Hey everyone! As always, feel free to reach out to me with questions, comments, or concerns at newsofthejews@gmail.com. If you need good Jewish/Israeli shows or movies, make sure to check out this newsletter. I’ve been doing a lot of writing this week, so I will stick to just one story and honorable mentions today.
Three other announcements:
If you missed the Hillel@Home event I moderated on Wednesday about how the election will affect U.S.-Israel relations, you can watch it here.
Foreign Policy published an article I co-wrote with one of my professors last week! Although it does not have to do with Judaism/Israel, our piece focuses on how foreign election meddling and the COVID-19 pandemic are shaping my generation’s foreign policy views. You can check it out here.
Vote!
A United Kingdom investigation finds the Labor Party guilty of allowing antisemitic discrimination:
Background: As you may recall, the United Kingdom’s Labor party has been embroiled in an antisemitism controversy for several years. Jeremy Corbyn, the previous leader of the Labor party (2015-2020), had been accused of antisemitism many times throughout his career. Here are some examples of his actions that have raised concerns:
Laid a wreath at a gravesite where terrorists linked to the assassinations of Israeli Olympians at the 1972 Olympics were buried
Described Hamas and Hezbollah as his friends, then later refused to denounce the terrorist groups
Supported a graffiti artist who complained about his antisemitic art being scrubbed off a wall
Wrote a foreword in an antisemitic book he described as “brilliant” that claimed international capitalism is controlled “by men of a single and peculiar race, who have behind them many centuries of financial experience”
Opposed the Labour party adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of antisemitism
British Jews–87% of whom believed Corbyn was antisemitic–were so troubled by Corbyn’s Labor party that the United Kingdom’s Chief Rabbi wrote an op-ed describing him as “unfit for office.” Corbyn’s Labor would eventually lose the United Kingdom’s 2019 election to Boris Johnson’s Conservative party and resign as the Labor party leader. Still, Corbyn was not the only Labor party figure who was blamed for contributing to the antisemitism problem. Numerous officials in the Labor party drew attention either for antisemitic actions or failing to punish antisemitism. Eventually, the UK’s state anti-racism watchdog, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), launched an investigation into antisemitism allegations within the Labor party.
Former Labor party leader Jeremy Corbyn and current Labor party leader Keir Starmer. Source: AP Photo via Matt Dunham.
What happened? The EHRC released its investigation results this week and found that the Labor party broke the UK’s equality law and was guilty of discrimination. Specifically, it established that the party is guilty of “political interference in antisemitism complaints,” “harassment,” and a “failure to provide adequate training to those handling antisemitism complaints.” On the first charge, the EHRC identified 23 instances of inappropriate political interference out of the 70 cases it investigated. Regarding the second charge, the EHRC noted several cases of Labor officials using antisemitic tropes or suggesting complaints about antisemitism were fake (including from Ken Livingstone, the former Mayor of London). As for the last charge, the EHRC found that many complaints were left unaddressed and that the party treated people who made complaints unfairly.
The EHRC also made a list of recommendations for the Labor party to adopt. You can find those recommendations here. You can find the whole report here.
How have people reacted? Caroline Waters, the Interim Chair of the EHRC, said, “The Labour Party made a commitment to zero tolerance for antisemitism. Our investigation has highlighted multiple areas where its approach and leadership to tackling antisemitism was insufficient. This is inexcusable and appeared to be a result of a lack of willingness to tackle antisemitism rather than an inability to do so.”
Keir Starmer, the current leader of the Labor party (whose wife is Jewish), said, “I found this report hard to read. And it is a day of shame for the Labour party. We have failed Jewish people, our members, our supporters, and the British public. And so, on behalf of the Labour party, I am truly sorry for all the pain and grief that has been caused. To Jewish people, our Jewish members, our longstanding Jewish affiliate, JLM [the Jewish Labour Movement].”
Jeremy Corbyn, the former leader of the Labor Party who was involved in many of the allegations, said, “One antisemite is one too many, but the scale of the problem was also dramatically overstated for political reasons by our opponents inside and outside the party, as well as by much of the media. That combination hurt Jewish people and must never be repeated.” (Starmer and the Labor party suspended Corbyn for his statement. Starmer said Labor members who claimed the report was “exaggerated or a factional attack” were “part of the problem.”)
Marie van der Zyl (President of the Board of Deputies of British Jews), Jonathan Goldstein (Chair of the Jewish Leadership Council), and Mark Gardner (CEO of the Community Security Trust) issued a joint statement, saying, “This report is a damning verdict on what Labour did to Jews under Jeremy Corbyn and his allies. It proves why British Jews were so distressed and it disgraces those who attacked us for speaking out against anti-Jewish racism...Jeremy Corbyn will rightly be blamed for what he has done to Jews and Labout, but the truth is more disturbing, as he was little more than a figurehead for old and new anti-Jewish attitudes. All of this was enabled by those who deliberately turned a blind eye.”
Further reading:https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-54731222
Honorable mentions:
“A guide to the 23 Jewish Democratic incumbents running on Tuesday” by Ron Kampeas (JTA)
“Your guide to the 10 Jewish Republicans running for Congress in 2020” by Ron Kampeas (JTA)
“Alaskan senator accused of antisemitism after ad against Jewish rival” by Tzvi Joffre (Jerusalem Post)
“Israel hails news Dominican Republic may move embassy to Jerusalem” (Reuters)
“Two months after Newark fire, arsonist hits Chabad Center in Wilmington” by Josh Shannon (Newark Post)
“Israel offers to send IDF search and rescue team to Turkey after deadly quake” (Times of Israel)
“White House informs Congress of plans to sell as many as 50 F-35s to UAE” by Jacob Magid (Times of Israel)
“Holocaust survivor and Olympian Sir Ben Helfgott wins Pride of Britain award” by Justin Cohen (Times of Israel)
“Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated 25 years ago. Here’s how you can join the commemorations.” by David Ian Klein (Forward)
“Oscar Isaac in talks to play Jewish superhero in Marvel/Disney+ ‘Moon Knight’ TV series” by Philissa Cramer (JTA)
“What we learned on Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s last visit to Israel” by Sana Britavsky and Jill Weber Smith (JTA)
“Baseball coach Justine Siegal made history when she became the first female MLB coach. Now she works to inspire others” by Debra Nussbaum Cohen (Jewish Insider)
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