I need to talk about Jewish Voice for Labour, the fairly new (yet the same old faces) organisation set up in the wake of Labour’s anti-Semitism crisis.

Who are they? They’re a group of largely older Labour members who are very much in support of Jeremy Corbyn, their raison d’être appearing to be tackling anti-Semitism…allegations. Not tackling anti-Semitism, oh no! Tackling the accusations! Because they, like many of the hard left, believe the anti-Semitism crisis is made up of nothing but baseless smears. Despite the fact the Metropolitan Police are looking into at least 4 possible cases of race hate crimes related to the Labour party.

Who exactly are JVL? There’s a few prominent members — Tony Greenstein (an expelled bully), Jenny Manson (who freely admits she identifies as a Jew to criticise Israel) and Mike Cushman. These people are all of course involved with Free Speech on Israel, because as many know JVL and FSoI are one and the same.

The key thing to note is their “affiliate members”. Non-Jews, largely anti-Semites, who spend an unfathomable amount of time baiting Jews on social media platforms. Engaging in a range of unpleasant behaviours such as promoting Al Jazeera’s awful “The Lobby” ‘undercover exposé’, Holocaust denial, etc.

JVL are attempting to ingratiate themselves with Constituency Labour party branches by presenting themselves as the “pro-Palestinian voice” of the Jewish Left. In doing so, they play up the Good Jew/Bad Jew dichotomy that suits the rhetoric of the anti-Semites. Anti-Zionist Jews (JVL) = Good Jews, Zionist Jews (Jewish Labour Movement) = Bad Jews. Thus making them appealing to a number of CLPs who largely support Jeremy Corbyn and wish to show the anti-Semitism crisis as a fabricated crisis to undermine Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership of the Labour party.

Their popularity is unsurprising, given a CLP once accused JLM of links to Islamic State. They kosherize anti-Semitism, providing cover for vile anti-Semitic views by labelling any and all accusations of anti-Semitism as smears to oust their beloved leader Jezza.

Anyone who truly supports Jewish members in the fight against anti-Semitism should wholly reject JVL and throw their support behind the century long Jewish affiliate organisation that is the Jewish Labour Movement.

If you support JVL because you want a free Palestine and believe Zionism is wrong, then please engage with the Israeli left and encourage the Labour party to strengthen ties with them. Zionism is not the problem, right wing Israeli nationalism is!

Ari Moshe