Labour ditches Jewish Labour Movement for antisemitism training, backs new university course instead

There are unconfirmed claims that Labour now plans to ask JLM representatives if they wish to carry out training sessions using the newly developed course as their content.

Another JLM source suggested this would succeed only in making the organisation look like “useful idiots.”

JLM carried out training sessions over the past three years.

But some branches made false allegations of Israeli involvement and one Labour member in Birkenhead claimed that JLM was somehow affiliated to ISIS.

Birkbeck confirmed Labour’s “interest” in the project – which has been developed with Professor David Feldman, Director of the Pears Institute for the study of Antisemitism.

Professor Feldman was vice-chairman on Baroness Chakrabarti’s report into Labour antisemitism on, which was widely criticised as a “whitewash”, with critics saying it failed to define contemporary antisemitism or give any indication of how to spot it.

After Baroness Chakrabarti was offered a Labour peerage, Prof Feldman was forced to admit this damaged the credibility of the report she produced alongside him.

He been an outspoken critic of the IHRA definition of antisemitism.

Discussing about the 11 examples the definition gives of how criticising Israel can be antisemitic, Prof Feldman wrote: "Crucially, there is a danger that the overall effect will place the onus on Israel’s critics to demonstrate they are not antisemitic."

In another article he wrote: “The greatest flaw of the IHRA definition is its failure to make any ethical and political connections between the struggle against antisemitism and other sorts of prejudice.”

He added: “But racism can inform acts of resistance and solidarity as well as domination.

"If we fail to recognise this we will be poorly equipped to identify racism when it is directed against a group that is relatively affluent, coded as 'white', and most of whose members feel attached to the strongest power in the Middle East.”

In a statement to the JC, a Birkbeck spokesperson said: “Birkbeck is developing a portfolio of short non-degree courses to extend its educational reach. One of these will be on the sources, development and contemporary forms of antisemitism.

“This unit will be taught at Birkbeck by its own academic staff from the departments of history and psychosocial studies and the Pears Institute for the study of Antisemitism.

“It will be open to individuals and to institutions who wish to enrol people on the course. The Labour Party has expressed an interest.  Birkbeck has world class research and teaching expertise in the study of antisemitism, racialization and prejudice.”

On Monday evening, following the JC's earlier exclusive,the Jewish Labour Movement announced it had "suspended" involvement at CLPs where it was scheduled to give training.

The JC revealed today that Labour has ditched the JLM as a vehicle for antisemitism training, replacing it with a new course being designed by Birkbeck College.

The JLM said that it was suspending all further CLP training while "the Equalities and Human Rights Commission explore our referral of the Labour Party for institutional racism."

The JLM  statement added: "Over the last few weeks, JLM has been contacted by hundreds of people asking us to run our antisemitism awareness training at CLPs, branches, Labour groups.

"This reflects the fact that we have for a number of years provided this training to the Party for free, sending volunteers to speak at meetings across the country, paid from the subs we raise from our members, often to hostile audiences. This training was commissioned by the Labour Party in 2016, and had the support and involvement of Jewish communal organisations. 

"We have made this training available to the Labour Party NEC, NCC, and staff which has not been taken up. 

"Since the Party sought to redefine the IHRA definition of antisemitism last summer, and with no consultation having taken place on the Party’s still active antisemitism code of conduct, we have made it clear to the Party leadership that we cannot support attempts to commission new awareness training from their own preferred providers.

"In 2018, we were asked if JLM would provide antisemitism awareness training to those subject to disciplinary proceedings. We made clear at the time that we did not believe training was an appropriate sanction in the Party's disciplinary process. 

"In the past, the Party has said that they wish to deliver a “gold standard” antisemitism training programme. We cannot accept the suggestion that the Party knows better than its Jewish affiliate, or the Jewish community what constitutes antisemitism. Particularly when in recent days press reports have demonstrated the Party has failed time and again to identify clear cases of antisemitism, with senior members of the Leader of the Opposition's Office directly intervening in disciplinary cases.

"Whilst the Equalities and Human Rights Commission explore our referral of the Labour Party for institutional racism, we cannot in good faith continue to provide our training whilst the Party seek to undermine our role in this way.

"We will shortly be writing to all CLPs and organisations where training is currently scheduled to suspend our involvement. 

"The Party leadership have a choice. They can either address the concerns of its Jewish affiliate and those of the Jewish community. Alternatively, they can continue to act in a reckless and damaging way."