Labour’s latest Jewish blunder
Party’s Passover message with forbidden bread
LABOUR’S relationship with its Jewish members suffered another blow yesterday when the party was forced to delete a Passover message because it featured the wrong bread.
Labour posted an image on social media featuring a leavened bloomer-style loaf – even though Passover is called ‘the feast of unleavened bread’.
Labour’s message read: ‘As Jewish people prepare for Passover, we’re wishing everyone in the Jewish community chag sameach [happy holiday] #Passover.’
The image in an official tweet by the party, alongside a Star of David and a goblet, led to widespread criticism and dismay.
Although the mistake was not in itself anti-Semitic, some observers said it was symptomatic of a party that does not understand Jewish people.
Yair Rosenberg, from Tablet magazine, wrote: ‘The British Labour party has been racked by anti-Semitism scandals for years, tweeted a Passover greeting – featuring bread. They had to correct it. You cannot make this up. To be clear, that is obviously not anti-Semitic. It’s just entirely predictable and utterly hilarious.’
Lahav Harkov, from the Jerusalem Post, added: ‘This is the Pesach [ Passover] graphic you get when all the Jews leave your party.’
Labour later posted an updated graphic, with the star of David but without the loaf of bread. Passover is a major Jewish holiday celebrating the liberation of the Jews from slavery in ancient Egypt. For the duration of Passover, flat, cracker-like bread called matzo is eaten because, according to tradition, the Jews had to leave Egypt so quickly that they could not wait for their bread to rise. Responding to the Labour message, one Twitter user wrote: ‘Astonishing (but sadly unsurprising) basic religious illiteracy from UKLabour.’
Another replied: ‘Is this a joke? You know we don’t eat bread during Pesach.’ Jeremy Corbyn’s party has been dogged by allegations of antiSemitism ever since he became leader more than three years ago.
He rejected calls to sack Richard Burgon, his justice
‘Predictable and hilarious’
spokesman, after footage emerged of him claiming ‘ Zionism is the enemy of peace’, a comment he had denied making.
Later yesterday a video of Mr Corbyn speaking to Momentum activist Tania Shew about Passover was posted on his Twitter.
He wrote: ‘I had the pleasure of sitting down with Tania, a young Jewish Labour member, to discuss the meaning of Passover. I wish Jewish communities in Britain and across the world Chag Sameach.’