LONDON: Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn sought on Tuesday to defuse harsh criticism about anti-Semitism leveled at the party by Britain’s chief rabbi.

Corbyn addressed Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis remarks in The Times newspaper while taking questions at a campaign event just over two weeks before Britain’s Dec 12 election.

He denied Mirvis claim that Labour and its leader have been deeply tarnished by pervasive anti-Semitic attitudes.

The influential rabbis suggestion that Corbyn was unfit for high office represented a break from his traditional position of not commenting on party politics. He said Britain’s Jews are gripped by anxiety about Corbyns possible election.

Corbyn said that if he becomes prime minister, he wants to lead a government that has an open door to all faith leaders.

He said he would invite Mirvis and other religious leaders to come talk to us about what their concerns are and said no community would feel at risk because of their faith.

The rabbis damaging column was published on the day Labour was launching its race and faith platform as part of its campaign to win voters with its views on tolerance and equality. The left-wing party pledged in its platform to teach children about the legacy of the British empire, including slavery and colonialism, and also says it will treat attacks on places of worship as a specific aggravated offense.

Outside the launch event, protesters put up anti-Labour posters including one that read, a vote for Labour is a vote for racism.

In his speech, Corbyn said anti-Semitism was vile and wrong and insisted that Labour has a speedy, effective way of dealing with complaints.

But he has been repeatedly criticised for tolerating anti-Jewish comments from party members. The ongoing questions about anti-Semitism have damaged traditionally strong ties between Britain’s Jews and the Labour Party.

Louise Ellman, a former Labour legislator who quit the party over the issue, said the chief rabbis column reflects widespread concern and anxiety across the mainstream Jewish community.

The reason I have left the Labour Party is because I cannot ask people to vote for Jeremy Corbyn as prime minister while we have a Labour Party that is institutionally anti-Semitic,” she told BBC. The situation, she added, was unprecedented.

Mirvis, who hasn’t intervened in politics before, said the Jewish community has watched with incredulity as Labour supporters have hounded Labour legislators who have challenged anti-Jewish racism. Some have been driven out of the party.

He said the very soul of our nation is at stake, pointing out that the Equality and Human Rights Commission is investigating whether the party’s discrimination against Jews is now institutionalised.

Corbyn, 70, has long been a champion of Palestinian rights and critical of the Israeli government. He has at times appeared to be sympathetic to the grievances of groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah.

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said in a tweet that the chief rabbis comments should make clear to the country that many British Jews feel uneasy.

He said Mirvis’s statement ought to alert us to the deep sense of insecurity and fear felt by many British Jews.

Earlier this month, the influential Jewish Chronicle newspaper had warned about the dangers of Corbyn becoming prime minister.

Published in Dawn, November 27th, 2019