[updated at 22.40]
We are Jews in the Labour Party currently actively campaigning for Labour in local elections. We are appalled by the actions and statements of the Board of Deputies. They do not represent us or the many Jews in the Party who share Jeremy Corbyn’s vision for social justice and fairness. Jeremy’s consistent commitment to anti-racism is all the more needed now.
As the British people call time on May and the Tories, they are getting more desperate. We would hope that any organisation claiming to represent Jews would be calling them to account when, to cite two examples in the last two months, the Prime Minister‘s ex Chief of Staff uses a national newspaper to dredge up an antisemitic conspiracy theory, and Havering Conservative party issues a dogwhistle leaflet hoping to mobilise racism in their local election campaign. The Board of Deputies has been silent on both. It also says nothing on the global rise of the far right and the toxic anti-immigrant rhetoric of the tabloid press, despite the imperative from Jewish history to speak out against racism and fascism.
The Board of Deputies and those supporting them must be aware that this is an attempt to influence local elections and has nothing to do with the real and necessary task of challenging racism and anti-semitism at all levels of political life. We call on them to stop playing politics and start representing what our community needs. We believe that is best represented by the politics we fight for and hope to see win on May 3rd.
Signed
Jenny Mason and Leah Levane co-chairs of JVL, on behalf of Jewish Voice for Labour
Jewish Socialist Group
Sue Lukes Labour council candidate, Islington North CLP
Joseph Finlay Enfield Southgate CLP
Lev Taylor Camberwell and Peckham CLP
Stephen Marks Oxford District Labour Party
Richard Kuper Holborn & St Pancras CLP
Naomi Wimborne-Idrissi, Chingford and Woodford Green CLP
Cllr Mike Howard Hastings & Rye CLP
Glyn Secker
Dave Rosenberg Islington North CLP Convenor Cable Street 80
Julia Bard Islington North CLP
Ian Saville, Brent Central CLP
Lara Johnson. Bracknell CLP
Ivor Dembina Vauxhall CLP
Pam Laurance, Brent Central CLP
Pauline Laurance, Finchley and Golders Green CLP
Miriam Yagud Stroud CLP
Miri Franklin
Dorothy Macedo Worthing West CLP
Alice Bondi, Penrith and the Border CLP
Sue Hughes Hornsey & Wood Green. CLP
Angie Mindel Nottingham East CLP
Paul Halas Stroud CLP
Ruth Appleton, Holborn & St Pancras CLP
Susan Pashkoff, Leyton and Wanstead CLP
Why on earth would I waste my time looking for the example to which Jeremy has referred for your satisfaction? Unless you are calling him a liar?
“within the Labour Party”
“within”
ah…the old “it’s ok, I have a black friend” defence
Yeah, left wingers are renowned racists, init.
I’ve just given you a lovely example of within. There are some decent videos on Facebook featuring interviews with long-term Jewish members of the Labour Party saying they’ve not experienced anti-semitism in 50 years, and that JC had been amongst one of their greatest champions.
You can insinuate as much as you like based for all the good it would do you. I know, and to a fault, the public knows, that the Labour Party are the last thing from a racist party. How’d you expect the charge to stick?
Especially when Jewish members of the Labour Party are saying it’s codswallop?
Do you genuinely believe there aren’t anti semitic people within momentum? A bit like saying there aren’t racists in UKIP. Jackie Walker?
Or the cabinet.
Whatever you say pap. I’m Shah 4 or 5 seconds on Google will provide a couple of examples for you, but I imagine you will no doubt be able to dismiss with a quick “no true Scotsman”.
Anti-semitism is not rife within Labour, it isn’t even a huge issue and the leaders no doubt have no anti-semitic feelings. But there are examples and they need addressed.
Jezza polling 87%:
That’s Corbyn, not the ones behind him, ask the question about momentum and the extreme left of the Party and you’ll find a very very different %, its a very silly question as well, this Country doesn’t do Fascism compared to the continent, never have. It does do reverse fascism in the guise of political correctness and multiculturalism though in a terrifying manner and this in turn leads to silence and turning the other cheek for fear of being labelled a racist.
We’ve become scared in short by our well intentioned yet misguided self righteous ideas.
There may be Johnnie Walker in the cabinet but I haven’t seen any racists…
Insanely heavy on the labels that. Must be nice to just dismiss anyone who disagrees with you as a nasty right winger. Very neat.
Guess what
There is anti semetic elements in the Labour party.
I m sure if you look hard enough there are some in the tories and the lib and the SNP
The same goes for racism in all parties.
But that doesn’t necessarily mean the leaders are.
Is JC anti-semetic? Never met the guy so, I couldn’t say definately one way or another, however I strongly suspect he isn’t.
What I don’t think JC has done particularly well was kill this. This came up early on in his leadership and to be frank at that time he was pretty inept at handling the press.He has got a lot better, but even now it took him a couple of attempts to issue a statement that could have knocked it on the head. May be Seamus Milne needs to sort his shit out.
As I said Corbyn is fine its the elements, the new ones from momentum who have racist and anti-Semitic issues, mainly anti-Semitic over Palestine and Gaza, its brushed over though and that makes us all look bad when it quite obviously comes to light, entryism is piggy backing and I hope I really hope Corbyn isn’t being used as a trojan horse for extreme left trying to gain power, these nation haters are the most dangerous, the enemy within.
I love how boxes are built to put people into these days.
Logic flies out the window as broad brushes are used.
Someone who understands the need for a solution acceptable to both sides in the Eastern Med can so easily be accused of not supporting one side or the other and is “stained”.
Antisemitic over Palestine and Gaza? How does that work, seeing as they are the Semites. Sticking up for the Semites isn’t antisemitic unless you believe Israels lies.
Nation haters? The 18th century imperialist in you is coming out again. Very CofE.
…OK… there is more to it, but did this not come about again because loads of agenda driven twats who have no idea about art or whatever, have DECIDED in their heads a mural was anti-semitic despite the artist saying it was a commentary on the histry of capitalism? Question I guess is a) do you believe the artist? b) can folks not see the fucking big difference between criticising a bunch of fucking arsehole bankers who may be responsible for modern capitaliistic failures, some of whom happen to be Jewish, and suggetsing the Jews were repsonibles for the shitty system we now have?
BIG fucking difference, yet it seems as if you cant say ‘a’ without being an anti-semite… go figure.
The other point is that there is also a difference between being racist and the use of sterotypes. Now, like most folk, i dont like the use of sterotypes because it labels whole populations, races, communities, species, whatever, when this may in fact and usually is not true. BUT, what is often interesting is the historical context that brings about such stereotypical perceptions.
For example: anyone who was a kid in the 70s, will know this scene… you turn up in the playground with a bag of crisps, and before there has even been one extracted for your own delectation, the crunch of the bag has seen you surrounded by hooded wee scrotes, swarming like locusts desperate to ‘cadge’ one off you, often citing that casually racist ‘‘goan, gis one, dont be a Jew’’
Not that I hang around school playgrounds, but I would hope this 70s language has long since fucked off to its rightful place in the bin of history, but kids can be forgiven for not appreciating the casual racism of the times… but I bring this up because the stereotypical bollocks that Jews are stingy must have sprung up from somewhere? Well I hazzard a guess that after 2000 odd years of persecution and often exclusion from accessing the local commercial institutions, the Jewish folk had set up their own banks, businesses etc and have had to be additioanlly cautious for fear of being swindled etc… they have developed a reputation with being ‘Careful’ with money that led to their success - a compliment in real terms, yet easily twisted. The fact that many of these businesses became very successful is also the source of envy (I wanted to use a clever metaphore ‘the sauce of envy’ here but given my shitty typing and rushed grammar i suspect this would have been thought of as a gross error)
Many banking and financial intitutions that paved the way for modern capitalsim were founded by such successful folks… who happened to be Jewish.
There is also, more controversially I am sure, a suggestion that the religious doctrine combined with the historical persecution does little to dispell the ‘our people’ insular perspectives that do persist within much of religious based cultures Its why i have very little time for religion of any persuiasion as it encourages isolationism, which ultimately leads to suspicion and segregation, and ignorance… the enemy of social itegration of what is one species… many who have achived financial /individual success have played upon it and so it has fed those stereotypes because it is also self serving.
I digress… Anyway, Corbyn may be a lot of things but he woudl be the first to stand up and be counted when it came combating racism. FFS the labour party is not riddled with anti-semites or racists, its just got its usual share of those who might make the odd sterotypical comment, not thinking about the implications. Not big, not clever, but also not worthy of the kind of hysterical media reaction nor the ‘protests’ taht seem to have been encouraged…
PS. imho the treatement of the Palestinians by Israel is fucking hidious. IT is not anti-semitic to say it. Its is a criticism of Israeli politics. The fact is that any otehr nation behaving in that way would have major international sanctions against it. The fact that there is ‘criticism’ yet no action is one of the biggets problems in perpetuating the shit that goes on in the region and embedded bitterness of extremist ‘Islamic’ groups towards the ‘West’… It seems though taht if someone in teh labour party says this or similar its anti-semitic…
I asked for some very specific examples that would prove the case being alleged.
If you can’t provide that, just say so. You’ll save a lot of people a lot of time.