Senior Rabbi Breaks Tradition To Plead People Not To Vote For Corbyn

1 November 2019, 13:05 | Updated: 1 November 2019, 13:34

"Never before would I have told my congregants how to vote, it would just have been unthinkable," a senior Rabbi tells Nick Ferrari, after breaking all tradition to advise people not to back Jeremy Corbyn amid concerns of anti-Semitism.

Rabbi Jonathon Romaine said: "We've always avoided being party political, unless you compromise your faith."

"But this is an unprecedented situation, never before have we had a mainstream party be widely seen as anti-Semitic. We used to with the National Front and BNP but not the central party.

Also, astonishingly Labour, which has had a long record of fighting prejudice that really does seem to have changed under Corbyn because never before would I have told my congregants how to vote, it would just have been unthinkable."

He said no Labour leader previous to Corbyn had ever been accused of being remotely anti-Semitic.

Nick Ferrari, who talked earlier with a Labour Party spokesperson, recounted that they are reportedly "doing everything they can" to crack down on any prejudiced behaviour.

"They would say that," said Dr Romaine, "the proof is other people in the party who contradict them. If you think of the Deputy Leader Tom Watson who says he's ashamed of what's going on."

He recounted Margaret Hodge in East London who said "Corbyn is anti-Semitic and racist."

He said the "biggest proof of all" is that Labour is being referred to the Equality and Human Rights Commission, which has "a very high bar for taking on cases."

The Rabbi continued that: "They simply would never have investigated Labour for racism or anti-Semitism if they didn't have enormous amount of evidence put before them." He acknowledged that they may not be found guilty, but there must be enough information to investigate.

Nick Ferrari asked what it would mean for Jewish people if Jeremy Corbyn was elected Prime Minister.

"It'll mean we're in a situation we've never been in before where a party that is ruling the country has had a three year history of being racist and it's not just about Jews, this is about anyone who is against discrimination or prejudice.

This is not about Labour per se, this is not about the Labour manifesto, this is about current leadership. Whilst he's running the party I think anybody with integrity will not want a discriminatory party at a leadership level."