CORBYN, ANTISEMITISM, ‘SQUIRMING’, THE JC AND DEBASED USE OF LANGUAGE

Am I the only one puzzled at how the media (including the Jewish Chronicle, I am sad to say) is always so anxious to exonerate Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn of being personally antisemitic?

It’s rather like how many of the victims of Stalin’s brutal purges could simply not believe that Stalin himself might be responsible for their suffering, and felt that if only he knew what was being done in his name he’d soon put a stop to it.

Whether Corbyn has or hasn’t made antisemitic utterances or statements is neither here nor there.

Antisemitism in the Labour party is quite obviously flourishing under his leadership.

And even if he only passively allows it to persist, that must make him at the very least an accessory after the fact. Herschel Zimonas London N12

It was interesting to contrast two contributors to last week’s JC.

John Mann, a combative non-Jewish fighter against antisemitism, is unapologetic.

He holds his position with certainty and dumps the causes of antisemitism where they belong — at the feet of the antisemites.

However, on the same page, you presented a Jewish contributor, Tony Klug, who squirms at the thought of falsely accusing anyone of being an antisemite.

Klug, after a long diatribe about Israel, reallocates the blame and, on balance, sees it as a Jewish problem. He is mostly concerned as to how we Jews create antisemitism.

Antisemitism, which has gestated and evolved for over 1,800 years, has become part of the fabric of European thinking.

While it empowers antisemites, it diminishes us Jews. We have looked at ourselves through the prism of our detractors.

With political Zionism, we rescued ourselves and by reclaiming our space we become Jewish again without having to ask permission or apologise. Gad Levy London N3

I congratulate last week’s paper for publishing both sides of some very difficult arguments.

I was less impressed by the continued debasement of language that seems now to be part of the JC house-style.

The ugly and vicious phrase ‘‘Jew hatred’’ for example, was used instead of antisemitism in at least four articles.

You even reported an accusation that the chair of one of the world’s leading institutes for the study and combating of antisemitism is part of “a network of international academics” who downplay “Jew hatred”.

It appears that spending so much time investigating antisemites and conspiracy theorists may have led you to adopt their language and think it is perfectly acceptable (and in no way ironic) to try and discredit a fellow Jew by suggesting they are part of some shady, manipulative, international cabal. Alastair Falk Hendon NW4