Antisemites in Labour feel emboldened by the leadership

This article by CST's Dave Rich originally appeared on the website of the Times of Israel. Read the full article here.

This first Labour Party conference of the Jeremy Corbyn era was a dispiriting place for those committed to the fight against anti-Semitism.

The most telling moment came during the debate on anti-Semitism at the Momentum fringe festival. Anti-Zionist campaigner Jonathan Rosenhead recounted hearing the Chief Rabbi being interviewed on the radio about anti-Semitism. As Rosenhead told it, when the Chief Rabbi said that anti-Semitism is a serious concern, the presenter then asked if he personally had experienced any anti-Semitism, to which, Rosenhead said, the Chief Rabbi answered that he hadn’t – drawing a round of laughter from the Momentum supporters in the room.

We at CST know how much anti-Semitism gets directed at the Chief Rabbi’s office, because his staff send it our way before he sees it. That, however, is not really the point. If Dianne Abbot or Sadiq Khan said that they personally do not suffer racism but that many people in their communities do, a left wing audience would not laugh in such a scornful way.

 _{Image: Holocaust Education Trust and Community Security Trust event at the Labour party conference}