This antisemitism poisons any good Labour might do

It is possible to criticise Israel without being antisemitic but Corbynists are obsessed with the country’s destruction

Last week Jeremy Corbyn made history in all the wrong ways. Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis attacked him for racism. Corbyn was asked thrice by interviewer Andrew Neil if the view that “Rothschild Zionists run world governments” was antisemitic. He struggled to condemn it. Both are unique moments.

When I was growing up my mother frequently told me to “be grateful daily to be Jewish in Britain”. That’s why, faced with the untrue claims that antisemitism was being honestly confronted in Labour, British Jews are still surprised by Corbynism and the Chief Rabbi was convinced he had to act.

His intervention is unprecedented since 1694 when Chief Rabbis were first elected – as is the Archbishop of Canterbury’s support for the Chief Rabbi. Corbynists claimed the Chief Rabbi was a Boris Johnson fan (but only cited the message all faith leaders send to new PMs). They insist Jews are exaggerating the problem. Yet nobody would question any other racial group – especially one with such a history. The Chief Rabbi represents the views of the majority of British Jews: 84% believe Labour is antisemitic; 87% that Corbyn is antisemitic; 93% won’t vote Labour.


https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/nov/30/antisemitism-poisons-any-good-labour-doing-simon-sebag-montefiore