhile we feel compelled to stand with you.  Nigel Goodrich, Dumfries & Galloway Friends of Israel.