How mysterious garden decor made me feel at home as a Jew in Bob Vylan's England

BIRMINGHAM, England — I was not at Glastonbury when Bob Vylan and Kneecap led their anti-Israel chants. I was instead at Moseley in Bloom, an annual event that takes place in my leafy neighborhood in Birmingham in the middle of England, trying to make sense of what seemed to be a Jewish garden decoration.

Like Glastonbury, Moseley in Bloom is very British; it’s also very bougie. The English love their gardens, and once a year, those with some of the most fantastic gardens imaginable open their doors to the rest of us to come and take a peek. There are ponds with lily pads, burbling fountains,...