Josh Rom

Prince Harry has called for Britain to stand against both anti-Semitism and anti-Muslim hate. In an essay for the New Statesman, he voices his fears for our 'divided kingdom'. We 'cannot answer injustice with more injustice', the Duke of Montecito tells us. How could Harry truly understand the realities of what the Jewish community faces in the United Kingdom? There is no doubt that the Prince has respect for our country. Perhaps he even feels a certain sort of longing for the green and pleasant land he once called home. But reading his lecturing and posturing article left me with a bitter sense of disappointment. With all due respect, sir, I think you need to sit this one out. Harry, if you were so worried about Britain, why did you leave?

I am the one with the big personality around the Friday night dinner table. I have spent my whole life being told to ‘stop it with the dramatics’ as I sip my chicken soup. A day does not go by where my family – proud Jewish Brits – long for me to lower my voice or roll their eyes at my overexaggerating tendencies. So you can only imagine my horror when my friend – one of the most rational people in our social circle – said exactly what I was thinking: that Britain is no longer safe for British Jews. If Green party leader Zack Polanski made it to Number 10, my friend said that he would leave immediately. He told me in candid detail that he would stay in Israel until a visa was accepted for him to go to America. I was startled.