Rabbis quit union which ‘lost control’
FIVE PROGRESSIVE rabbis have resigned from the Unite union in protest at what they describe as general secretary Len McCluskey’s “disingenuous threat” to the Jewish community.
In a letter to chief of staff Andrew Murray, the rabbis — who include West London Synagogue’s David Mitchell and Leo Baeck College’s Deborah Kahn-Harris — say they cannot be part of “a trade union which has lost control of
Rabbi David Mitchell its leadership”.
The letter is also signed by rabbis Dr Margaret Jacobi, of Birmingham Progressive Synagogue, Richard Jacobi of East London and Essex Liberal Synagogue and Monique Mayer of the Bristol and West Progressive Congregation. It describes Mr McCluskey’s transition from “his position of denial to his acceptance of a genuine antisemitism problem” since he first described the issue as “mood music” created by people seeking to undermine Jeremy Corbyn in 2017.
“Len McCluskey’s most recent comments about the leadership of the Jewish community are not only unhelpful but are disingenuous, for in so doing he attempts to rewrite the story of the last six months and plays down the genuine concerns of the overwhelming majority of the Jewish community, as expressed by our leadership.
“Moreover, his line ‘before the political estrangement between them and the Labour Party becomes entrenched’, feels a little too much like a threat and does nothing to calm the anxieties we keep hearing from our congregants . . .
“In light of the above, we rabbis, many of whom signed the joint letter by the 68 rabbis on antisemitism, can no longer remain members of a trade union which has lost control of its leadership, for when a leader writes: ‘I am a leader’ and I answer to those I represent”, we realise he no longer means us.
“Therefore, with regret, we must join with our rabbinic colleagues who have already terminated their membership of Unite.”