Dostoevsky Was an Antisemite. I Still Think You Should Read Him
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Sir Keir Starmer is being attacked for celebrating Friday night dinner with his family.
Will Britain’s next Prime Minister be a “part-time” leader because he enjoys Shabbat dinner with his family?
That’s the bizarre charge that’s been leveled at Sir Keir, leader of Britain’s opposition Labour Party, who’s poised to become Prime Minister.
Sir Keir has always been open about his family’s Jewish heritage. His wife Victoria grew up in a Jewish area of north London. Victoria’s father Bernard is Jewish. Her mother converted to Judaism, though according to Keir, Victoria’s family considers themselves heirs to Jewish heritage rather than practicing Jews. “They’re not Jewish,” Keir recently told an interviewer with the British newspaper The Guardian.
Yet Keir and Victoria are cognizant of their family’s Jewish components and are raising their 16-year-old son and 13-year-old daughter to understand their links to the Jewish people. “We’re very keen for the children to know about it, to understand it,” Keir explained in a June 2024 interview as the election entered its final phase. “Half of the family are Jewish, they’re either here or in Israel.” Keir says that “Thank God,” none of his family was directly affected by Hamas’ terror attacks in Israel and the ensuing war, but his children have been profoundly affected by the war, terrorism in Israel, and the rise of antisemitism around the world: “No doubt about that.”
One aspect of Jewish life that Keir and Victoria embrace is weekly Shabbat dinner. “Pretty much every week” they place a loaf of challah on their family dinner table. Victoria’s father and sister often join them for Friday night dinner. In a 2020 interview, Keir said he and Victoria were raising their kids “to recognize the faith part of their grandfather’s family” and that “Just carving out that tradition, that bit of faith on Friday is incredibly important….” In a July 2024 podcast, Keir explained that his family’s Friday night Shabbat dinner is a fixed date on his weekly calendar: “It’s a question of trying to ensure that we find time, so I’m really, really clear, I will not do - unless it’s absolutely urgent or a special reason - I won’t do a Friday night event.”
On July 1, with the election just days away, Keir reiterated how important Friday night diner is to his family: “We’ve had a structure in place that I try to keep to, which is to carve out really protected time for the kids. So on a Friday - I’ve been doing this for years - I will not do a work-related thing after six o’clock, pretty well come what may. Now there are a few exceptions, but that’s what we do. I don’t believe in the theory that you’re a better decision-maker if you don’t allow yourself the space to be a dad. So at six o’clock we’ll go home and we’ll be as a family home together on a Friday night.”
With Labour surging in the polls, the Conservative party suddenly seized on Sir Keir’s longstanding commitment to his family’s Jewish heritage to attack the Labour leader as being lazy and promising to be a “part time” Prime Minister if elected. All because he prioritizes Shabbat dinner with his and his wife’s family.
Immediately after Sir Keir’s interview, the Conservative Party posted: “Keir Starmer has said he’d clock off work at 6pm if he became prime minister. You deserve better than a part-time prime minister.” Jonathan Gullis, a senior Conservative politician, posted: “Let’s hope Putin doesn’t choose 6:01pm when he wishes to go any further with his illegal and immoral invasion of Ukraine.” The Conservative party sent out a mock mailing of an automatic response from Keir Starmer saying he was out of the office. British Health Minister Mariah Caulfield accused Sir Keir of “doing a four day work week and finishing at six o’clock every evening.” The influential magazine The Spectator opined on “Sir Keir Starmer’s admission that he may soon be our first part-time prime minister.” Prime Minister Rishi Sunak added to this made-up crisis, telling a radio interviewer “I haven’t finished at six ever.”
The attacks seem to be penalizing Sir Keir for embracing one of the most popular and well-known Jewish traditions, Shabbat dinner.
The outrageous claim that Sir Keir Starmer’s commitment to participating in Shabbat dinner each week somehow makes him unfit to hold office echoes dangerous tropes that Jews are somehow untrustworthy or dangerous. When one popular British newspaper asked readers to weigh in and vote on the question “Is Starmer right to stop work for his family at 6pm on Fridays?” more than a few comments focused on Starmer’s family’s Jewish heritage to pile on hate. (Though a clear majority agreed that Starmer was well within his right to prioritize Friday night dinners with his family.)
Lord John Mann, a Labour politician and former independent antisemitism advisor to former British Prime Minister Theresa May has sounded the warning about how damaging attacking people for celebrating Shabbat dinner can be. “The attack on Keir Starmer for asserting his right to family time on a Friday nights, as he has done for many, many years, is so dangerous. So insidious from those aware of why he chooses to be with his family specifically on Friday evenings.”
This isn’t the first time the Starmer family has faced antisemitism since Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attacks and the resulting tsunami of anti-Jewish hate unleashed across Britain and worldwide. In April 2024, Victoria was “forced out of her own home” by anti-Israel protestors camped outside the family’s front door in north London. She was too worried by the protestors’ hatred to enter hew own front door, fearing violence.
It seems that attempts to paint Starmer as shiftless and untrustworthy because of his Shabbat celebrations is falling flat. That’s a good thing for Britain, and for all of us. His commitment to carving out special time to be with family and to focus on God and spirituality each Friday night is a positive, not a problem. We all can use a little more Shabbat in our lives, as Sir Keir has discovered. Those who direct smears against people who embrace Friday night dinner and other Shabbat traditions slander us all.
We live In a world where children are often raised by a TV, video games, and their peers. Celebrating a Shabbat meal with your immediate and extended family is something more families Jewish and not Jewish should be doing weekly or even more often. I grew up in Montreal and had meals with family every night until we were able to drive. In addition we talked to each other. A blessing to have grown up in a world with no electronics. Antisemites will find any excuse to spew their hatred. I hope the world will be a better place in the 21 hundreds.
Regardless of how Judaism fits into his life and that of his family, he should not be chastised by Jews or Christians. For the former, at least he and his family are doing something to connect. And, he did state there was a caveat to that stance. As for Christians, Jesus was born a Jew, lived as a Jew, and died as a Jew. He undoubtably practiced the Sabbath until his death. If you truly believe in what's ascribed to him then your attitude toward Stermer is sacrilegious and an insult to Jesus.
Heirs to Jewish heritage? OK, so why the Shabbos dinner and wanting the kiddos to know about granddad's Jewish heritage? Starmer's wife is a Jew and so are his kids--just say it and get it over with. Practing or not a Jew is a Jew but then do we really want folks like them to be associated with the tribe? Such phonies!
According to Jewish law, one is a Jew if born to a Jewish mother (or one converts to Judaism). Since his wife's mother is not Jewish, neither is she nor her children.
According to the article his wife's mother converted so that would make her and the kids Jews.
😏Bizarre!!! Fact is so much stranger than fiction.A nonJewish British Prime Minister who marks Shabbat with a Friday night family dinner? In this day and age? G-d clearly has a sense of humour.
You do not have to be officially Jewish to celebrate Shabbat. While my situation is not exactly the same as the Prime Minister, I am not officially Jewish because not all my ancestors were in fact Jewish. I also married a Christian and he is the father of my three children. Nevertheless as my father would always say at Passover (more than half of the attendants at Passover on average were NOT Jewish), Jesus was a Jew!!!! Yes he was. Technically Jesus was more Jewish than I am because his mother was definately Jewish and my mother has Jewish and non Jewish ancestors. My father also has Jewish and non Jewish ancestors. Judism is matter of faith and nobody has the right to tell me that I am NOT Jewish.
Um, yes, someone does actually have a right to tell you if you are Jewish or not. And that is Jewish Biblical law itself, and its arbiters over 3 millennia. That law has always maintained that a Jew is born of a Jewish mother, or converts properly promising to undertake fulfilling the Biblical commandments. So, sorry, you can't just decide you 'feel' Jewish and therefor you are. There are actually rules to the game!
Self-definition is one of the new trends the Labour party supports - femaies that want to define themselves as men, and vicer versa, so why self defined ethnic identifies as well?
If your mother was a Jew then you're a Jew. It's that simple. If you're mother wasn't a Jew then of course you can claim Jewish ancestors but that doesn't make you a Jew. Judaism is more than faith.
What are the CHANCES that something like this would happen???
The situation of families that have Jews and non-Jews as members of the family by blood or marriage is very is very common in the United States. See my comments above, I have Jewish and nonJewish ancestors.
'man does not live by challah alone!"
more so for jews!
in this case, the symbolic use of challah and whatever goes along with their celebration just might be a catalyst to jump start other non-practicing jews to slice up some jewish tradition foods and spend a little time 'practicing' the beginning of the holy sabbath. one little bite at a time and hopefully a few more jews just might go for the entire shabbat experience. It is a privilege, it is a mitzva, and it has been life saving!
People do enough stupid things in their lifetime and for many never had a real jewish experience! It is not hard to swallow
and even is an elixir for a long healthy life.
If this dinner took place every Tuesday night, he would be lauded as a dedicated father and family man. We all know what the underlying message here is and it is despicable.
Some questions are unworthy to be ask, and when couched in insult; and, undeserving of answer.
Sir Keir Starmer was raised in the Church of England.
If answered, it should be no, it would not interfer; and, why make this an issue since every person eats eventually?
Do you not desire a leader of consistency, and who has good structure to his personal life?
And if I were Jewish, would not my religious rights under law be protected the same as yours?
And as an experienced legislator, all arrangements for continuity of service would automatically be in place.
There is nothing truly to worry about.
Friday night Sabbath dinner brings a great deal of peacefulness with it, which is what I desire for our country.
Do you not desire it too?
Wow!
The conservative party has lost its collective mind on this one. Their attack reeks of anti-Semitism. What a disappointment. What a dangerous reaction. What has happened to England?
That's ok,their out for now.
Did Mrs. Starmer's mother convert according to Jewish law, or, more likely, was it something like an internet conversion? I doubt she has any obligations to keep up Jewish practices. All the same, Keir Starmer is right to prioritze setting aside time for family and it is mean to attack him on those grounds. I wonder if he would have been attacked in this way if he just said he tries to set aside for family each week without any Jewish reference? There a certainly some anti-semites on the right of British politics, but the principal threat still comes from the left and their allies.
Then how did he become “Britain’s likely new prime minister? “
Labor is setting the much-needed moral leadership; conservatives have dropped that ball.
Even people in the Labour party say the wave of support for them comes primarily from Brits total disillusionment with the Conservative party. Starmer is not the kind of leader that can inspire, but he is also no bogey like the previous leader. My wfe and I are Reform party supporters and urge British Jews to do the same to turn back the tide of wokism and the unholy lefty-ISIS alliance that has been terrorising us on the city streets.
If his wife's mother made a valid conversion to Judaism she IS Jewish and so are her children. WHY does he say they're "not Jewish" especially since his Labour Party was rejected when it was headed by an open anti-Smite and is about to celebrate a smashing victory this evening when it is headed by someone who has what he calls "close links to the Jewish people"? It makes no sense unless he thinks that the Brits, especially those inclined to vote Labour, are an anti-Semitic nation. Perhaps it's that Bevin tradition.
It won't have been a full/valid conversion because then Mrs Starmer would have been raised fully religious and most likely not married out of her faith.The proof is in the pudding.
Even if a Jewish woman marries out her and the kids are still Jews.
I would have thought that Conservatives would be happy to see a Labour minister upholding the value of Family - it’s one of their own favorites.