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Board of Deputies holds talks with Venezuelan Jews to discuss likely impact of Corbyn government
Exclusive: Among issues discussed were common concerns about the rise of antisemitic tropes under socialist regimes
September 4, 2019 16:57
Exclusive: Among issues discussed were common concerns about the rise of antisemitic tropes under socialist regimes
September 4, 2019 16:57With the country set for a general election in matter of weeks, the Board of Deputies has held talks with leaders of the Jewish community in Venezuela to discuss the likely impact of Jeremy Corbyn becoming Prime Minister.
On Monday, Downing Street made it known that current PM Boris Johnson was planning a snap election on October 14 if he lost a crucial Commons vote on Tuesday.
The Board and Jewish Leadership Council made representations to No 10 pointing out that this was the first day of Succot and so Orthodox Jews would be unable to vote.
After losing the vote on Tuesday, Mr Johnson lodged a motion under the Fixed-term Parliaments Act for an early election, with the date changed to October 15.
Succot ends at 6.55pm which would have left three hours for Orthodox Jews to vote and many of those attending services are likely to remain in shul for Maariv and Havdalah prayers after that.
And some Orthodox Jews do not write on Chol Hamoed which starts on Tuesday evening. Placing a cross in a box counts as writing.
On Monday and Tuesday the JLC began a push on social media for Jewish voters to consider applying for postal votes. There was immediate concern that Barnet Council would be unable to cope with the demand for postal votes.
Two London constituencies with large Jewish populations, Finchley and Golders Green and Hendon, fall within the borough. Both are Conservative seats with narrow majorities.
But Mr Johnson’s move failed to get the necessary support of two-thirds of all MPs in a vote on Wednesday evening.
The Labour leadership, which ruled out backing a poll while a no deal Brexit remains on the cards, are still working behind the scenes to find a way of securing a general election within weeks.
Many in the community fear that chaos around Brexit has made a Corbyn victory more likely. That prospect was behind what have been described as “informal talks” talks between the Board’s Director of Public Affairs, Phil Rosenberg, with Venezuela’s communal leaders.
The meeting took place at a recent World Jewish Congress conference. A Board source confirmed to the JC that discussions had proved to be “interesting.”
The Labour leader has long been an admirer of the socialist revolution undertaken by the former president of the South American nation Hugo Chavez – viewing the hard-left leader, who won his country's election in 1998 and ruled it until his death in 2013, as an inspiration for parties of the left in the west.
Mr Corbyn has also been widely criticised for his silence over Venezuela’s subsequent fall into debt and extreme poverty, along with its appalling human rights record, particularly under Mr Chavez’s successor as president Nicolás Maduro.
The JC understands that the Venezuelan representatives discussed with Mr Rosenberg common concerns about the rise of antisemitic tropes under socialist regimes – including the claims that Jews are wealthy and disloyal.
But the Venezuelans suggested that there is a key difference with the Corbynites in their attitudes to Jews. Patriotism is still viewed as a positive attribute under their country’s socialist ideology and most Jews are seen as being loyal citizens in this respect.
