Jewish community leaders urge Jeremy Corbyn offer a "heartfelt apology" for some of his past actions amid anti-Semitism row
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- 30 Aug 2021
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Jewish community leaders are calling for Jeremy Corbyn to apologise over some of his "past comments and affiliations".
They have written to Labour's general secretary outlining steps for the party to move forward in the anti-Semitism row.
The Board of Deputies of British Jews (BDBJ) said the Labour leader had to "acknowledge his own failings" and offer a "heartfelt apology" for some of his past actions.
The group also called for the party to finally adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of anti-Semitism in full and resolve outstanding disciplinary cases of anti-Semitism.
The BDBJ's chief executive, Gillian Merron, wrote to Labour general secretary Jennie Formby on Wednesday.
In the letter she referred to a number of recent reports which detailed past events where Mr Corbyn had shared a platform with individuals who had expressed anti-Semitic views.
She also cited comments he made in 2013 where he had criticised "Zionists" for having "no sense of English irony".
"This is a classic racist trope," Ms Merron said.
"To move forward, Mr Corbyn must acknowledge his own failings and offer a heartfelt apology to British Jews and to the Israeli victims of the terrorists with whom he has shown solidarity."
The BDBJ's intervention comes after Mr Corbyn's comments on "Zionists" were condemned by a former chief rabbi.
Lord Sacks said the comments gave support to "racists, terrorists, and dealers of hate".
The crossbench peer compared the comments to Enoch Powell's inflammatory "rivers of blood" speech, although Labour hit back at the criticism, branding it "absurd and offensive".
On Wednesday, the Prime Minister called on Mr Corbyn to address Lord Sacks' criticism.
During a tour of Africa, Theresa May said: "Anti-Semitism is racism. We should all condemn racism in all its forms.
"Lord Sacks was a long-standing chief rabbi, he raised significant concerns but it's not just him - members of the Labour Party have raised concerns as well.
"I think the leader of the Labour Party needs to respond to those concerns."
In the footage from 2013, Mr Corbyn said of the "Zionists": "They clearly have two problems.
"One is they don't want to study history, and secondly, having lived in this country for a very long time, probably all of their lives, they don't understand English irony either."
A Labour Party spokesperson said: " Jeremy Corbyn described a particular group of pro-Israel activists as Zionists, in the accurate political sense, not as a synonym or code for Jewish people.
"Jeremy Corbyn is determined to tackle anti-Semitism both within the Labour Party and in wider society and the Labour Party is committed to rebuilding trust with the Jewish community."
Labour's National Executive Committee is expected to consider its code of conduct on anti-Semitism when the ruling body meets next week.
The BDBJ is pushing for the Labour party to adopt the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism and criticised the "unnecessary and alarming" debate that has rumbled on over some of its elements.
Ms Merron said failing to adopt the internationally-recognised definition had resulted in a "destructive standoff with a minority ethnic community".
She also called for disciplinary cases over anti-Semitism by members to be dealt with quickly.
"Each passing day that Labour continues to retain anti-Semites in membership is another day of embarrassment for the Party and we expect a clear timetable set out for these cases going forward," Ms Merron wrote.
