As antisemitism evolves, more Diaspora Jews are forced to pass anti-Zionist 'purity tests'

ByESTHER DAVISJULY 25, 2026 20:50Physical safety is not the only threat to Jewish life in the UK; the shift toward casual antisemitism in wider society, where Jews are judged based on their views on Israel, is equally significant, doctor and Rabbi Yoni Birnbaum said.In North London, where a majority of British Jews live, sits one of the UK’s largest synagogues, Kinloss. Positioned between Finchley and Golders Green, the synagogue is surrounded by a low fence, where, since October 7, security has slowly increased.The area in which children used to play outside during services is now filled with British charity Community Security Trust volunteers.Only one of the synagogue’s many entrances is open at a time, akin to the COVID-19 one-way system. Security monitors all entries through the single door, operating an airlock of sorts: no one passes through the second door until the first has closed.Following Yom Kippur’s deadly attack on Heaton Park synagogue in Manchester, the arson attack on Hatzola ambulances in Golders Green, an attempted firebombing of Finchley Reform Synagogue, and many other incidents, The Jerusalem Post interviewed Kinloss’ Birnbaum about rising antisemitism in the UK and the shift in societal attitudes that he has noticed over the last few years.DOCTOR AND RABBI Yoni Birnbaum of London’s Finchley United Synagogue, aka Kinloss, says that when Jews in the UK are required to pass a test that no other group of people is required to endure, this reflects ‘actual anti-Jewish hate.’ (credit: Paul Lang)Birnbaum made it clear that he did not want to pass on a message of despair or hopelessness.Although there had been a “dangerous shift in certain parts of society toward a new form of antisemitism,” he said, it was important to remember that while the issue existed and was growing, “it was not everywhere.”New test being used to decide who are 'the good ones'Birnbaum was booking a family holiday to the South of France when he was subjected to this litmus test.After booking a place to stay through a private company, Birnbaum received an email from the property owners around a month after paying a 50% deposit on the house.The email read: “Our curiosity was piqued by your email address, from which we gather that you are a rabbi … Can you confirm to us that you are a member of a progressive, liberal Jewish movement and that this movement condemns the violent actions of the Israeli army, on orders from the Israeli government, in Gaza, the occupied West Bank, and recently, in Lebanon?”Birnbaum told the Post that this experience was not unique; Jews across the globe have been subjected to this benchmark of whether one was “one of the good Jews,” meaning a Jew who held views more easily digestible for wider society.As the rabbi wrote in his opinion piece in The Jewish Chronicle, “The lesson from this episode extends far beyond one holiday rental in France. It is a reminder that antisemitism, and indeed prejudice of any kind, rarely announces itself as prejudice.”Birnbaum told the Post that it was important to be careful about saying that this was the only experience of British, and indeed international, Jewry.“There’s always the danger of the echo chamber,” he said, adding that “we have a lot of friends, and a lot of people who are outraged for us ... But there has also been a very dangerous shift in certain parts of society.”A new way to express Jew-hateThis shift, marking a fresh way to express Jew-hate, was the purity test that he spoke of – the idea that one’s acceptance by broader society as a Jew was dependent on taking an anti-Israel position.A survey by the Institute for Jewish Policy Research in October 2024 found that approximately two-thirds of British Jewry considered themselves Zionists, while only 10% identified as anti-Zionist.Birnbaum said that when Jews are required to pass a test that no other people are required to do, it becomes “actual anti-Jewish hatred.”As a leader of one of the largest Orthodox Jewish communities in the UK, Birnbaum has a unique understanding of the impacts of antisemitism in and on Britain.There is a danger of antisemitism becoming normalized because it is dressed up in people saying, “I’m just anti-Zionist, I’m just anti-Israel, I’m not antisemitic,” he said.But when one takes up such an extreme level of anti-Israel sentiment, “it becomes anti-Jewish.”“Because people are not even able to see how prejudiced it is to turn around to a Jew simply because they’re a Jew and say, ‘You need to declare your position on the Israeli government,’ otherwise, you are not welcome in society,” Birnbaum continued.“It is antisemitic to demand that of Jews, right?” he questioned. “And that’s the message that we have to get across.”Still, Birnbaum’s overall message was one of encouragement and hopefulness. He said he understood how easy it was “to allow prejudice to fester.”Firefighters are pictured in the Golders Green neighbourhood of north London on March 23, 2026, after volunteer ambulances run by a Jewish organisation were set on fire overnight. (credit: Henry Nicholls / AFP via Getty Images)Yet, he said, he believed that through conversation, refusing to ignore antisemitism, and “taking agency in how we respond” to it, one can help move toward a more peaceful and welcoming society.“Our lives as Jews are not defined by the threats we face, by antisemitic rhetoric and hate. They’re defined by the fact that we live as proud British Jews, and that we enjoy our faith.”Follow us on Google