Prepare for onslaught

Iam an old man who has lived through many historical ups and downs. The “ups” include the victory over Nazism, the discovery of Penicillin, the establishment of the State of Israel and the moon landing. The “downs” include the blitz, the Holocaust and the current pandemic.

I do not claim any magic powers of foresight but age and experience do help in recognising situations likely to repeat themselves.

The Jewish community in Germany, in the 1930s, punched well above its weight. When the effects of defeat in the First World War were felt and the economy collapsed, the Jews were condemned to their historically repeated role of scapegoat.

In the USA today the Jewish community is represented with amazing success in the fields of arts, science, entertainment and, perhaps above all, in politics.

The government is populated with a significant proportion of Jews, from the president’s daughter to a number officials in high office.

Also, in the annals of disgraced and well publicised misdeeds, names such as Weinstein and Epstein are to be found.

America is today in crisis. There is polarisation between right and left in a more extreme form than seen before. The Covid pandemic is running out of hand and is causing a devastating effect on the previously buoyant economy. There is, at the same time, a rise in populist, nationalist, right-wing extremist activity.

A growing sense of foreboding, fed by the recognition of the similarity of situations, today (or tomorrow) in the USA to what was in Germany 85 years ago, has prompted me to write this letter.

I can only hope that the Jewish community is prepared for an onslaught and, at the same time, give thanks that Israel exists with an open door. Neville Landau.

London SW19