A BBC programme not afraid of discussing antisemitism sensibly
JVL Introduction
The BBC Radio 4’s Sunday programme takes “A look at the ethical and religious issues of the week”
This week, unusually, it dared to raise the issue of antisemitism. Not that you would know it from the presentation on the website which reads “Politics and Trust; Sikh Community Kitchens; Poetry and Faith“.
But it is there, in two substantial segments: from 6.40 to 11.39 minutes in you have an interview with John McDonnell; and from 17.40 to 27.19 minutes with interviews with David Hirsh and Rabbi Danny Rich.
Naomi Wimborne-Idrissi sent a congratulatory message to the Beeb and posted this on the JVL Facebook page:
I have just CONGRATULATED the BBC for a programme about antisemitism!!!!
Here’s the feedback I have sent. Please listen and send in your own.
Congratulations for an intelligent, thoughtful item on this morning’s “Sunday” programme.
Presenter William Crawley’s discussion with John McDonnell MP raised important issues I’ve never heard aired on the BBC before (indeed I have submitted many complaints about uncritical, one-dimensional coverage!). At last listeners were able to hear about the Forde Report which has highlighted how the Labour Party bureaucracy has used antisemitism allegations as a factional tool, to the detriment of free discussion in the party, and to the detriment of many Jewish members who are critical of Israel and Zionism.
William led a sophisticated discussion with David Hirsh, whose views I find insulting to me as a Jewish member of the party who has been suspended because of my dissenting opinions, and Rabbi Danny Rich, who has courageously risked opprobrium for defending the importance of hearing a range of Jewish opinion .
At last, a rational debate about how to separate criticism of the political ideology of Zionism from hatred of Jews (antisemitism).
You will be attacked for allowing this discussion to happen. I note that neither the Labour Party nor the Jewish Labour Movement were prepared to take part in the programme. This betrays their inability to confront the issues raised in civilised debate. Please can we have more programmes like this – not only aired before most people are awake on a Sunday morning!
Thank you for publicising this – I will certainly
listen on “Sounds”.
I remember a previous “Sunday” program being
censored because of – I believe – featuring these
issues so am glad to read about the change of mind.
JVL should do it’s own podcasts.
It is laudable that the BBC allowed a tiny percentage of its airtime to finally admit a fuller perspective but it’s guaranteed to be a one-off and, at best, be cynically referenced as upholding “balance”.
You are very fair minded! I put the radio on and was greeted by Hirsh’s rant, which was not a good start to the day. I’d dispute quite how even handed a programme is which is about JVL’s exclusion from Labour Party training and does not include someone from JVL yet includes the extremist views of Hirsh.
I listened to the broadcast and on a number of occasions Israel was referred to as a ‘Jewish State’. Even though the government there also refers to it as such, it is NOT a Jewish State, it is a Zionist State. Zionists have corrupted the Jewish religion, and this is why they do not want Zionism to be discussed in an open and honest way, and why they want anti Zionism to be classed as anti Semitism. Jews and non Jews lived together in relative peace in the Holy Land for centuries until European Zionists appeared on the scene with the intention of colonising that land and removing those who opposed them. This is the basis of all the atrocities which are now being committed in Palestine but Zionists will not accept it, and if anyone does try to discuss it, they get the Zionist’s nuclear weapon of ‘antisemitism’ thrown at them.
Yes I heard it but only by accident as it was part of the religious segment early on a Sunday morning (not something I make a habit of tuning into !). Refeshing to have a non-hysterical discussion. It’s a shame that not many would have heard it.
This assumes that the BBC is not just an establishment mechanism for controlling public opinion & ideologies. This programme will be seen as an aberration, a mistake not to be repeated, having taken so much time & effort in orchestrating the preferred narrative.
Vexatious claims of anti semitism are hate crimes and should be prosecuted
Safest country in Europe for the Jewish Community thanks to people like Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour movement
Israel is an Apartheid state it is not a Jewish state, the Jewish Community is always for the oppressed never the oppressors
Too right Jack T
Forgive an interjection from a Christian –
whose only knowledge of the Jewish religion
is from what we call “The Old Testament”!
We studied this at school and in addition
are informed by the weekly readings at
our Sunday services (in my case – Mass)
where we learn how keen the prophets
were on Social Justice. They were certainly
not afraid of confronting the Leaders of Israel
and challenging them when they thought
they had done wrong.
In addition – I recently read “Khirbet Khizeh” by S. Yizhar
(translated from Hebrew by De Lange and Dweck)
where the morality of evicting people from the land they
lives on is so wonderfully and powerfully depicted.
Listening to those speakers am intrigued just how simple it is to set up walls and hide behind them, irrespective of the opinions of others, we can use clever language and seemingly make sense of the world we want to control and we succeed in convincing ourselves. The objective of one speaker in particular, it seemed to me, was to assure us that as the claimed majority held a view it was therefore sacrosanct.
I heard the programme having been directed to it by a friend. Naomi’s comments capture the essence of the discussion very well. I agree regarding Rabbi Rich. I commented on this to the friend who highlighted the programme.
There is hope. I think the important issue is to be able to discuss the nuances regarding antisemitism in safe spaces without fear of being misrepresented across a toxic social media.
Although not a member of the Labour Party It still grieves me to think how Jeremy Corbyn’s character was traduced regarding outrageous claims of antisemitism from right wing sources supporting the Israeli state.
It was also important to hear the number of Jews who have been suspended or expelled from the Labour Party for antisemitism. Again outrageous and in the realms of Trump.,