Jeremy Corbyn to meet Stamford Hill Charedi rabbi and controversial anti-Ofsted activist - The Jewish Chronicle

Jeremy Corbyn is to visit the Stamford Hill home of Rabbi Herschel Gluck on Sunday for a meeting organised by a controversial Charedi activist who has repeatedly attempted to ally himself with the Labour leader.

Communal sources have confirmed to the JC that Mr Corbyn and his wife Laura Alvarez have accepted an invitation to meet Rabbi Gluck, Charedi activist Shraga Stern and other figures in the strictly Orthodox community in a move designed to counter claims of an “existential crisis” between Labour and UK Jewry.

Charedi leaders will also use the visit to raise continued concerns about the government’s plans to make teaching about LGBT people a compulsory part of the new relationships and sex education (RSE) curriculum.

But Sunday’s Stamford Hill engagement will also raise growing concerns within the Jewish community about the increasingly close relationship between Mr Corbyn and Mr Stern – the activist who only last month sparked anger by branding local Rabbi Avraham Pinter a “kapo.”

One leading communal source who is aware of Sunday’s meeting told the JC: “These are classic divide and rule tactics by Jeremy Corbyn with the Jewish community.

“By courting a marginal figure such as Sharaga Stern, the Labour leader is showing the vast majority of British Jews, including Charedi Jews, complete disrespect.

“By visiting Stamford Hill Mr Corbyn will only place further strain on his relationship with the vast majority of the community and play into the current poisonous divisions in Stamford Hill that are paralysing the UOHC.”

The JC revealed last month how Mr Stern was behind a letter published in the Sunday Times that strongly defended Mr Corbyn's Labour against the charge of antisemitism - when over half the signatories had no idea about its final wording.

Stamford Hill activist Mr Stern has also aggressively opposed changes to government policy on the teaching of LGBT issues in schools in recent months – while also building up an alliance with the Labour leader over his support for anti-Zionism.

Mr Corbyn has also developed close ties with Rabbi Gluck, who is president of the Shomrim in Stamford Hill. When the Labour leader was hit by an egg after visiting the Finsbury Park Mosque last month, Rabbi Gluck rushed to the scene to comfort Mr Corbyn and implore him to start using security guards for protection.

Rabbi Gluck has also been amongst those in the Charedi community to suggest that concern over rising antisemitism in this country is less urgent than concern about changes to sex education for the Charedi community.

During Sunday’s visit, Mr Corbyn is expected to try to calm concern amongst some members of the Stamford Hill community over the conduct of Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott.

Last month, Rabbi Pinter said he was “shocked” by Ms Abbott’s failure to intervene over a motion in her Hackney North Constituency Labour Party (CLP) dismissing claims that Labour was “institutionally antisemitic”.

Jewish Labour members were left “in tears” as it passed. Ms Abbott sat silent throughout the debate.

Rabbi Pinter, a member of the strictly Orthodox community in Stamford Hill, said he "no longer feels welcome" at CLP meetings and that “the atmosphere is absolutely toxic these days."

Sources confirmed that Rabbi Pinter had been left feeling “upset” and “bullied” over his treatment following his decision to criticise Ms Abbott over her conduct at the local Labour meeting.

The long-time Labour member is said to have repeatedly attempted to contact Ms Abbott to ask her to explain her decision not to speak up for Jewish members at the February 28 meeting.

But the shadow home secretary failed to respond to Rabbi Pinter’s text messages – at which point he decided to speak out.

In bid to counter criticism of Ms Abbott, a letter written under the aegis of the Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations (UOHC) to Ms Abbott said it believed she "wholeheartedly opposes antisemitism", contrary to “certain media reports”.

But sources have confirmed to the JC that the letter was again drafted with the involvement of Mr Stern and his supporters.

Another leading Charedi source said there was “widespread concern” about the shadow home secretary’s failure to address Labour’s antisemitism problem.

“Diane Abbott signed an early day motion in 2010 on the antisemitism issue,” said the source. “She’s been largely invisible since then. Shraga Stern is trying to manipulate opinion in the community in favour of her when she’s done next to nothing to help us for years now.”

Last Thursday, a representative from Ms Abbott’s office arrived at the offices of the Beth Din in Stamford Hill accompanied by a member of the Charedi community.

The move was intended to show Ms Abbott’s concern at suggestions she had turned her back on the community.

There is expected to be a counter demonstration organised by some of the local community in protest at Mr Corbyn’s visit – but a leading communal source claimed on Wednesday they did not envisage the meeting being called off.