Child of Holocaust Survivor Backs Palestine Action

A Holocaust Survivor’s Daughter Stands Up for Palestine Action

Carolyn Gelenter, the daughter of a Holocaust survivor, has become a symbol of resistance after being arrested for supporting Palestine Action during a protest in London. The 67-year-old woman was among over 900 individuals detained at a rally opposing the ban on the group in Parliament Square on Saturday. During an interview, she was taken into custody under anti-terror laws for allegedly supporting the proscribed organization.

As officers approached her, one said, “I’m sorry but we are going to have to make an arrest at the moment.” Carolyn responded, “I’m the daughter of a Holocaust survivor,” but the officer remained unmoved. She was read her rights before being carried away by several officers. Despite the arrest, she remains resolute in her support for the cause.

The Home Office banned Palestine Action in July following incidents where members caused an estimated £7 million in damage to planes at RAF Brize Norton. The proscription means that anyone found supporting the group could face up to 14 years in prison.

Speaking to a news outlet after her release, the great-grandmother expressed her strong feelings about the issue. “This is a shocking, authoritarian law,” she said. “This is a group of young people who are so distressed about what’s happening in Gaza. Israel is still committing a genocide. No one was doing anything about it. Our government is continuing to arm Israel.”

She added, “We felt that we had to do something more.” While Israel denies allegations of genocide in Gaza and blames Hamas for aid distribution issues, leading genocide scholars have declared that the situation in Gaza constitutes a genocide. This has led to international outrage, prompting the UK to suspend 30 arms export licenses to Israel, although the countries maintain a defense partnership.

Sir Keir Starmer has also indicated that the UK will recognize Palestine if certain criteria are met, including a ceasefire in the conflict triggered by Hamas’s attack on Israel in October 2023. However, many protesters, including Carolyn, remain deeply concerned about the ongoing crisis in Gaza.

Carolyn was among hundreds of people who gathered in central London, holding placards that read, “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action.” The arrests began shortly after the demonstration started. She argued that those caught damaging the RAF planes should be charged with criminal damage rather than terrorism offenses.

“I just am so incensed. I felt like I had to do something because it feels so important,” she said. “This is really a draconian law. As a Jew, and lots of Jews ask themselves this question, I ask myself what would I have done if I was living in Nazi Germany.”

She reflected on her own history, saying, “I have an answer now. I have something going on in this world today and it is fascism, and I feel compelled to do something. I’m driven. I really sat down and thought about it. I didn’t do it on the spur of the moment, but my heart said ‘you have got to step up.’ I am in a position where I can do it. So I just can’t sit by.”

Carolyn, a mother-of-one and grandmother-of-three, is the daughter of Izku Gelernter, a Polish Jew whose mother was likely murdered by the Nazis in the Majdanek concentration camp in Poland. There are no records of who was sent to the gas chambers. Izku was arrested along with thousands of Jews and Poles who refused to take Russian citizenship when Poland was divided by Germany and Russia. He spent two years in a concentration camp in Siberia before joining the Allies.

After the war, he returned to Poland, met partisans, and joined the Jewish free unit of the Polish army. He was transferred to Britain for training and eventually joined the British army, serving in the Parachute Regiment. He was demobilized after the war and moved to Australia, where he lived until his death in the early 1990s.

Carolyn, from London, was released from Plumstead police station around midnight and is scheduled to return on November 17 to find out if she will be charged. The Met Police declined to comment on specific arrests, while Deputy Assistant Commissioner Claire Smart emphasized the need to enforce the law without fear or favor. “If you advertise that you are intending to commit a crime, we have no option but to respond accordingly,” she said.