Beloved TV Personality Embraces His Jewish Roots While Discussing ‘The Greatest Rise’ in Antisemitism
‘It’s agonizing to see all the violence and destruction that’s unfolding,’ Stephen Fry says in Britain’s upcoming Channel 4 Alternative Christmas Message special
Published |Updated
Christina Dugan Ramirez
President of MCC Stephen Fry during day three of the LV Insurance Test Match between England and Ireland at Lord’s Cricket Ground on June 03, 2023 in London, England. Gareth Copley/Getty Images
British actor and author Stephen Fry is fully embracing his identity all while trying to convey an important message.
In Britain’s upcoming Channel 4 Alternative Christmas Message special, Fry opens up about his roots and explains why Jewish people in Britain are becoming “fearful of showing themselves.”
“I don’t think of myself as especially Jewish,” he said in the special, per The Telegraph. “Indeed, sometimes people rather embarrassingly refer to me as ‘quintessentially English’, whatever that means. Maybe it’s because I love cricket and Shakespeare and The Archers on Radio 4 and my vocal cords appear to be made of tweed.”
“I accept and claim the identity with pride,” added Fry, whose mother’s family is Jewish. “I am Stephen Fry, and I am a Jew … One truth about myself, however, that I never thought for one single second would ever be an issue about which I had any cause to worry in this country, was that I’m a Jew.”
In the special — an annual broadcast that aims to bring viewers a message about that year’s events — Fry took the opportunity to discuss the Israel-Hamas war and “the greatest rise in anti-Jewish racism since records began.”
“My Jewish grandparents loved Britain, believing that Jews were more welcome here than in most countries,” he said. “I am glad they aren’t alive now to read newspaper stories that would have reminded them of the 1930s Europe that they left. They believed Britishness meant being fair and decent, but what can be more unfair or indecent than race hatred, whether anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, or any kind?”
“It’s agonizing to see all the violence and destruction that’s unfolding, and the terrible loss of life on both sides brings me an overwhelming sadness and heartache,” he added. “But whatever our opinions on what is happening, there can be no excuse for the behavior of some of our citizens.”
Fry further explained why British Jews are “becoming fearful” of stepping outside.
“There is real fear stalking the Jewish neighborhoods of Britain,” he said. “Jewish people here are becoming fearful of showing themselves, in Britain, in 2023. Can you imagine, Jews afraid to be themselves in the open for fear of reprisal?”
As for his main message, Fry urged viewers to “speak up, stand with us” and “be proud to have us as much a part of this great nation as any other minority.”
“Knowing and loving this country as I do, I don’t believe that most Britons are okay living in a society that judges hatred of Jews to be the one acceptable form of racism.”
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