The chief executive of the UK Jewish Film Festival, set to begin next week, has issued a stark warning about the “erasure of British-Jewish culture from national cultural life.”
Michael Etherton highlighted that since October 7, Jews in the creative industries have encountered “deafening silence and avoidance tactics” from mainstream arts organizations.
In an op-ed for the Jewish Chronicle, Etherton criticized publicly funded arts bodies for feeling a sense of “impunity” to exclude Jews amid a rising climate of antisemitism. This sentiment echoes concerns voiced by prominent authors and cultural figures who have noted the quiet silencing and intimidation of Jewish voices within Britain’s artistic landscape.
Notably, novelists Howard Jacobson and Lionel Shriver condemned a recent petition - signed by 1,000 writers - that called for a boycott of Israeli cultural institutions, viewing it as an effort to “silence” and “intimidate” fellow authors.
In light of Etherton's warnings, several Jewish performers have shared with the JC their experiences of being routinely overlooked and marginalized in their industries over the past year.
Benjamin Till, a Bafta-nominated composer and filmmaker who focuses on depicting British Jewish life through his work with the UKJF, revealed he has faced rejection from Arts Council England four times for a 2025 project titled The Jews of Britain.