Jeremy Corbyn is not an anti-Semite. That's not what anyone is trying to say.



Most clear thinking people on the Left stand for equality. They naturally stand against against racism, and do not fall foul to the (often) far-right rhetoric about Jews simultaneously controlling the world while living as untermenschen... As impressive a feat as that would be...



I do have some sympathy with the logic that the coverage we have seen in the media acts as a useful diversion. A diversion from the fact that the anti-establishment, Brexit-kingmaking, right-wing campaign of legitimised racism and bigotry we have seen become normalised in this country is the main source of anti-Semitic content produced in the UK.



Overview:

It is true that little has been said of the mass of right-wing bigotry in the recent media frenzy, overtly displayed as it often is on marches and similar rallies across the country by Britain First supporters and such ideologically aligned groups. But proclaiming this kind of "whataboutery" as a first defence on the Left is not a healthy way of addressing the real problem Labour experiences, and ignores a painful truth... For those who supposedly cry foul of Fascism and proselytise Liberalism to their core: Unfortunately, the far-left suffers from the same issue.



Momentum suffers from the same issue, even now by their own admission. Many on the far-Left not subscribed to Momentum, suffer from the same issue. Many not even quite as "far-Left" as them, casually suffer from the same issue. To be anti-Semitic is not seen as discriminatory as being anti-Black, anti-Muslim, anti-LGBT, or anti-immigrant by the far-Left. It is slightly less abhorrent, slightly more sanitised, apparently.



Liberalism and the modern-Left appears to have moved from the Voltaire school of not agreeing with someone's views, but defending their right to hold them, to this warped ideology of almost-infringing on freedom of expression, as to avoid offending the sensibilities of others. Yet in this "evolution", it has selectively left out attitudes of anti-Semitism, as if they were permissible within the discourse of "anti-Zionist debate" and part of our cultural lexicon.



Jews get a tough time from both sides of the political spectrum. On the left, we're seen as pseudo-Zionists which I will come onto shortly. On the right, we're either seen as Communists or rulers of a secret world-order, the ironic contradiction of which is effortlessly glossed over. Growing up a Jew in this country, you are subject to all the kinds of racist abuse you would expect a civilized society to have left behind. From the standard (and not-wholly incorrect, in my case at least) "stingy-Jew"/big-nose jokes, to the less-fun, and certainly not justifiable, mass-Nazi-saluting and racist name-calling you endure at school, especially if you're not fortunate enough to grow up in a multicultural area.



It doesn't stop at school though, with one being frequently dragged into the classic "but the Jews aren't a race" debate in adult life. Even if one concedes the forced (and anti-Semitic) distinction between Semites and "Jews", and one concedes the fact a common ancestry is shared; that a common heritage is shared; that a common culture is shared; and that common physiological features are shared, one would still reasonably suggest that racial classification of our people in death could be deemed sufficient for self-identification in survival. It is, at least, a topic we are reasonably qualified to comment on.



Cause:

The root of the issue seems to stem from the default position of the (far-)Left with regards to the situation in Israel/Palestine. Israel is seen as the aggressor, oppressing innocent Palestinians in Gaza/the West Bank. To deny this dichotomy, is to be a Zionist. To be a Zionist, simply requires a belief Israel has a right to exist. To believe Israel has a right to exist, is to be an oppressor. To be an oppressor, is to repeat the crimes which the Jewish people were themselves subjected during WW2 (if you even believe the Holocaust took place at all that is). To repeat the crimes makes you a hypocrite. To be a hypocrite makes you a traitor.



To simply disagree with this false didactic, is to be a Zionist, and the logic starts again. Being a Jew, whatever nuance you wish to apply in your argument is only taken as a divergence from the common logic, even if you do stand against Netanyahu's government, and you do disagree with the practice of illegal settlements across established borders... as most Left-Wing Jews do (even if there is disagreement on where the exact borders are etc etc).



It's deemed au fait to question, even deny the Holocaust these days, despite the fact we are still within living memory of the event. To deny the Slavery would be deemed as moronic as it is racist, yet it is seemingly less offensive/incredulous to deny the Holocaust. Doing so was excused by the very top of the Labour Party only very recently, by the then-head of the Disputes Committee, no less. Why is it ok to refer to the Jewish protesters on this issue as a "special-interest group" seeking to "destabilise the leadership", when similarly calling LGBT-protesters "sinners" providing a "disruptive influence on society" would rightly be deemed ludicrous, offensive and idiotic?



This attitude towards Jewish people, and the blurring of the lines between anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism has unfortunately been prevalent for a long time. Anti-Zionism is often used as a thin veil for anti-Semitism, where claiming that a Jewish world order of financiers seeking to control mass-media and banking in order to exert control and influence, is seen as a threat worth exposing. To stand against this threat, the argument goes, would be a noble cause, but to believe this ridiculous conspiracy is even true, is to perpetuate stereotypes about the Jews which have been used over the centuries to persecute them. Ever since the Catholics burned Jews at the stake for usery and blasphemy in the middle-ages, up to Nazi Germany leading a mass extermination throughout Europe and more recently where Arab Nationalists/Iran have used the same arguments to justify "a removal" of Jews from the map, similar offensive stereotypes have been echoed throughout history, and they have been getting louder again in the last few years.



The very fact that a lot of the early rebuttal from Momentum/Corbyn supporters has been to blame Jewish people for speaking out, is instructive of the attitude within the ranks. It is seen as an assault on his leadership, or an embarrassment to the party, to proclaim an issue of anti-Semitism within Labour, rather than a real issue of racism within the party itself. Unfortunately, this type of thinking is not specific to issues of racism in the Labour party at the moment. At a recent Hackney Labour CLP meeting, a motion regarding independent inquiries into claims of sexual assault within the party was voted down, specifically by the local Women's Officer, with the logic being that such investigations should be kept in-house as to avoid damaging the image of the party. A good Jewish boy would normally say "Oi Vey" at such anti-common sense, but I fear it would harm future prospects...



I think it is important to frame the anti-Semitism debate within the general dysfunction Corbyn's Labour is suffering at the moment, not an excuse, but an explanation.



Conclusion:

The issue I have with this latest spurt of anti-Semitism (seen as it is within the context of an issue feeding back to the 70s/80s) is not with Corbyn's attitudes towards Jewish people himself. The issue I have is with him as a leader, and his response to anti-Semitism within his party. The delay in his office appropriately condemning recent actions/statements, the delay in reaching out to the Jewish community and lack of disciplining blatant acts of bigotry, is not only morally wrong, but fundamentally against what Labour stands for.



As I stated at the very beginning of this piece, I do not believe he is an anti-Semite. He, unfortunately, suffers from being propped up by an apparatus which holds this largely far-left, anti-Zionist, anti-Semitic proposition as its world-view, and does not seem to be open to changing their ways any time soon. The majority of his core base, Momentum et. al, subscribe to this ideology. It is welcome Momentum have now acknowledged a problem prima facie, but for Corbyn to openly acknowledge the problem, decry many in his core-base as anti-Semites and punish those responsible en masse, would likely see his image among them tarnished, his support disappear and render his leadership untenable as the membership rallies around a new/more-aligned leader. This, is the Pandora's box an alignment with Momentum foretells.



One only hopes he begins to show true leadership, remove the proponents of this poison within the party, implement controls to root out all forms of bigotry from top to bottom, and punishes such blatant acts appropriately going forward. It is not a betrayal of the party to speak out to improve it, and for those who disagree with the leadership to voice their opinions. It is healthy in a party, as it is in society, for the disaffected and marginalised to be heard. It is not for us Jews to pander to anti-Semitic bigotry, it is for those bigots to listen to our objections and react accordingly.



If the Left is to fix society's problems, it has to above all show itself to be morally Kosher. There is enough bigotry to conquer already, as this wave of right-wing Populist-Nationalism continues to sweep across Europe, not least here at home. I hope more than anything, this opportunity is used to begin a healthy discussion on attitudes towards the problem of anti-Semitism that is real within the party. I hope it leads to more constructive discussion on Jews in the UK; towards a resolution in the Israel/Palestine conflict and towards a solution for peace in the Middle-East. I hope it leads us all towards greater solidarity in the party, and towards greater solidarity of the people against the real enemy: the far-right, and the modern Nasty Party.