"He chose not to run," Michael Marlowe recalled of his son.
Jake Marlowe was murdered at the now infamous Nova music festival in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. He had been working as a security guard there and was one of 14 British citizens who were killed by Hamas terrorists.
Speaking at a recent Nova Music Festival Exhibition in London on what would have been Jake's 29th birthday, Michael shared what he had come to learn about those last moments of his son's life. Instead of fleeing for safety, Jake worked to "save people." He was killed trying to help others.
Since Jake's death, his father has written about avoiding central London when pro-Palestinian demonstrations are occurring: "I cannot bear to witness them and what they stand for." He calls them "hate marches"; "These people are supporting the killers of my boy, my son, my future," he said.
And it's not just London that's seen a rising tide of antisemitism. Recently, ''80s pop legend Boy George became the subject of attacks and condemnation in the press and on social media. His offense? Writing a song with pro-Israel lyrics.
The uproar resulted in the singer sitting out the remainder of his performances as Herod in a London production of "Jesus Christ Superstar." While most commentaries focus on characterizing Boy George as a genocide "denier," he says he's simply for peace, while also stating facts about the difficult situation. Israel's neighbors don't want the country to exist and have many loud supporters in the West adding to the hostility and fear.
But if you're ever confused, I stand with the Jews," Boy George tells us in the song "We Will Dance Again."
"I don't feel brave, I just need to behave like a human," are among the song's most powerful lyrics.
"Creating art to express a feeling is a kind of creative activism," he wrote days later.
"Every day is like survival." It's those words of another Boy George song, familiar to many of us of a certain age—that take on a new meaning this summer. Decades after "Karma Chameleon," Boy George has us looking at what exactly in our culture is killing us: a refusal to hear, listen to and encounter people you disagree with or who have other life experiences as fellow human beings before anything else.
Boy George seemed beside himself for having to defend his declaration of solidarity with his Jewish friends. He's not backing away. Regardless of whether he set out to be one, he's a freedom-of-speech hero for a moment here. He's speaking up and insisting that we protect Jewish people while remembering the ones who've fallen, like Jake Marlowe.
Never again doesn't only refer to a Holocaust, but also to every single step along the way.
Kathryn Jean Lopez is senior fellow at the National Review Institute, editor-at-large of National Review magazine and author of the new book "A Year With the Mystics: Visionary Wisdom for Daily Living." She is also chair of Cardinal Dolans pro-life commission in New York and is on the board of the University of Mary. She can be contacted at klopez@nationalreview.com.