‘Corbyn is the only topic over Friday night dinner’ in Hendon, one of the most marginal seats in London

 

Hendon is one of the most marginal seats in London. Conservative Matthew Offord won it from Labour in 2010 by just 106 votes. He clung on in 2017 with 1,072 more votes than his Labour challenger.

This time Mr Offord faces a similar challenge to win again in a constituency where more than 62 percent voted Remain.

The seat has one of the largest Jewish populations of any constituency and is home to some of the Jewish communities main charities, schools and institutions. The Labour candidate, David Pinto-Duschinsky, is Jewish. But how will his electorate judge his party’s antisemitism crisis?

One Mill Hill resident, who asked not to be named, said antisemitism was all anyone talked about at Friday night dinner or at shul and no one underestimated how important this election was for the local community. 

"This election will define how our children and grandchildren grow up in Britain,” he said.

He added that,  despite the importance of this election, it felt as if “the campaign isn't even happening here. Friends have tried to contact Mr Pinto-Duschinsky to discuss the issues, but he doesn't respond.”

And people are far from “in love with Matthew Offord, especially given his stance on Brexit - our community is very Remain-focussed.

“Labour haven't got a hope round here but the Lib Dems are totally anonymous and don't seem to be making any effort, yet.

"Jeremy Corbyn is the only topic in shul and at Shabbos meals. People are genuinely scared. And there's a Jewish candidate standing to put him into Number Ten - yet he won't speak to us.

“He's spending all his time canvassing in the less Jewish areas of the constituency - Burnt Oak and Colindale... It's obvious why, but it sticks in the craw."

But Mr Pinto-Duschinsky insisted that was not the case. “I am actually canvassing in Mill Hill today - twice,” he told the JC on Wednesday.

He added: “Labour needs to do better and should have done more, sooner, to tackle antisemitism. We need to do more to address the concerns of the community and I’ll continue to fight for that. I welcome the Equalities and Human Rights commission involvement so that no stone is left unturned.”

Mr Pinto-Duschinsky said he had plans to canvass in all the Jewish areas in the constituency.

The would-be MP is hoping to do better than 2017, when his party won 24,006 votes with Mike Katz, who now chairs the Jewish Labour Movement which has announced it will not campaign for nearly all the party’s candidates because of the antisemitism crisis.

Mr Pinto-Duschinsky said he was “happy to talk to any constituent on any subject.”

He said he has met with “rabbis from across the community, visited a number of community organisations and institutions including JCoSS and Jewish Care.”

At Mill Hill United Synagogue, which serves 1,800 Jewish families, Rabbi Yitzchak Schochet, said antisemitism was the “single biggest issue” for the majority of congregants.

Brexit might be “on the back of everyone’s mind,” he said, but Jew-hate was “front and centre.”

Rabbi Schochet added: “Our community is like any other part of the electorate. They care about a whole range of social issues and like anyone they will ask how a party is going to impact on their individual lives.”

He added it was a shame the community had largely been reduced to a having to worry about a single issue. SHAME?

“This is a young community. The social issues are real things that they care about but the antisemitism is a focus.  You can’t escape it. It is everywhere you turn.”

He said people would be torn about “what is best for them economically and what is best for them as Jews.”

Rabbi Schochet, who will not be hosting any hustings this year having previously hosted two, said he had “no doubt there would be people who think what Labour is offering young families might benefit them but people care about the danger the party is to the Jewish community.”

On the eve of the election, his shul is hosting a  debate titled: “If Labour wins tonight do we need to leave?”

Alarmist? Not according to Rabbi Schochet, who will be arguing “absolutely not. I don’t think the Jewish community should be running away. It only emboldens the enemy.”

But he added it was noteworthy that so many of his members were “entertaining the thought.”

Hendon resident Matti Fruhman, 38, is one of those who can’t look past antisemitism.

“I will be voting for Offord. I am an ABC [anyone but Corbyn] voter,” he said.

Mr Fruhman said he felt sad that he has been reduced to a single issue voter.

“Normally I would vote on other issues. Most people will look beyond the Jewish community, I just hope there are enough people out there who will consider us.”

Overseas voter Hannah Sharron will be paying attention to the election with trepidation because it “is a lot of pressure in such a marginal swing constituency.”

The 24-year-old, who is currently in Israel, feels “stuck between a rock and a hard place”.

“I came of voting age around the time we started to become aware of Labour antisemitism, so I’ve never had the chance to vote for them even though my values would naturally lead me in that direction otherwise.”

She added: “I don’t want to support the Tories - largely because of Brexit, but also because of the misogynistic behaviour Boris Johnson has displayed in the past, and it feels disingenuous to overlook Islamophobia when we’re asking others to stand up against Labour antisemitism.”

But Ms Sharron also doesn’t want to vote Lib Dems “because they haven't actually earned my vote.”

The Lib Dem candidate Clareine Enderby hopes to change her mind.

“I don’t think anyone should take the voters of Hendon for granted when so much is at stake,” she said.

“Most of the people I speak to are concerned about Brexit and how Boris has turned his party into the Brexit Party in all but name.

“Labour has not succeeded in opposing Brexit and voters are fed up with the failure to deal with the institutional antisemitism. There seem to be new revelations every day.”

Hendon resident Travis Abelman will be voting for the Conservatives because it answered his concerns on immigration and housing.

“The fact antisemitism exist is nothing new for the Jewish community. But Labour has not been strong enough on immigration. It is a serious issue nationally and we cannot have an approach that just welcomes everyone. Our services cannot cope with that, even if we would like to.

“The NHS is overstretched, classrooms are overcrowded, and we can’t help everyone all of the time.”

The 63-year-old said he would be voting for the Tories in the hope they secure Brexit and take the “strain” off national services.

Mr Offord told the JC he could not make time for an interview, as his Labour challenger had, but issued a statement that said he thought antisemitism was top priority for voters.

“In this election it is on everybody’s lips,” he said. “People are aware that a vote for anyone but the Conservative Party will hand power to Jeremy Corbyn by placing him in a position to form a rainbow alliance with the SNP and others.

“Some have said they will leave the country if this happens and the impact on the Hendon constituency would be devastating.”