To think that it's impossible to vote for Jeremy Corbyn after last night's interview?

[PleaseDontLaugh]

To be upfront : I would never vote for Labour or Corbyn anyway, for various reasons.. But that was not a good interview and had I been considering it I would be very concerned now.

@Helmetbymidnight there's always a reason as to why Jewish people who doubt or disagree that Corbyn is an antisemitic, are wrong. There is really a lot of discourse out there concerning the weaponisation of antisemitism, you appear determined to ignore it. Why, for example, did the former speaker of the house state that he doesn't believe that Jeremy Corbyn is antisemitic? Why are all these other Jewish voices wrong? The conservative party even have previous form for using this exact tactic, while themselves remaining shockingly antisemitic. Nobody thinks that Jewish people are stupid, they are no more or less susceptible to the appalling propaganda machine, that is the conservative party, than the rest of us. This is why, millions of people, who would be demonstrably better off under a different government, will still vote conservative.

i dont get what you are saying.

"I do think that anyone in the UK criticising Israeli policy gets labelled anti-Semitic. I think that's because not enough people understand what antisemitism actually is, and confuse that with concern for Palestinians."

Absolute rubbish. I criticize Israeli policy all the time, vociferously and vocally in the UK and in Israel and wherever. I have huge concern for Palestinians (and for Israelis - it's not a zero sum game). I have never been called anti-semitic. You know why? Because it's really easy not to be anti-semtitic! Follow a few simple rules and you're good. Corbyn is not and certainly the Labour party is not.

Here's a helpful little guide for the perplexed:
www.independent.co.uk/voices/antisemitism-labour-israel-netanyahu-palestine-david-schneider-a8905941.html

Of course there are some who do see antisemitism in legitimate criticism and debate. However, Corbyn and his cronies give them a gift by actually being antisemitic which makes the work of those of us who genuinely care about Palestine and Israel and want to see change in Israel so much more difficult. Him and his ilk actually do damage to the Palestinian cause. The vast majority of Israelis will never see him as an honest broker.

"there's always a reason as to why Jewish people who doubt or disagree that Corbyn is an antisemitic, are wrong."

Are Jews all expected to speak with one voice? Heck, there are Black people in Trump's cabinet yet that does not mean that he is not racist!

It may surprise you but Jews have different opinions. Even in Nazi Germany, there were some who thought that Hitler wouldn't do anything THAT bad to them.

Yes, I think that Jews who don't think Corbyn is antisemitic are wrong as I have a different opinion. I may respect their opinion and their reasons, i will certainly listen to them, and, at the end of the day, I may respectfully disagree. I'm not sure why this is so shocking?

At the end of the day, the fact is that 87% of Jews believe that Corbyn is antisemitic so those voices which don't are very much in the minority and not representative of the community at all. And Jews are capable of critical and independent thought just as much as the next person.

Annie the writer also comments

I’ve also seen how people are scared to condemn Israel for fear of being labelled antisemitic; and how legitimate criticism of Israel (those last four words are almost a catchphrase now) is sometimes falsely labelled antisemitic by those who maintain that all criticism of Israel is antisemitic (it is not).

That's the point I was making.

I think there are antisemitic undertones in the labour party that go beyond an allegiance with Palestine. I have Jewish friends who ate genuinely concerned, logical lovely people and that makes me think.

His calling hamas and Hezbollah friends is also of concern.
As an ex member of the armed forces I worry how hed handle top secret information as well and whether he'd make the right foreign policy choices, given his previous.

Ahnowted

No one is saying that there arent some who unfairly deflect criticism of israel by wrongly claiming antisemitism. Of course not.
But when you have corbyn and his ilk actually being antisemitic then it makes it much harder for us who genuinely care about peace in Israel and palestine and bringing about change to counter those charges. Because they're true in this case!

I don't think Jeremy Corbyn is a racist but I do think he hasn't tackled the undercurrent (& sometimes fairly blatant,) antisemitism in his party correctly. It strikes me that he would prefer not to believe it but there would not be this outcry, especially not the criticism from the Chief Rabbi backed by the AofC, if antisemitism didn't exist in the Labour party. It's quite dismaying! We all have to face unpalatable truths at times and Mr Corbyn is no exception.

Jewish Voice for Labour

'Journalists, check your evidence on antisemitism!'

'This extensive review of data about antisemitism in the UK demonstrates that media claims aboutrampantleft-wing antisemitism are based on unproven and unsourced allegations, resulting in the stifling of rational debate about both Israel/Palestine and the dangers of antisemitism and racism.'

'The largest survey ever undertaken was conducted by the Institute for Jewish Policy Research (JPR), with data gathering by Ipsos MORI. The authors foundstrong antisemitic attitudes[#]of similarly low prevalence (average 3.6%) from the far left and across the political spectrum. Only on the far right was it significantly higher (13%)'

'Repeat surveys commissioned by the vigorously pro-Israeli organisation, the Campaign Against Antisemitism, have shown that adoption ofnegative antisemitic stereotypeswas higher among Conservative and UKIP voters than LibDem and Labour voters, and had declined since 2015 when Corbyn became leader ..'

www.jewishvoiceforlabour.org.uk/article/check-evidence/

'A list of fifty occasions on which Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn stood with Jewish people in the UK and other countries has been published by his supporters.

The list lays out some of Corbyn’s recorded solidarity with Jewish people over a period of more than four decades.

Corbyn has already received extensive support from Orthodox Jewish leaders. Thirty-four leading rabbis signed a letter praising Labour’s “respected leader” and describing attacks on him as “irresponsible”.
The letter was attacked as a fake by Corbyn’s critics, who were later forced to withdraw the claim when evidence was revealed by the SKWAWKBOX that they were aware of its authenticity.

.
.
Corbyn organised the Apr. 1977 defence of Jewish populated Wood Green from a Neo-Nazi march

EDM3933 7 Nov. 1990: Corbyn signs motion condemning the rise of antisemitism

EDM634, 11 Apr. 2000: Jeremy Corbyn signs motion condemning David Irving for being a Holocaust Denier

EDM1124, 6 Nov. 2000: Jeremy Corbyn praised the ‘British Schindler’, Bill Barazetti, for his WW2 kindertransport

EDM742, 28 Jan. 2002: Jeremy Corbyn signs motion praising football clubs for commemorating Holocaust Day

EDM1233 30 Apr. 2002: Corbyn was a primary sponsor on a motion condemning antisemitism

11 May 2002: Jeremy led a clean up of Finsbury Park Synagogue after an anti-Semitic attack

EDM1691, 23 July 2002: Corbyn condemned attacks on a synagogue in Swansea

EDM123 26 Nov. 2003: Corbyn officially condemns attacks on 2 Istanbul synagogues

EDM298, 16 Dec. 2003: Jeremy Corbyn signs motion commemorating International Holocaust Day

2004: Jeremy condemned news that anti-Semitic hate crimes had risen for yet another year

EDM461, 21 Jan. 2004: Jeremy Corbyn condemned the French government’s moves to ban the Jewish Kippa in French Schools

EDM717, 26 Feb. 2004: Jeremy signed a motion praising Simon Wiesenthal for bringing Nazi perpetrators of the Holocaust to justice

EDM1613, 8 Sept. 2004: Corbyn co-sponsored a bill expressing fears for the future of the United Synagogue Pension Scheme

EDM1699, 11 Oct. 2004: Jeremy Corbyn condemned arbitrary attacks on civilians in Israel and Palestine

EDM482, 12 Jan. 2005: Jeremy Corbyn signs a motion commemorating International Holocaust Day

EDM343, 16 June 2005: Jeremy condemned the desecration of a Jewish cemetery in east London

EDM1343, 11 Jan. 2006: Jeremy Corbyn signs a motion commemorating International Holocaust Day

EDM1774, 8 Mar. 2006: Jeremy Corbyn led condemnations of an Iranian Magazine soliciting cartoons about the Holocaust

EDM1267, 16 Apr. 2006: Jeremy Corbyn condemned Bryan Ferry for anti-Semitic remarks

EDM2414, 26 June 2006: Jeremy Corbyn praised British war veterans for their efforts to combat the Holocaust

EDM2705, 10 Oct. 2006: Jeremy signed a motion marking the 70th anniversary of Cable Street

EDM271, 14 Nov. 2007: Jeremy co-sponsored a motion lamenting the poverty and social exclusion East London Jews suffered

EDM153, 12 May 2008: Corbyn praised the efforts of the Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto during the uprising of 1944

EDM2350, 27 Oct 2008: Jeremy Corbyn signs a motion marking the 70th anniversary of the horrors of the holocaust

EDM173, 8 Dec. 2008: Jeremy condemned the Press Complaints Commission for refusing to sanction The Times for antisemitism

The List continues on the Link
www.jewishvoiceforlabour.org.uk/article/fifty-times-jeremy-corbyn-stood-with-jewish-people/

I completely believe that anti semitism is low among labour voters and members. The change has been that the extreme left have been given a voice and platform in the labour party that they never had before corbyn came in. This is his failure and I dont think hes fit to be pm (neither is bj by the way)

Started by a Tory bot

'Corbyn and antisemitism. The letter that won't make the front pages of the mainstream media.

Following the Chief Rabbi’scomments and Jeremy Corbyn’s interview with Andrew Neil, allegations of antisemitism in the Labour Party have once again dominated the mainstream media.

But there’s one letter from a rabbi that probably won’t make headlines in most of the media. And it’s a letter that everyone who’s ever condemned Corbyn regarding antisemitism needs to read.'

'
Rabbi Mayer Weinberger has just written a letter to Jeremy Corbyn on behalf of the Executive Board of the United European Jews.

Rabbi Weinberger's letter describes the Chief Rabbi’s comments that British Jews are “gripped by anxiety” at the thought of a Labour government as “unusually disturbing”.

He writes : "Please note that we totally reject and condemn in no uncertain terms these remarks, which does not represent the views of the mainstream chareidi Jews that live in the UK."

And: " We believe that such assertions are due to propaganda with a political and ideological agenda. An agenda, which, I might add, is diametrically opposed to fundamental Jewish values as well as the opinions of tens of thousands of Jews in our community."

.
And it [the letter] thanks Corbyn for his:

"numerous acts of solidarity with the Jewish community over many years and also welcome your assurances that Labour will do everything necessary to defend the Jewish way of life and protect our rights to practise our religion."

.
A Copy of the Full letter from Rabbi Weinberger to Jeremy Corbyn on the Link:

www.thecanary.co/opinion/2019/11/27/the-letter-from-a-rabbi-that-wont-make-the-front-pages-of-most-of-the-mainstream-media/

Again, 87% of british jews believe corbyn to be an anti semite.
You are not interested in understanding why but instead insist on amplifying the voices of the small minority who dont agree.
While it's fine for their voices to be heard, you also need to listen to the vast majority who are very concerned about a corbyn government.

i liked jess philips response. simple and to the point- something has gone wrong, we need to work on it and fix it.

much better than the myriad of articles saying: 'anti-semitism is not supporting palestinians'

we know that.

i liked jess philips response. simple and to the point- something has gone wrong, we need to work on it and fix it

Yes, a great response. If i have to read one more convoluted article about how we aren't understanding that actually JC and the Labour party are the very opposite of anti-semitic I might scream.

Annie Totach wrote: "Again, 87% of british jews believe corbyn to be an anti semite. You are not interested in understanding why but instead insist on amplifying the voices of the small minority who dont agree."

Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis of the Orthodox Synagogue, who made the public attack on Corbyn, himself represents a minority of the diverse Jewish Community (about 40,000 out of a total of 300,000 British Jews)

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The press (Including the Jewish Chronicle and other Conservative Party supporting Jewish publications) have been repeating "antisemitism" and whipping up unjustified fears about Corbyn for 4 years.

People 'believing' something because they repeatedly read it in the papers, and the something being true, are two different things.

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"75% of people believe XYZ " is a common media trick, which pushes an agenda without having to provide facts.

For example, the British public have been reported by our media as "Believing" that 30% of sick/disabled people in receipt of benefits are claiming sickness/disability benefits fraudulently.

The true figure of fraud in disability benefits is less than 0.5%.

But publicising exaggerated figures under the guise of "what people believe", beliefs based on disinformation the press itself have fed them over years, reflects a self fulfilling situation.

So, X number of people "believing" something, more reflects what the people read in the media daily than researched facts. My posts above in this thread give facts and highly respected research. Sorry you don't appear to have read them.

There are many public letters and testimonials supporting Corbyn and signed by very many British Jews and supporters over the last 4 years

The problem with Labour is they’ve lost who there voters are. They have no idea who they’re aiming there strategy at, voters are confused. Are they Brexit or remain? Middle class London voters were all very Labour until Corbyn said private schools were going to be nationalised and the huge tax bill they’re going to receive. Let’s see what happens on the morning of Friday 13th?

The letter that won't make the front pages of the mainstream media.

Because the address that is on the letter appears to be a London bakery, the phone number that is on the letter isn’t recognised, and the website appears to have been hastily thrown together. Which is odd for an apparently respected organisation representing thousands of Jews...

"People 'believing' something because they repeatedly read it in the papers, and the something being true, are two different things."

How patronizing.

Only YOU know the truth. Whereas the 87% of British Jews who don't agree with you have only read it repeatedly in the papers.

I have made my own mind up about Corbyn based on evidence I have seen directly.

And I completely believe that this 87% is represenative of the community at large from my own conversations. I have many Jewsih friends who are left leaning and would certainly consider voting labour and will not touch Labour now due to the antisemitism and Corbyn. Personally I don't have one British Jewish friend in my network who doesn't believe Corbyn to be an antisemite. Of course, i don't purport that my network is the same as a representative survye but I'd certainly expect to hear one dissenting voice and I don't.

I have no problem hearing other people's opinions - and I certainly don't sneeringly dismiss them as being brainwashed or incapable of critical thought - but the Jewish people supporting Corbyn who are being pointed to as evidence of Corbyn not being antisemtiic repersent a tiny minority of the Jewish community.

Where does the 87% statistic come from?

A Survation poll commissioned by the Jewish Leadership Council

Jess Phillips, provided you can keep her off the subject of Brexit, seems like a perfectly sensible and thoughtful woman.

www.survation.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Survation-Jewish-Panel-FAQs.pdf

@noblegiraffe

'The authenticity of this letter has been challenged online. United European Jews told The Canary:

The letter was signed by our Executive Director Rabbi Meir Weinberger of Antwerp, Belgium. Our organization represents the views of tens of thousands ultra-orthodox Jews throughout Europe. The letter, written to Jeremy Corbyn and referring to it as “unusually disturbing,” states that Mirvis’ opinion does not represent “mainstream chareidi Jews.” There are about 70,000 chareidi Jews living in the UK.

The Chareidi community, which is often reclusive and whose voice if often underrepresented in the mainstream media, is particularly susceptible to misrepresentation on the part of officials who purport to speak in their name.

The letter, which declares Mirvis’ pronouncement as “propaganda with a political and ideological agenda,” and expresses gratitude toward Mr. Corbyn for his “numerous acts of solidarity” with the Jewish community, has been condemned online by Corbyn opponents as fraudulent, but its authenticity can be verified with the organization (www.unitedeuropeanjews.org).

Our organization is represented by 19 distinguished rabbis who lead prominent and respected congregations. This is not the first time chareidi declarations of gratitude to Corbyn were alleged to be forgeries. Earlier this year, a letter to the Times signed by 12 holocaust survivors and a letter signed by over two dozen rabbis were suggested as forgeries by the Jewish Chronicle and the Jerusalem Post, but turned out to be authentic.

Either papers have yet to issue an apology.

It added that the reason some people had problems with contacting it is that it had “just moved into new premises and our lines are not yet up and running.”