Jewish values compel us to help in Gaza – and fight antisemitism at home

28 May 2025, 09:58

The first thing I saw when I checked my phone on Thursday morning was a news alert that two workers at the Israeli Embassy in Washington, DC, had been shot and killed, leaving an event at the Jewish Museum.

I felt the colour immediately drain from my face. Two young, beautiful souls – Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim – murdered in cold blood for being Jewish. My heart is with their families.

IsraAID, an international humanitarian organisation with which we work closely, was a co-organiser of the event aimed at bringing aid to Gaza through Israeli, Palestinian, and regional collaboration.

Exactly the kind of event that my charity would be involved in. That we encourage our children to participate in. That represents our values.

Yet the killer chose the shout ‘Free, Free Palestine’ as he was taken into custody.  Over the past 18 months, we have heard cries of ‘Globalise the Intifada’ on our streets and social media.  This is what it really means, and this is why we cannot accept them. Although the words, to those who do not truly understand their inference, are only words, their repercussions are immense.

They are underpinned by pernicious antisemitism that threatens the safety not only of Jewish people but of our entire society. For when this is accepted, we are justifying and allowing the existence of hate. It is not just the responsibility of the Jewish community to call this out; it is the responsibility of everyone – and especially the agencies, organisations, and systems in place that are intended to protect.

As a British Jew, I’ve felt the heartbreak of the last 18 months experienced by so many in my community. But I’ve also felt an immense sense of responsibility, because just as British Jews rely on organisations domestically to stand in our corner, vulnerable people around the world – Jewish and not Jewish – need similar support. And this is where World Jewish Relief steps in. We are the Jewish humanitarian agency and we support vulnerable Jewish and non-Jewish communities across the world. Never more needed in today’s world.

In Israel, people are suffering. Hostages have been in captivity for nearly 600 days, with family members and loved ones grieving not only for lost life but for lost time. Israelis – Jewish and non-Jewish – are living with sustained trauma since Hamas’ terrorist massacre on October 7th, which will outlive the next generation. Here and around the world, antisemitism is making us question too much about the society we live in. And we have witnessed terrible loss of life – in Israel and in Gaza - where the humanitarian situation is desperate.

I am a proud British Jew, the son of a Holocaust survivor, a committed Zionist who loves Israel deeply, and knows that the safety and security of the Jewish state is indispensable.  But it is precisely because of those things that I also care for the innocent civilians who are suffering in Gaza. For families who have lost loved ones. For children whose lives have been lost.

This is not unique to me. World Jewish Relief has provided support to Israelis experiencing the significant impact of trauma after Hamas’ brutal terror attack on October 7th. And, over the last year, we’ve worked alongside a global humanitarian responder to provide healthcare services for women, children and babies in Gazan field hospitals.

As the Jewish community’s humanitarian agency, our job is to support communities in crisis.

It’s not political. It’s humanitarian. And these are our Jewish values. To defend ourselves and to look out for others.

We know there is so much more to do in Israel, in Gaza and across the world – and we will continue to do our part.

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Maurice Helfgott is Chair of World Jewish Relief.

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