27 March 2018

Members of Liberal Judaism, led by Liberal Judaism chair Simon Benscher, gathered in Parliament Square in Westminster yesterday evening to join other members of the Jewish community in calling on Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to face up and tackle the antisemitism within his party.

Our movement also supports the letter which will be handed to a Parliamentary Labour Party meeting being held after the protest.

Written on behalf of the community by the Board of Deputies of British Jews and Jewish Leadership Council, the full letter can be read by clicking here.

It says: “Jeremy Corbyn is repeatedly found alongside people with blatantly antisemitic views, but claims never to hear or read them.”

The letter concludes that the Labour leader is the only person with enough power to demand that the current antisemitic political culture stops and demands he takes action.

Rabbi Charley Baginsky, Liberal Judaism’s director of strategy and partnerships, said: “Let us be clear: this is not about Corbyn or the Labour party expressing opposition to the Israel Government – if that were the case then there would be many with our movement that would share that view. Instead, it is about an on-going tolerance of and even support for those who repeat – in a variety of ways – old tropes about Jewish power and Jewish money and corruption, sometimes masked in veil of anti-Zionism but often not even that.

“By failing to address a succession of antisemitic comments and incidents, Jeremy Corbyn is consciously or unconsciously helping to create an environment in which such views are legitimised within mainstream political discourse.

“As someone who constantly asserts his commitment to fighting racism, unless Corbyn matches his words with actions, one will be forced to conclude that his statements are without substance. This is Corbyn’s last chance saloon.”

“Liberal Judaism stands firmly alongside the rest of our community in demanding that Jeremy Corbyn and the leadership of the Labour party finally make a strong stand and end this hatred and intolerance.

“Now is the time for us all to stand up and say that Enough is Enough.”