Rabbi's Protest About "Jewish Voice for Labour"

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The following letter has been sent to Enfield and Southgate Labour Party following their decision to invite Roland Rance of the so-called "Jewish Voice for Labour" group who try to pretend anti-Semitism doesn't exist in the Labour Party. Further they even try to pretend it doesn't exist in outside society.

18 Kislev 5779

26 November 2018

To the attention of Valerie Lestrade – chairperson and Thushara Dassanayake - Secretary
Enfield Southgate Constituency Labour Party

Dear Ms Lestrade & Ms Dassanayake

We understand that the Enfield Southgate CLP has invited Roland Rance, a member of the Jewish Voices for Labour Group(JVL) to speak to you about anti-semitism in the Labour Party at the next CLP meeting under the inappropriate title of “Political Education”.

However, as leaders and representatives of the local Jewish community, we wanted to express our deep concern and anger at your decision to provide a platform to JVL to speak about an issue of major concern of the Jewish community in our constituency and beyond.

JVL are not in any way a representative body of the Jewish community or its opinions. They are out of touch with the vast majority of the Jewish community and they lack real understanding of the feelings and concerns of the community. They represent the view of a very small number of Jewish Labour supporters and an even smaller number of Jewish voters. We cannot emphasise the level of pain this causes to the vast majority of the Jewish community.

JVL have been consistent in their claim that there is little or no anti-semitism within the Labour party. Most of our community are concerned about Anti-Semitism, know that it is increasing, and, at times, have experienced this at first hand, and so find such claims insulting at the very least.

As you are fully aware, one of our synagogues used to host your monthly meetings. Furthermore, a number of members from our community are members of the Labour Party and have brought this matter to us. Others used to be members and are equally concerned. Some of our former members are often well known to you. Jeff Rodin (of blessed memory) was not just the leader of the Labour Council, but also a former Chair of the Jewish Labour Movement (then known as Poale Zion). Some of our members were once councillors and have played their role in local civic affairs. Labour Party branch meetings are held in Ruth Winston Fox House, so named after a leading figure of blessed memory, another of our former members. In addition, one of our current members, Daniel Andersonn, is the present Deputy Leader of the Labour Council.

Mark Gardner from the Community Security Trust, a body which fights antisemitism and provides security to our community, writes: “I’m always more disturbed when this happens in an area with a sizeable Jewish community, where the CLP actually knows, it really really knows, that the fears expressed by the local Jewish community are held with the utmost genuine sincerity. In such contexts, I take their contrasting actions re JVL and JLM, as a very deliberate two fingers to their local Jewish community, to their (literally) Jewish neighbours & I take JVL to be enabling and koshering a fundamentally hateful attitude towards those Jews. (And don’t forget that it is a local Jewish community whom the CLP exists to “represent” in Parliament.) I think it essentially amounts to institutional antisemitism, perpetrated by the CLP (I repeat, because it knows, it really really knows it’s local Jews, it’s Jewish neighbours) and it is excitedly facilitated, yet again, by the moral and political disgrace that is JVL.”

We urge you to cancel your engagement with the JVL forthwith. We understand that the Labour Party has an affiliated body the Jewish Labour Movement (JLM) which has grassroots support within the Jewish community. We are aware that the JLM offer guidance and training on the subject of antisemitism within the Labour movement who have undertaken training within the Edmonton Constituency Labour Party and we therefore urge you to invite them to present to the Enfield Southgate CLP.

Sincerely yours,

Rabbi Daniel Epstein (Cockfosters & North Southgate United)

Rabbi Yuval Keren (Southgate Progressive)