J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series, is using her large social media following (14.4 million followers on Twitter) for a surprising purpose: to call out anti-Semitism. Somehow, in 2018, J.K. Rowling has been one of the staunchest allies to Jews.
Why do Jews need an ally, you may ask. Well, one, we always need allies. And two, anti-Semitism has reached scary levels across the globe, but especially in Britain. This is mainly due to Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party, who have refused to denounce anti-Semitism in their ranks.
(Here’s a quick primer on the current anti-Semitism issues in Britain. Since we published that in April, however, things have gotten much worse. Like, many Jews are considering leaving Britain.)
Now, over 85% of British Jews believe Corbyn to be anti-Semitic, less than 10% would consider voting for Labour, and 40% of British Jews would consider leaving the country if Corbyn became Prime Minister. Corbyn’s supporters see a “Zionist” conspiracy against him.
So where does our problematic fave J.K. Rowling come in? In April, she first started tweeting about anti-Semitism.
Most UK Jews in my timeline are currently having to field this kind of crap, so perhaps some of us non-Jews should start shouldering the burden. Antisemites thinks this is a clever argument, so tell us, do: were atheist Jews exempted from wearing the yellow star? #antisemitism pic.twitter.com/H5xLLXTdQO
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) April 18, 2018
As JTA reported in April, she gave her followers a “master class in identifying anti-Semitism,” and it was magical (get it??).
Since then, Rowling has continued to tweet about anti-Semitism. In late August, she got into a debate with a fellow British writer, Simon Maginn, over the issue.
How dare you tell a Jew that their outrage is 'patently synthetic'? How dare you demand that they lay bare their pain and fear on demand, for your personal evaluation? What other minority would you speak to this way?
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) August 26, 2018
In a series of tweets, she called him out for demanding Jews to explain how they feel.
How about you explain – publicly, to Twitter, to the world – why you've taken it upon yourself to attack a Jew, demanding that they explain themselves, when there are literally hundreds of accounts currently online explaining how British Jews currently feel?
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) August 26, 2018
And in her latest Twitter crusade in bringing attention to the plight of British Jews, she quote-tweeted a thread from a British Jew with the message, “This thread is the perfect litmus test. If you can read it without empathy for the writer’s pain and fear; if you immediately assume an agenda; if, above all, your response to the distress of a British Jew is to shrug and talk about the Israeli government, then you test positive.”
Many have taken notice of Rowling’s dedication to breaking down anti-Semitism, including Tablet writer Yair Rosenberg:
There's a strong case that no single person has done more to raise international awareness of the anti-Semitism faced today by British Jews from the far-left than @jk_rowling. She's not only spotlighted it, but used her skills to explain it to 14 million followers. Remarkable.
— (((Yair Rosenberg))) (@Yair_Rosenberg) September 14, 2018
She also consistently shares the anti-Semitic comments she gets, and calls them out.
If you’ve spent any time at all in left wing politics, you’ve met at least one ‘socialist’ who’d be pathetically easy for a fascist to flip. Here’s a Corbyn fan happily contemplating British Jews fleeing their own country out of fear of a Corbyn government. Just fucking saying. pic.twitter.com/4Dj6EdPVht
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) August 3, 2018
And there we have it, within minutes. Not a word of human sympathy. The actions of Israel’s government justify making British Jews unhappy and afraid. Yes, Jews are bringing it on themselves by being Jewish. pic.twitter.com/H6nRPmbXxn
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) September 14, 2018
Honestly, go J.K. Rowling!
