Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, Lord Sacks, has used his considerable intellectual heft to weigh into the debate over allegations of anti-Semitism in the Labour Party by unequivocally going after Jeremy Corbyn. The problem with his intervention is that it is based on deliberately reimagining what Corbyn actually said in the now infamous video where he talks about a group of disruptive people whom he called “Zionists”.
It's the way I tell 'em
Zionism, as has been previously pointed out, is not equivalent to Judaism, and indeed to assert thus is to invoke an equally infamous anti-Semitic trope. But that did not stop Rabbi Sacks going there anyway: “When he implies that, however long they have lived here, Jews are not fully British, he is using the language of classic pre-War European anti-Semitism”. But Jezza did not say “Jews”. Oh dear!
Enoch Powell
Rabbi Sacks also told “The recently disclosed remarks by Jeremy Corbyn are the most offensive statement made by a senior British politician since Enoch Powell's 1968 'Rivers of Blood' speech … It was divisive, hateful and like Powell's speech it undermines the existence of an entire group of British citizens by depicting them as essentially alien”.
It was strong stuff. But Rabbi Sacks is standing in an extremely draughty glasshouse when it comes to talking about racism, as London Assembly Member Tom Copley pointed out: “I'm sorry, but someone who describes Israel's racist nation state law as ‘just correcting a lacuna’ is not someone who should be lecturing others about racism”.
Also pointing out that Rabbi Sacks had significant previous in this area, Ronan Burtenshaw told “Speaking of offensive, Rabbi Sacks led a march through Palestinian east Jerusalem which Haaretz described as ‘a gender-segregated, extreme-right, pro-occupation religious carnival of hatred’ in which participants chant ‘Death to the Arabs’ and ‘Al Aqsa will be burned down.’” And guess who has featured him as a guest speaker?
Yes, it’s the Islamophobic Gatestone Institute once more: Rabbi Sacks spoke to them last October. The thought occurs that perhaps some selective racism is being practised here, and that thought is transformed into a racing certainty by his own video endorsement of none other than Doug Murray The K, the Islamophobic bigot who asserted “conditions for Muslims in Europe must be made harder across the board”.
Look who's on the good Rabbi's reading list
Rabbi Sacks not only commends Murray’s book The Strange Death Of Europe to his YouTube followers, he actually muses “If Europe dies, and hands over to the barbarians”. That, in Murray’s book, means “Muslims”. And that is selective racism writ large. Plus there is one more problem for Rabbi Sacks in endorsing Douglas Murray.
The Strange Death Of Europe favourably cites none other than Enoch Powell and the speech to which Rabbi Sacks so clearly objects. Small wonder so many are becoming tired and cynical at assaults on the Labour leader which so easily unravel.
The campaign to remove Jezza from the Labour leadership isn’t going too well, is it?
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8 comments:
All Sacks has succeeded in doing is proving he's no intellectual. To the contrary, he's a religious and political bigot of the very worst kind. An appalling figure.
The fact that he's a rabbi makes not one iota of difference. He has the same kind of deeply reactionary one-dimensional mentality also present in the most loony factions of Christianity and Islam. A genuine democrat can get by without the lot of them.
In passing, it's worth noting that his crackpottery actually damages Judaism. Not that it seems to matter to him while he's frothing at the mouth.
Tim Sculthorpe "deputy political editor" of the MailOnline publishes a blatant lie as he claims Corbyn actually said 'Jews aren't fully British'. This is a War of Attrition and it's very difficult to know where it will end. So many are attacking Corbyn for his inability to fight this cancerous campaign. But how can he?. It's probably the worst I've ever seen in 70 years. As a Jew I see several things happening - my Jewish pals and family are really getting quite pissed off & bored by the whole affair. And they are Conservative voters but that's just them. No idea how the majority think. But if the Blairites & right wing of Labour who are handmaidens in this perverted campaign are successful, I reckon Labour will irrevocably split. One thing I note- the crazier morons who usually comment in these gutter rags seem quite bored by the whole affair as well.
Islam is wonderful, look at islamic states and see how full of diversity and equality they are. To think otherwise is racist islamophobia. Why are we not all muslims? it's the only thing to be, ask them. The other lot should keep schtum we don't want to see of hear them.
As you were!
Tom Copley has deleted the tweet.
There is no 'other lot' for most of us non organised religion types,just humans.
Whatever you think, to muslims you are part of the "other lot" which is better than saying infidels or using the k word . .. ...
Anonymous at 17:01.
ALL organised religions, no exceptions, think theirs is "the path to heaven" prescribed for them in a book. That they are specially chosen by something called "God". In that respect, Islam is no different to the various factions of Christianity and Judaism. In fact Islam identifies them too as "People of the Book".
Islamic extremists are no different to Christian and Jewish extremists. A brief glance at history will demonstrate why. You should try it.
All organised religion is supervised, superstitious bullshit based on lies and hypocrisy. The sooner it evolves out of human development the better for the future of the species.
@Anonymous
I can assure you no Muslim has ever made me feel unwelcome, or like an other. People like you, on the other hand, make sure to belittle and otherise me and others every time you're on the internet, like you've done to people here.
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