Labour is no longer a force for good in promoting anti-racism

We write in response to the letter you published on 21 February, asserting that Jeremy Corbyn was a crucial ally in the fight against bigotry and reaction and that a Labour government would be a powerful force against antisemitism.

The signatories to that letter plainly feel the need to rely on their Judaism to bolster its content. This may be because they consider it to be some protection from the view that many of your readers would otherwise take when reading their assertions, but it is essentially irrelevant. The vast majority of the UK Jewish community has made its view of Mr Corbyn clear. So too has the public in various opinion polls. He is not trusted on antisemitism, first because he has not acted against it and because his own actions are, at least, concerning. Second, because those claiming to speak about antisemitism in his name do so without reproach or disassociation.

The Labour party has, previously, been a force for good in promoting anti-racism, as the authors acknowledge. Sadly, that is no longer the case. It has never been the case, anywhere, that a party which could not root out antisemitism from its midst, tolerated those accusing Jews of manufacturing it, and lost the trust of the Jewish community, ever governed fairly, decently or competently. Antisemitism is corruption, and corruption spreads.

We also disagree with the authors’ apparent belief that the ability to criticise Israel is critical to the debate on antisemitism. The Labour party’s adoption of the IHRA definition marks its acceptance of the fact that criticism of Israel must not involve antisemitism, and that there is a wide range of acceptable criticism that does not. The discredited argument that antisemitism is invented by Jews to protect Israel is antisemitic. So is criticism of Israel outside the IHRA guidelines and definition. Both of these things should be outwith the scope of mainstream, tolerant debate.

Suggesting a permissible link between the Labour leadership’s attitude to British Jews and Israel is both wrong and shameful. There is no basis to refuse to reproach or reject the antisemites we refer to above. The leadership’s failure to do so makes Jews part of the “few”, who the Labour party expressly reject.

That Labour is so mistrusted on the issue is uncomfortable and sad. But it must be said. And in saying it, we do not speak as Jews, but as citizens of this country. Antisemitism is not a Jewish problem. It is a problem for Jews.
Dr Scott Aaron
Benjy Aarons-Richardson
Stacey Abendstern
Celia Abery
Michael Abery
Becky Abrahams
Ruth Abrams
Susan Abrams
Laurence Ackerman
Phillippa Ackerman
Steve Ackerman
Dr Adam Albert
Zara Albright
Una Alkin
Danny Allen
Dr Ivor Robbie Allon
Nigel and Maxine Allon
Tim Allon
Victoria Allon
Caroline Allouf
Elaine Allouf
Ruth Angel
Colin Appleby
James Arnold
Ben Arram
Elizabeth Arif-Fear
Jonathan Arkush
Ian Ashleigh
Luisa Attfield
Frank Baigel (Past President JRC Manchester)
Darryl Baker
Lisa Baker (President Leeds JRC)
Neville Bann
Dr Alan Barge
Debbie Barnett
Sharon Barnett
Elie Bar-On
Judo Baroness
Peter Baum
Diane Bederman
Joanne Bell
Lorin Bell-Cross
Laura Benisty
Martin Bennett
David Bennun
Victor Bentata
Rabbi Miriam Berger
Rabbi Martin van den Bergh
Daniel Berke
Vivienne and Howard Berlin
Simon Bernholt
Yael Bezalel
David Bickler
Dr Tim Biggs
Jonathan Bishop
Jonathan Black
Charlene Blake
Anne Blasky
Cecil Bloom
Susan Bloom
Daniel Bloomfield
Sam Boardman-Jacobs
Alan Bolchover
Anthony Bolchover
Claudia Bookey
Gaynor Bond
Rabbi Barbara Borts
Richard Brooks
Alan Burton
Greg Campbell
Phil Carmel
Richard Cannon
Edward Cantor
Loretta Cash
Denise Cattan
Suzanne Cazin
Neil Chamberlain
John Chart
Loretta Childs
Deborah Choueka
Maurice Citron
Nathaniel Cleland
Simone Cleland
Janet Clifford
Simon Cobbs
Alison and Neil Cohen
Adrian Cohen
Andrea Cohen
Deborah Cohen
Jayme Cohen
Joe Cohen
Jon Cohen
Jonny Cohen
Julian Cohen-Gold
Maya Cohen
Michael Cohen
Rachel Cohen
Robert Cohen
Ronete Cohen
Sally Cohen
David Collier
David Collins
Dean Collins
Miriam Collins
Ruth Collins
Karen Colpitts
Nathan Comisky
Russell Conn
Richard Cooper
June Coppel
Paul Corrick
Lee Cowen
Karen Cramer
Ben Crowne
Dina Crystal OBE
Dahlia Cuby
Michael Cuby
Stanley Cundle
Alan Curtis
Jeremy Dable
Freddie Dalah
Martin Davies
Yochi Davies
Elliot Davies
Howard Dapin
Pat Dapin
Sophie Dapin
David Davidi-Brown (CEO UJS)
Baroness Ruth Deech
Jeremy Dein QC
Rocio Deliot
Anthony Dennison
Dr Elaine Dinerstein
Mark Dines
Avi Djanogly
Josie Dobrin
Maurice Doffman
Jeremy Drysdale
Alex Dwek
Miriam Dwek
Sarah Ebner
Micha Eden Erdesz
Donna Edmunds
Rivka Ellituv
Lydia and Jonathan Engler
Sandra Ernstoff
John Erskine
Michael Ezra
Hannah Feldman
Rosina Felstein
Michael Fielding
Ann Fine
Daniel Finestein
Hilary Firestone
Jonathan Fishburn
Ruth Fisher
Yehudis Fletcher
Catherine Forman
Shimon Forman
Stephen Forman
Zev Forman
Rabbi Michael Foulds OBE
Dan Fox
Rob Francis
Stephen Franklin
Paul Franks
Geoffrey Freedland
Dov Freedman
Jon Freedman
Hilary Freeman
Marshal Frieze
Terri Fresko
Howard Fuller
Mark Furman
Roy Gabbie
Richard Galber
B Gantz
Harvey Garfield
Councillor Joshua Garfield
Bernard Garston
Lee Garston
David Geey
Andrew Gellert
Dr Selina Gellert
Morton Geppert
Joshua Gertner
Andrew Gilbert
Marilyn Gillis
Sarah Gimore
Jonathan Glass
Hilary Glassman
Jamie Glassman
Laurence Glyn
Richard Gold (Local Labour Candidate, Sedgley Ward, Bury)
Darren Goldberg
Maria Goldman
Angela Goldstein
Harry Goldstein
Eddie Goldstone
Simon Goldstone
Ella Goldwater
Nigel Goodrich
Rabbi Jeremy Gordon
Jonny Gould
Sheridan Gould
Lucille Grant
Raffi Grant
Natalie Grazin
Lynda Groiser
Paul Groiser
Edmund Grower
Rabbi H Gruber
Sally Halon
Benny Har-Even
Lee Harpin
Lesley and Philip Harris
Lysa Harris
Shelley Hart
Jeremy Havardi
Nicola Hawcroft-Heighway
Walter Hecht
Maurice Helfgott
David Herman
Mark Herman
Betty and Ian Hill
David Hirsch
Andrea Hirschhorn
Martin Hizer
Dr Simon Hochhauser
Stephen and Liz Hoffman
Gillian Howard
Ramon Huss
Clive and Ros Hyman
Martin Hyman
David Isaacs
Susan Isaacs
Alison Islin
Nicole Izsak
Anthony Jacobs
Dan Jacobs
Cantor Zoe Jacobs
Adam Jacobson
Denis Jacobson
Rabbi Laura Janner-Klausner
Daniel Jonas
Debbie Joseph
Eric Joseph
Lawrence Julius
Lyn Julius
Michael Kalischer
Jonathan Katz
Claire Katzenellonbogen
Dr Tony Kaye
Judy Keiner
Ian and Vivienne Keller
Helen Kissen
Nicholas Kissen
Lesley Klaff
Leonard Klahr
Susan Klonin
Michael Korb
Evie Korn
Sonny Kosky
Hana Kovler
Professor Matthew Kramer
Diane Krief
Mina Kupfermann
Melanie Laban
Nicole Lampert
Rhonda and Daniel Landerman
Sarah Landes
Raphael Langham
Adam Langleben
Monica Lanyado
Susie Lanyado-Averbrook
Professor Shlomo Lappin
Alex Latner
Richard Latner
Stephen Latner
Nigel Lawrence
Simon Lawrence
Gillian Lazarus
Leslie Lazarus
David Lee
Linda and Martin Lee
Simone Lee
Wendy Lee
Adam Leigh
Robin Leigh
Damon Lenszner
Daniel Leons-Marder
Paul Leslie
David Levene
Ruth Leveson
Lawrence Levin
Pauline Levis
Chantelle Levison
Gad Levy
Jan Levy
Laureen Levy
Mark Levy
Raphael Levy
Stuart Levy
Arnold Lewis
Jonathan Lewis
Mark Lewis
Charlotte Libman
Gad Libson
Ilan Lieberman
Melvyn Lipitch
Dena Lipman
Francis Lipman
Lee Lipman
Jony Lipsey
Nigel Lithman QC
Harvey and Malka Livingstone
Nicola Livingstone
Eva Lowe
Amelia Lubin
Doreen Lubin
Ian Lubin
Jonathan Lubin
Sharon Lubin
Jack Lubner
Jane Lush
Suzanne Lynn
Alexandra Lyons
Kitty Lyons
Roger Lyons
Hannah Lyons-Singer
Adam Ma’anit
Dr Denis MacEoin
Dave MacPherson
Laura Marcus
Stephen Margolis
Simon Marks
Joshua Maurice
James Mendelsohn
Andrew Michaelson
Jeremy Michelson
David Miller
Denise Miller
Rob Minshull
Toby Minton
Jane Mordo
Rob Morris
Sarah Morris
Ariel Moshe
Edward Moss
Elliot Moss (Secretary, Bury Labour Party)
Nick Moss
Clive Moss-Barclay
Bev Myers
Keith Myers
Hannah Myerson
Simon Myerson QC
Dr Laurence Nathan
Rupert Nathan
Pete Newbon
Andrea Nicholls
Jacqueline Nicholls
Daniel Norris
Tal Ofer
Alon Or-bach
Judith Offman
Jonathan Ornstein
Judith and Ged Ornstein
Zoe Ornstein
Dr Neville Packter
Martin Pagel
Cathy Peck
Elliot Perry
Mordechai Pinchas
Linzi Pinto
Linda Pitch
Nick Pitch
Matt Plenn
Marilyn Polak
Raymond Polak
Stephen Pollard
Ze’ev Portner
Janet Posner
Rochelle Posner
Keren Querfurth
Esta Rae
Maggie Rafalowicz
Martin Rankoff
Muriel and Philip Rapport
Gabrielle Rauf
Kate Ray
Jill Redhouse
Jude Regen
Dr Nicola Renton
Councillor Nicola Richards
Andrew Risner
Andrew Roberjot
Kate Roche
Brian Rodden
Sharon Rodden
Dr Sam Rodin
Daniel Rolnick
Rabbi Dr Jonathan Romain
John Rome
Rob Rome
Roz Rome
Andrea Rose
Joel Rosen
Aaron Rosenberg
David Rosenberg
Gemma Rosenblatt
Vivien Rosenblatt
Frank Rosenhead
Ruth and Gordon Rosenthal
Suzy Rosenthal
Adrienne Ross
Andrew Ross
Rabbi Sylvia Rothschild
Michael Rubinstein (JRC Manchester)
Davina Rudie
Nina Rudnick
Helen Rudolf
Evelyn Russell
Marion and David Ryde
Stephen Spencer Ryde
Adam Rynhold
Valda SadkaJo Saipe
Doreen Samuels
Chris Sangani (Vice Chair, Wanstead Park Labour Party)
Ben Santhouse
Marilyn Saponia
Diane Saunders
Gill Saunders
Yona Saunders
Dr Adam Schogger
Shelley Schwartz
Debbie Sciama
Louise Scodie
Avril Segal
Stephen Segal
Jill Seltzer
Lucy Selwyn
Liz Sewell
David Seymour
Liz Shapiro
Philip Shapiro
Fiona Sharpe
Olivia Shaw
Ellie Sheaf
Jo Sheaf
Raina and Michael Sheaf
Louise Sherman
Nicole Shifrin
Anne Shine
Michelle Shine
Diana Shonfeld
Carole Shotts
Jeremy Shotts
Mark Shupac
Judy Silkoff
Professor David Silverman
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Ms S N Simmons
Deanne Simon
Gregory Sinclair
Michael Sinclair
Michelle Sinclair
Raf Singer
Howard Skolnick
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Joel Soetendorp
Doe Solomon
Edward Solomon
Elana Solomon
Mark Solomon
Marlon Solomon
Raymond Solomon
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Rabbi Zvi Solomons
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Vera Somen
Stephen Specterman
Marlena Spieler
Barbra Spring
Mike Stalbow
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Naomi Stanley
Ann Stanton
Mark Starr
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Wendy Stern
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Claire Straus
Professor David Stone
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Guy and Lynsey Swimer
Ilana Swimer
Neil Swimer
Stuart Swimer
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George Szirtes
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Roni Tabick
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Morris Tarragano
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Warren Taylor
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Marion Tinger
David Toube (Director of Policy, Quilliam)
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Sue Trotter
Joanne Tuck
Jonathan Turner
Sue Urding
Warren Usden
Linda Vallins
Liron Vellman (Jewish Labour Movement Youth and Students Officer)
Mira Vogel
Jonathan Wall
Geraldine Watson
Student Rabbi Gabriel Webber
Alan Webster
Michael Wegier
Judy Weleminsky
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Jo White
Jonathan White
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Phillip Winsky
Natascha Wolf
Joy Wolfe MBE
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David Wolfson QC
Chana Wynick
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Sarah Mann-Yeager
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