Lisa Nandy, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, told Jewish community leaders on Wednesday that “Antisemitism is as unacceptable in the arts as it is anywhere else in society” after hearing testimony about Jew-hatred in the arts and civil society.
The delegation, led by the Board of Deputies of British Jews, and facilitated by Lord Mann, the Government’s independent antisemitism advisor, brought Jewish cultural sector leaders and leading performers like Tracy-Ann Oberman and Rachel Riley to share experiences and discuss solutions.
The group shared concerns about venues who refused to host Jewish performers, funding cuts for Jewish cultural programmes that have traditionally enjoyed support, and the growing feeling that Jews are being frozen out of the arts.
Discussing discrimination in the sporting arena, the delegation proposed that the Football Regulation Bill should include a duty for the new regulator to have regard for discrimination in football.
Turning to the civil society component of Lisa Nandy’s brief, the group noted vexatious complaints against Jewish charities, which have been weaponised by some anti-Israel groups, and spoke about the need for additional safeguards against these malicious acts.
The group highlighted the need to celebrate, as well as defend, the UK Jewish community, and proposed a new British Jewish Culture Month to celebrate the contribution of Jews to UK society, economy and culture.
Following the meeting, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said:
“I am grateful to the Jewish community leaders, cultural organisations, artists and Lord Mann for coming in to see me. I was shocked and very concerned by the scale and extent of their experiences.
“Antisemitism is as unacceptable in the arts as it is anywhere else in society. I gave my firm commitment that I will continue to work with the community so that we root out the unacceptable prejudice that they have faced.
“Art and culture are a powerful medium for bringing communities together. It is vital that we celebrate the enormous contribution made by our Jewish community, and that Jewish artists and institutions are free from abuse or discrimination as they carry out their work.”
Board of Deputies President Phil Rosenberg said:
“We wish to thank the Culture Secretary for taking the time to see us. Lisa Nandy has long been an ally of the community, and we could not hope for a better friend to stand up to the scourge of antisemitism in culture, media, and sport.
“Over the last 14 months, far too many people who consider themselves at the vanguard of inclusion, have demonstrated that they are actually incredibly bigoted. We are going to work with Government to bring an end to the situation where ‘Jews don’t count’ in the arts.
“At the same time, we as British Jews have so much to be proud of, and we will look to press forward on the creation of a British Jewish Culture Month to educate against hate and celebrate all that British Jews contribute to the UK”.