Rabbi Danny Rich
30 June 2016

Whilst I have never believed that the Labour Party is institutionally anti-Semitic, in May I called for an independent report because the bizarre comments of Ken Livingstone and anecdotal evidence of rhetoric that sailed very close to anti-Semitism – and the perception amongst many Jews that there was an issue which the party leadership was not taking seriously – made such a move necessary and desirable.

In the current climate all responsible politicians must not only contribute to good community relations, but be perceived to being doing so, and the Labour Party is no exception.

My personal experience leads me to recognise that the Jewish community has an educational task so that it is clear that it is possible to support the Palestinian cause without causing offence to Jews.

Jeremy Corbyn’s comment at the Labour Party anti-Semitism report launch, which paralleled Israel and Islamic State, makes me wonder whether he, at least, has learnt anything at all from the enquiry.