LONDON ¨C The poison of anti-Semitism ¡°sanctioned from the top¡± has taken root in Britain¡¯s opposition Labour Party, Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis said in an article published on Monday, warning the ¡°soul of our nation is at stake¡± in next month¡¯s election.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, a veteran campaigner for Palestinian rights, has been dogged by criticism from members, lawmakers and Jewish leaders that he has failed to tackle anti-Semitism in the party despite a promise to do so.
¡°The question I am now most frequently asked is: What will become of Jews and Judaism in Britain if the Labour Party forms the next government? This anxiety is justified,¡± Mirvis, Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, wrote in an article for Tuesday¡¯s edition of the Times newspaper.
He said the response of the party¡¯s leadership as their supporters drove lawmakers, members and staff out of the party for challenging anti-Jewish racism had been ¡°utterly inadequate¡± and claims the party was doing everything it could and had investigated every case were ¡°mendacious fiction.¡±
¡°It is a failure to see this as a human problem rather than a political one. It is a failure of culture. It is a failure of leadership. A new poison ¡ª sanctioned from the top ¡ª has taken root in the Labour Party,¡± he wrote.
A spokesman for Labour, who are trailing Prime Minister Boris Johnson¡¯s Conservatives in the polls ahead of the Dec. 12 election, said Corbyn was a lifelong campaigner against anti-Semitism.
¡°A Labour government will guarantee the security of the Jewish community, defend and support the Jewish way of life, and combat rising anti-Semitism in our country and across Europe,¡± the spokesman said.
¡°We are taking robust action to root out anti-Semitism in the party, with swift suspensions, processes for rapid expulsions and an education program for members,¡± he said.
Mirvis said that, while convention dictates that the chief rabbi stays away from party politics, challenging racism went beyond politics.
¡°How complicit in prejudice would a leader of Her Majesty¡¯s opposition have to be to be considered unfit for office? Would associations with those who have incited hatred against Jews be enough? Would describing as ¡®friends¡¯ those who endorse the murder of Jews be enough? It seems not,¡± he said.
¡°When December 12 arrives, I ask every person to vote with their conscience. Be in no doubt, the very soul of our nation is at stake.¡±
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