Going from the frying pan into the fire
UK Jews seeking U.S. asylum
It doesn’t come as a shock that UK Jews, would consider seeking asylum, as they continue to watch their country spiral downward, turning more antisemitic with each passing day.
What, perhaps, is most surprising is their belief that the U.S. is a place where they can feel safer and more protected. Given the enormous rise of attacks against the American Jewish community, reaching nearly 70% in the year 2025, why would anyone think that a move for U.K. Jews, to the U.S., would be a step up?
Nonetheless, according to an article entitled, “US considers offering asylum to UK Jews,” the idea is being floated by US President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, Robert Garson.
“Manchester-born Garson is said to have been in talks with the US State Department about providing sanctuary for Jews fleeing antisemitism, given that ‘the UK is no longer a safe place for Jews.’”
One can’t help but think that with the election of self-avowed Muslim Democrat Socialist, Zohran Mamdani, as mayor of New York, the city with the largest Jewish population in the world, that relocating to the U.S., might be like going from the frying pan into the fire.
Just recently, a permit was issued, by the mayor, himself, allowing for vicious anti-Israel protests to take place in the predominantly Jewish neighborhood of Kew Garden Hills, in the borough of Queens, directly in front of a synagogue and Jewish school.
Does that engender confidence or feelings of safety and security for Jews who are trying to escape that same sense of being stalked and harassed just for the ethnic or religious identity they hold?
Sadly, the problem is not just unique to New York. Since the tragic events of October 7th, antisemitic incidents have reached a fever pitch throughout the U.S., including a wide variety of states such as California, Tennessee, Mississippi, Kentucky, Georgia, Alabama, Illinois, Florida, North Carolina, Missouri, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington State, Washington D.C., Kansas, Virginia, Michigan, Wisconsin, New Jersey and Minnesota.
Those attacks came in the form of vandalism, vehicle-ramming attacks, arson, firebombing, involuntary manslaughter, assault, hostage taking, gang attacks, public school assignments, stabbings, shootings, murder, lynching and riots.
So, where can Jews feel safe?
With estimates of as high as 315,000 U.K. Jews, how would any country manage to absorb such great numbers, especially one which is seeing a troubling uptick in antisemitic acts.
Sure, everyone understands that immigrating from an English-speaking country to another English-speaking country provides the most comfortable transition for newcomers who have to deal with so many other challenges, not to mention huge cultural differences.
But will the advantage of the same language be of value when faced with the possibility of physical attacks and an apathetic police department which doesn’t come to the defense of its new arrivals?
That is the reality these days. And it’s not necessarily one which is inherent to Jews. The truth is that if you call 911, complaining that you have been a victim of theft, assault or another criminal act, there is a good chance that no one will be sent to help you. That is the sad but present situation of law enforcement in today’s America.
Overwhelmed by the sharp rise in crime or being instructed to “stand down,” as a result of political considerations, police are no longer the first responders that we once remember. Instead, they have become a weaponized tool in the hands of corrupt municipalities, whose Woke constituents hold these mayors and governors in their back pockets.
Would it not be a wiser move to consider the one place where Jews are assured of their safety, as well as an army which is dedicated to their defense? Sadly, the thought of moving to Israel is seen by many Diaspora Jews as a bridge too far.
They don’t know the language, the cultural gap is too great for them, and then there is the real concern over how they will earn a living. Many professions will not automatically transfer over, without a reasonable grasp of Hebrew, and others may not be possible at all.
For those who work online and can live anywhere in the world, the move might seem less daunting. But what if they have young children? It is they who often bear the brunt of such a move. Making new friends, fitting in and lagging in school work are the great challenges with which they are faced.
But, perhaps, the greatest consideration of all is properly assessing where one’s family can feel most protected, able to leave the house without fear of being accosted and the freedom to wear clothing and jewelry which is an identifying factor of one’s Jewishness.
Those are all compelling reasons to carefully consider when wondering if it’s the right moment to leave. At a time when U.K. Jews are feeling threatened and no longer welcomed in the country where they have lived for hundreds of years, all these factors should be weighed up in order to determine which geographic place holds the greatest future for the Jewish community.
As this soul-searching is already taking place, it would be wise for Jews to also remember what has been foretold in the scriptures where all nations will corporately come against Israel. (Zechariah 14) We are already seeing a foretaste of those days.
So even if things are still viewed as relatively safe in the U.S., for now, will they remain that way? What will the next five to ten years bring for American Jews and others who migrate there, seeking safer shores?
No one making such a massive upheaval of their life does so with the thought that, perhaps, they will be forced to uproot themselves, yet again, within a few years. The hope is to establish the next generation in a place which can guarantee them a better future.
Sadly, it doesn’t seem as if that is a given in America. As tough as the thought of Aliyah may seem, there are “a wide range of programs that provide guidance and support for successful integration into community life, employment, and housing in Israel.“
Consequently, Aliyah to the Jewish homeland should not be ruled out, because when it comes to the future of the Jewish people, there is no other place on earth that can compare with the State of Israel.
A former Jerusalem elementary and middle-school principal who made Aliyah in 1993 and became a member of Kibbutz Reim but now lives in the center of the country with her husband. She is the author of Mistake-Proof Parenting, based on the principles from the book of Proverbs - available on Amazon.
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