Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has been showing his credentials as a friend to the Jewish community this week by publishing a recent visit to a synagogue to learn about Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.
In a video released by Labour, Starmer is seen wearing a kippah as he talks to two Jewish leaders, Rabbi Gabriel Botnick and Rabbi Rose Prevezer of Belsize Square Synagogue.
According to the Jewish News, the leader of the opposition said he feels “grateful to have strengthened my ties and deepened my relationship with Britain’s Jewish community.”
Labour has been working hard to rid itself of the antisemitic scandal that embroiled the party during the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn. It was noted that during this week’s annual Labour Party Conference there was not a single anti-Israel motion up for debate. A huge contrast to the anti-Israel resolutions passed during the previous conference.
Despite the attempts to rid itself of its antisemitic image, it must be stated that Labour still holds on to some anti-Israel views that are deeply troubling to us as an organisation. One such example is the Labour manifesto promise that they will “immediately recognise the state of Palestine” if they are elected into government.
We hope though that as the friendship with the Jewish community grows from Starmer that his stance on this will change also.
We call upon the UK Government to officially recognise Jerusalem is Israel's capital and move its embassy to Jerusalem.
Related Articles: