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Jeremy Corbyn criticised for 'cynical' Passover video after Labour tweet Pesach message featuring bread
The Labour leader - and party - were not the only ones whose Passover messages featured missteps
April 22, 2019 10:44
The Labour leader - and party - were not the only ones whose Passover messages featured missteps
April 22, 2019 10:44A Passover video message released by Jeremy Corbyn showing him speaking with a young Jewish member of his party has been labelled “cynical”, by members of the Jewish community,
The video, published on Mr Corbyn’s social media accounts on Friday before the beginning of the festival, showed him discussing the meaning of Passover, and talking about the attack on a Synagogue in Pittsburgh last year and antisemitism within the Labour party.
However, the responses from members of the Jewish community on social media were overwhelmingly negative.
Dr David Hirsh, author of “Contemporary Left Antisemitism” and former party member, labelled the video “a cynical and bare faced attempt to whitewash Labour and its antisemitism problem”.
Dr Dave Rich, deputy communications director of the CST and author of “The Left’s Jewish Problem: Jeremy Corbyn, Israel and Antisemitism”, called it “utterly cynical".
“How Corbyn can keep a straight face while condemning *other people* for making antisemitic comments in meetings and going off into conspiracy theories is beyond me,” Dr Rich tweeted.
I mean, does he think we have forgotten his "hand of Israel" and 'Zionists don't do irony' comments? And as for Corbsplaining the meaning of Pesach, it's just a shame they didn't get on to "Next Year In Jerusalem". I would have loved to have seen his explanation of that one.
— Dave Rich (@daverich1) April 19, 2019
Others pointed out that the woman in the video, Tania Shew, worked on both of Mr Corbyn’s leadership campaigns and previously appeared in a video for the leftwing Momentum group, where she declared herself a boycotter of Israeli goods.
Mr Corbyn’s video was released a few hours after a widely condemned misstep by Labour, which published a message wishing the Jewish community a Chag Sameach – with a graphic including a loaf of bread.
Bread is forbidden to Jews on Passover.
And you can't even say 'They meant well.' pic.twitter.com/LthHueOOo3
— Stephen Pollard (@stephenpollard) April 19, 2019
The graphic was later replaced with a version which removed the bread.
This was not the only Passover-message misstep.
Conservative candidate for the London Mayoralty, Shaun Bailey, published a graphic wishing Jews a happy Passover which had the Hebrew spelled back to front.
Lol are there really no Jewish Tories who could have told @ShaunBaileyUK that Hebrew goes from right to left? #Fail pic.twitter.com/q1PU9f2090
— Liron Velleman (@vellstells) April 18, 2019
And eagle-eyed watchers noted that the Passover graphic published by Theresa May, which featured a seder plate, did not contain the shank bone, one of the traditional items on the seder plate, but used beetroot instead, which has been used by vegetarians in place of the bone for the last few decades.
I want to wish Jewish families gathering around the seder table this evening a very happy and peaceful Pesach.
— Theresa May (@theresa_may) April 19, 2019
Today is a chance to celebrate the enormous and lasting contribution made by the Jewish community in the UK, in every walk of life.#Passover pic.twitter.com/ZTZuINlmcN
In America, Rashida Tlaib, a Palestinian-American Congresswoman known for her pro-BDS stance and calls to end US aid to Israel, was also criticised for a Passover graphic she released on social media which featured loaves of bread.
