RUTHFULLY YOURS

For most British teenagers in their final year of A-levels, thoughts are now turning to choosing universities, attending open days and organising accommodation. But for a growing number of young British Jews, these familiar rites of passage are being replaced by more urgent concerns: joining the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) or volunteering in Israel.

The change in the priorities of young British Jews shows how much their world has changed since 7 October last year. First, Hamas’s brutal slaughter of civilians in Israel provided a horrifying wake-up call. And then the subsequent surge in anti-Semitism in Britain and Europe made it clear that many supposedly tolerant institutions are anything but.

‘I had always intended to join the IDF’, 17-year-old Thalia Cohen tells me. ‘But the events of 7 October solidified my decision. I want to help Israel defend itself and make sure something like that never happens again.’

Orli Miller completed her sixth-form studies this year. Visiting British university campuses since 7 October has transformed her view of the UK. ‘I visited one of the universities I’d applied to, and I was deeply unsettled by what I saw’, she recalls:

‘Posters of hostages taken by Hamas had been torn down. I realised this wasn’t an environment where I’d feel comfortable or supported. As a Zionist, I knew I’d be much happier in Israel, where I can align my actions with my beliefs without fear of judgement.’

Orli initially applied to serve in the IDF but was turned down on medical grounds. But rather than return to a university campus in the UK riddled with anti-Semitism, she chose to sign up for Sherut Leumi, Israel’s alternative national-service programme. Participants get to work in a wide range of areas, including healthcare, nursing homes and in disadvantaged communities.

That increasing numbers of young British Jews are now turning their backs on the UK university system provides a damning indictment of the vicious intolerance washing over campuses today. Universities were once regarded as sanctuaries of free thought and inclusivity. They have now become breeding grounds for hostility towards Jews. For Thalia and Orli, the message sent by universities is clear: all racism is condemned, apart from anti-Semitism.

Thalia has refused to shrink away. ‘People tell us to hide our religious symbols’, she says. ‘I take the opposite view – we should display them proudly. We should stand tall, proud of our religion, and proud of Israel.’

Both Thalia and Orli stress that Israel’s existence as a refuge for Jews is not merely symbolic – it’s also essential for their survival. ‘One of the tragic reasons so many Jews were murdered during the Holocaust was the absence of a place to escape to’, Orli tells me. ‘That’s why Israel matters. It’s the one place where Jews can find security, even though it’s constantly under threat. The need for a Jewish homeland has never been more urgent.’

Thalia agrees. Her family and friends support her decision to join the IDF, and some of her relatives are already serving as reservists. ‘I feel Jews should make this self-sacrifice – it is vital for Israel’s survival’, she says, before adding, ‘but it depends on how connected you are to Israel’.

Their sense of urgency is palpable. ‘Israel is under constant threat from terrorist groups that aim to destroy it’, says Orli. ‘Their weapons are becoming more sophisticated, and they are overwhelming our defence systems. To survive, we must fight back – and fight hard.’

The fallout from the 7 October atrocities has left scars. Orli lost friends, and one was kidnapped. Thalia describes the tense atmosphere in Israel:

‘When I visited in the summer, people were more nervous. You have to think about where to shelter if something happens. But there’s also a deep sense of unity. People are coming together to help each other.’

Recent attacks on Israeli Jews in Amsterdam have only added to their anxiety. It’s a grim reminder that Israel is not a ‘settler-colonial’ state – it is a refuge, a nation born from the ashes of persecution in Europe and the Middle East. For Israel to remain a safe haven, Jews must defend it – a stark reality that young people like Thalia and Orli understand all too well.

But this fight cannot fall solely on the shoulders of Jews. The growing anti-Semitism across Britain demands a response from those who claim to oppose bigotry in all its forms. Now is the time to send a clear message: Jews are not alone.

Names have been changed in this article

Neil Davenport is a writer based in London.