Jeremy Corbyn has said he “learned at a lot” at a Passover
Jewish holiday celebrating the Israelites’ liberation from slavery in Egypt event hosted by a leftwing Jewish group highly critical of mainstream Jewish bodies, after he was rebuked by MPs for attending.
Political party in the United Kingdom
The Labour leader took part in the seder, the traditional meal of the Jewish festival, organised by Jewdas, which last week accused the Jewish Board of Deputies, Jewish Leadership Council and Jewish Labour Movement of “playing a dangerous game with people’s lives” by organising protests against Corbyn’s handling of anti-semitism
Prejudice or hatred of, or discrimination against Jews in Labour.
The group – which runs alternative Jewish parties, events and a satirical website – said in a statement last week over the Enough Is Enough protests that much of the furore over antisemitism in Labour was “the work of cynical manipulations by people whose express loyalty is to the Conservative party and the right wing of the Labour party”.
Speaking during a visit to Swindon
Town in Wiltshire, England, Corbyn said the event was “a celebration of PassoverJewish holiday celebrating the Israelites’ liberation from slavery in Egypt, which I celebrate with young Jewish people from my own community and my own constituency”.
“It was very interesting talking to a lot of young people about their experiences of modern Britain and I learned a lot. Isn’t that a good thing?”