Response to anti-Semitism divides UK Jews, Labour chief
Source: Times of Israel
Critics say Jeremy Corbyn too flippant about rise in anti-Jewish expressions by party members, want concrete action
JTA — Even before he was kicked out of Britain’s Labour Party for saying that Israel runs the Islamic State terrorist group, Bob Campbell was a marginal figure within the party.
A former forest ranger and first-aid trainer from northern England, Campbell, 49, began his Labour career last year volunteering to help the campaign of Jeremy Corbyn — a veteran socialist backbencher who, since being elected Labour chair in September, has both impressed and alienated many Britons with his views on the redistribution of wealth inside Britain and beyond.
One of thousands of voters who became Labour members since September in what British media have termed “the Corbyn effect,” Campbell was elected on March 25 to his first position within Labour, as a regional party outreach officer.
But his short-lived career with Labour ended abruptly last month. Amid intense media scrutiny over anti-Semitic rhetoric by party members, the Labour leadership banned him for a Facebook post claiming that Israel got ISIS to kill 32 people in Brussels to punish Belgium for supporting the Palestinians.
Corbyn’s detractors say his past support for enemies of Israel is now emboldening Labour activists like Campbell and eroding the Jewish community’s trust in what historically has been a political home for many of its members. Defenders of Corbyn, however, argue that the ejection of Campbell illustrates the Labour leader’s determination to fight vitriol and anti-Semitism.
Read more: http://www.timesofisrael.com/response-to-anti-semitism-divides-uk-jews-labour-chief/