Jewish fury at epSHTEIN pronunciation

JEREMY Corbyn was accused of mispronouncing Jeffrey Epstein’s name to make him ‘sound more Jewish’ during the leaders’ TV debate.

Comedian David Baddiel tweeted ‘every Jew noticed’ when the Labour leader pronounced the convicted sex offender’s name as ‘Epschtine’ rather than ‘Epsteen’.

Critics claimed Mr Corbyn – who is under fire over his handling of the anti-Semitism crisis gripping the party – gave the surname a Germanic twist.

He was also accused of lying in the debate by claiming he had ‘taken action’ against anti-Jewish racism and the party had ‘investigated every single case’.

During the debate on Tuesday, he and Boris Johnson were asked about the Prince Andrew crisis. Mr Corbyn responded: ‘The primary position ought to be the proper treatment of those who were the victims of the most appalling behaviour by apparently Epstein and many others.’

Baddiel, who is Jewish, tweeted: ‘Every Jew watching noticed that.’ He added: ‘As one who DM’d [direct messaged] last night said; it’s a thing that feels visceral to Jews but oblique to the outside world.’

He said he did not believe it was a ‘deliberate choice’ by Mr Corbyn, adding: ‘I think that moment was subconscious: which perhaps says more.’

The Germanic pronunciation traces its roots to the 19th century – when the Prussian and Austro-Hungarian empires forced Jews to take a German surname.

A spokesman for the Campaign Against Antisemitism said Mr Corbyn’s pronunciation of Epstein was ‘bizarre and inconsistent’ and added: ‘His abhorrent record on Jews certainly raises questions as to whether the Labour leader was attempting to underscore Mr Epstein’s Jewishness.’ One Twitter user, Lee Kearn, said the leader’s goal was ‘otherising a Jewish name as much as possible – making Jews seem different’.

During the debate, Mr Corbyn insisted the party was treating anti-Semitism ‘very, very seriously’. But Peter Mason, a Labour councillor in London, said his pledge that every case was being investigated was a lie, adding: ‘There are at least 130 outstanding antiSemitism cases, some dating back years.’

Karen Pollock, of the Holocaust Educational Trust, said that Mr Corbyn’s claims were ‘blatantly untrue’.