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[M @MattSL]

This will be my final tweet on here. Join me and millions of others on #BlueSky. Find me at https://t.co/QJ6vGjLNfw and I can recommend the Charity Leaders pack https://t.co/oEov89Cgye, to get you started.

[M @MattSL]

@TalkTalk Please post an update and ETA, no internet in NW7

[Spark! @SparkEBP]

A statement from our CEO about the recent violent disorder #UKRiots

[CWU @CWUnews]

How do we build a better society? Be more like Darren ❤️

[Adam Boxer @adamboxer1]

A little while back I asked if people would be interested in a post about antisemitism in the EduTwitter community, and people said yes, so here it is:

This has been an issue for a while, and has bubbled over recently and sadly made it into the Jewish press. I want to first frame the discussion in the lived experience of 21st century Jews, and then get into specific things that should or should not be said.

Jews in this country are programmed to be worried about antisemitism. We've all experienced it personally (I have had people say antisemitic things to me directly and in person twice in the last three weeks) and, based on our history, feel like we are entitled to worry about it. Most people know something about the Holocaust, but might know less about how the Holocaust was not an isolated event, but the culmination of 1500 years of anti-Jewish hatred and prejudice (which today is called antisemitism). Name a country in the West or the Middle East, and I will tell you which year Jews there experienced pogroms, forced conversions, generalised state-sponsored and informal persecution, expulsions and more. It’s not been pretty, and whilst the Holocaust was worse than any one of those events, it should be seen as a link in a chain. Not the end of a chain, a link in a chain.

Antisemitism hasn’t always been obvious. Whilst there are common themes, it takes different guises in different places and at different times. All of these guises are dangerous, and all have resulted in catastrophic persecutions in the past. We are therefore trained to be on high alert, and to work on an assumption that
A. if someone says they hate you, assume they mean it,
B. if someone says they hate you, assume they also want to kill you,
C. if someone wants to kill you, assume that they would kill you given the chance and
D. that things can seem fine one day and nobody wants to kill you, and then suddenly become very not fine indeed.

So yes, we are sensitive about antisemitism. And we have good reason to be so.

In light of the above, let’s look at some things that you should not say. All of the items below are things that (prominent) educators have said within the last four weeks.

1. Comparisons with the Holocaust/Naziism: the Holocaust is a tremendously distinctive historical event. Whilst making historical comparisons is an important part of academic historical discourse, comparing events with the holocaust should be approached with extreme care, and a better knowledge of the specific events than most seem to have. Unfortunately, the term “Nazi” has come to mean “bad person” and Holocaust “evil event,” but whilst the Nazis were bad people and the Holocaust was an evil event, not all bad people come anywhere close to being as bad as the Nazis, and not all evil events come anywhere close to being as evil as the Holocaust.

The Holocaust wasn't so long ago, and most Jews in the UK will have grandparents, greatgrandparents or other family members who were touched by it. It is an important part of our identities. I would suggest, as a general rule, don't compare things to the Holocaust. If you think some kind of contemporary event or school policy or whatever is similar to the Holocaust or Naziism, it probably isn't. This doesn't mean that you can't say if you think a thing is bad or evil. But because it is possible to express your worry about things without invoking the Holocaust, this is the route you should take.

Broadly, the reasoning here is twofold:

A. Objectively, most normal people look at the systematic organised enslavement and murder of six million people and think, "yeah, there's nothing else going on right now that's even close to that."

B. Since the Holocaust, antisemites have been denying or downplaying the Holocaust, as part of an explicitly racist agenda that would repeat its events if it could.

Therefore, it's best to just not do this. If you think something is really bad and awful, go right ahead and say so, but don't use the Holocaust or Nazis as an analogy.

2. Jews owning the media: this feeds into classic antisemitic tropes about some kind of global agenda of Jews to control the world. The most famous expression of this is The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, a fictitious text designed to demonise Jews, and to whip up hatred.

As above, you should not do this because:

A. Objectively, it is inaccurate at every level.

B. It has been used for centuries, and continues to be used today, to drive real hatred and persecution of random Jewish people, who are normally surprised when they are told that they are extremely powerful people, especially given that we can't even get good quality kosher cheese or people to agree on whether the synagogue should have pews or tables, let alone control the media.

Talking about Jews owning the media is a racist trope, and there is no excuse for any educated person to be using it.

3. That calling out antisemitism of types 1 or 2 above, but not simultaneously criticising Israel, is hypocritical: this isn't quite logical (not everybody has to care about everything equally for their opinions to be valid), but it also falls into the most common contemporary trap of letting your dislike of Israel spill over into criticising random Jews. Israel is a country Over There. We UK Jews live in a country Over Here. Please let us talk about domestic antisemitism without also expecting us to talk about Israel. Don't expect us to have an opinion, don't expect us to say anything at all. Because if you do, it's like you're tying us together, which is A. inaccurate and B. prejudicial.

After 9/11 and 7/7 a terrible element of discourse generated around expecting British Muslims, who live Over Here, to condemn some event that has nothing to do with them and happened/was planned Over There. This was racist and Islamophobic, so please let's not repeat that. Criticise Israel all you like - fine by me - but unless you're replying directly to something I've said on the topic, leave me out of it.

4. Supporting terrorist groups: this is a pretty easy one. There are terrorist groups. There is a list of them here: https://t.co/pmq3Ir9lAc… It is illegal to support them. These are not nice people. They are responsible for death and destruction across the world.

Some of them have nothing to do with Jews, some of them want Jews dead.

Do not support these groups. Do not show ambiguity about whether or not you support these groups.

Ok, that’s four good things to avoid. Finally, some things to expect:

If you say that Jews control the media or you downplay the Holocaust, expect to be called out on it, without a huge amount of politeness.
If you conflate Israel with Jews in this country, expect to be politely challenged on it. Personally, I have time for “things an educated person could slip up on”, and like to think I would be polite, patient and explanatory in a circumstance like this.
If you support a terrorist group, expect to be called out on it, without a huge amount of politeness.

We have therefore seen:
Antisemitism is real and scary for Jews
Comparing events to the holocaust is not wise
Never talk about Jews owning or controlling the media
Disentangle Jews Over Here from Israel Over There
Terrorist groups are not our friends
Don’t expect people to be ok with you saying antisemitic things

A final point is that I think the above should be pretty clear cut and obvious to people. If you have any questions, provided they are asked in a charitable and open spirit, I'd be happy to answer. DMs open.

[Spark! @SparkEBP]

The retail skills hub is....

Officially open!

[New Local @wearenewlocal]

It's the end of an era as @adamjlent moves to community-powered pastures new.

What a brilliant leader, mentor, colleague, friend and gong-basher you've been, Adam!

Thanks for everything you've done for New Local ✊🥹 🫶

#GiveItUpForLent

[Spark! @SparkEBP]

🎉 Wrapped up an inspiring awards night at Spark! Moments of connection & celebration, showcasing our amazing community. It is so inspiring what we can achieve together. Check out the highlights! https://t.co/KMK6tgQCIT 🎥

[Spark! @SparkEBP]

It’s the end of an era for Spark!. After 22 yrs hosted by the wonderful @GSK, we've moved to a new home, Venture X in @WestfieldLondon.

We're so grateful for the fantastic generosity of GSK & are looking forward to our growing partnership.

Thank you @GSK, it’s been special👋

[M @MattSL]

@alexjamesfarrow @Kaleidoscope_T Great appointment, congratulations Alex.

[Tim Loughton @timloughton]

Really shocking news. When Children's Minister in 2011 we funded the rescue of the UK Youth Parliament under the good stewardship of BYC. I was the first witness before the impressive Youth Select Committee they launched in 2012. Great platforms for young people really needed now

[Young Voices Heard @YVH_YouthVoice]

“I will do everything in my power to keep the youth parliament going” ⁦@ChildrensComm⁩ ⁦@Rachel_deSouza⁩ ⁦@BBCBreakfast⁩ 👏👏👏reacting to closure of BYC .

[Hadyn Cutler @HadynCutler]

It's only been around two and a half hours and we're already nearing 100 signatures! The support we've recived it crazy, thank you all so much.

Please keep signing and please keep sharing!
https://t.co/uvI38I7sMy

[M @MattSL]

I’d like to see @UKLabour coming out immediately and saying they will refund @bycLIVE, recognising it as the vital institution it is, ensuring active & flourishing youth voice & participation right across society. (@CatSmithMP , @SeemaMalhotra1 @bphillipsonMP @JanetDaby)

[British Youth Council @bycLIVE]

The British Youth Council is sad to announce its permanent closure after more than 75 years of championing the voices of young people.

https://t.co/HkK5U3dAIW

[M @MattSL]

Shit!! This one cuts deep. @bycLIVE have been vital for decades in ensuring young people have a clear voice and are placed at the heart of decisions that affect them. What a massive blow for young people across Britain. What’s to become of @UKYP? Anyone know?

[British Youth Council @bycLIVE]

The British Youth Council is sad to announce its permanent closure after more than 75 years of championing the voices of young people.

https://t.co/HkK5U3dAIW

[Spark! @SparkEBP]

So brilliant to be recognised at the @WestLBusiness Awards last night as the Education & Traning Provider of the Year.

Thank you to WLB & @Twickenhamstad for a top night, presented by @jennyeclair, & TY to @HeathrowAirport & @SEGROplc for hosting us on their tables. #WLBA2024

[West London Business @WestLBusiness]

And our winner is ....@SparkEBP who really know how to kick start careers. They are our Education and Training Provider of the Year #wlba2024

[M @MattSL]

So proud of the amazing @SparkEBP team. It’s been a massive year for us, everyone’s worked so hard and thoroughly deserves this recognition.

Thank you @WestLBusiness. #WLBA2024

[Spark! @SparkEBP]

So brilliant to be recognised at the @WestLBusiness Awards last night as the Education & Traning Provider of the Year.

Thank you to WLB & @Twickenhamstad for a top night, presented by @jennyeclair, & TY to @HeathrowAirport & @SEGROplc for hosting us on their tables. #WLBA2024

[Spark! @SparkEBP]

The team have put on their glad rags are on their way to @WestLBusiness Awards @Twickenhamstad, with thanks to @HeathrowAirport & @SEGROplc for hosting us on their tables. 🤞 for Education & Training Provider of the Year. #wlba2024

[Anne Longfield @annelongfield]

I’m proud & excited to launch the Centre for Young Lives - a new, dynamic, innovative, independent think tank & delivery unit dedicated excl to improving lives of children, young people & families. Join with us to make this country a great place to grow up https://t.co/1wGQGhskRN