An open letter to the Chief Rabbi
JVL Introduction
Writer Robert AH Cohen asks the Chief Rabbi for clarification in the light of his recent statement.
You justify this intervention on the grounds of challenging Corbyn’s anti-Jewish racism and the need to highlight the fears of the Jewish community in the UK. You make the bold claim that “the overwhelming majority of British Jews are gripped by anxiety”. And as you travel the country, you tell your readers that the question you are asked most frequently is: “What will become of Jews and Judaism in Britain if the Labour Party forms the next government?”
What is the clear and present danger presented by the Labour party to Jews? Perhaps you can give me a rough idea of what I should expect, so I know whether to be ready to pack my bags when the election results come through.
Will kosher meat be outlawed? Will circumcision be banned? Will I be forced out of my job and my children thrown out of university? Will I be attacked on the street by gangs of roaming Corbynistas? Will synagogues be burnt down and Jews rounded up?
This article was originally published by Patheos on Thu 28 Nov 2019. Read the original here.
Chief Rabbi, we need a better way to fight antisemitism than attacking Labour
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EXCELLENT. A balanced view at last!
[JVL ed – we have approved this comment, if only to show how extreme the fantasies about Corbyn have become]
“Will kosher meat be outlawed? Will circumcision be banned? Will I be forced out of my job and my children thrown out of university? Will I be attacked on the street by gangs of roaming Corbynistas? Will synagogues be burnt down and Jews rounded up?”
Only if it comes from Israel.
No
Yes
Yes
Maybe.
I am not being flippant either.
The mendacity of Mr Mirvis must surely raise a question as to his fitness to hold any position of authority.
At least the BBC properly describe him as the Orthodox Chief Rabbi – which clearly indicates that he holds only a position of authority within a sect which represents probably less than 10 per cent of all Jews in the UK.
Even if every member of his sect voted for him to hold his position, it pales into insignificance compared to the 300,000 votes Jeremy Corbyn received from Labour Party members in the leadership election.
To put it into context, Mirvis barely has the support of the number of Labour Party members in one single region or nation within the United Kingdom while Jeremy Corbyn has the majority support of all Labour Party members within the entire United Kingdom.
Mr Mirvis is just small potatoes by comparison.
It is a pity the mass media don’t get it – but, then, do they really want to get it? Arguably not, as Mr Mirvis is a useful tool for them in propping up the rabid Judeophobic Tories.
John are you referring to RABBI Mirvis ?
Rabbi Mirvis is Chief Rabbi of The Commonwealth by the way,
Your hatred of the Jewish religion marks you as a dogmatist and a parochial man who is closed minded
Steven Marks,
All I am saying – as a humanist and secularist – is that Mr Mirvis does not speak on behalf of the entire Jewish community in the UK – or “Commonwealth”.
Jeremy Corbyn – on the other hand – personally received the votes of 300,000 Labour Party members – equivalent to the entire Jewish community in the UK.
I know which of the two speaks with the greatest authority – and it is not Mr Mirvis. He is just a Tory lackey.
I don’t hate any religion.
I think they are all equally irrational but that is no reason to hate them or the people who follow them.
Zionism – on the other hand – is a literally hurtful and hateful ideology, both for those who suffer from its effects – such as the Palestinians – and for those who pursue it, as can be seen by the way in which zionist Israel daily besmirches and demeans Jewish and Israeli society.
I don’t know enough about this to comment definitively, but I so wish we could have heard the Jewish voice for Labour on Tuesday. I have complained twice about this, and asked for my complaint to be escalated. There was no balance whatsoever the whole day. The BBC said the Chief Rabbi status warranted the coverage – though the Muslim Council, only speaking for mosques, schools and communities, didn’t carry the same weight. A curious editorial decision.