Progressive Jews have a right to be heard

“How do I feel being accused of antisemitism as a Jew? I am horrified. It’s irrational. It’s like Alice in Wonderland.

Many of my fellow Jews who’ve been accused have been deeply hurt, and they’ve lost friends, family, and work over it.”

Esther

Their story in their own words

A PLAY DOCUMENTING THE EXPERIENCES OF JEWS TARGETED FOR THEIR BELIEFS

In 2015 a series of events began without parallel in British political history. 

Left-wing Jews, who had fought racism all their lives, were accused of antisemitism. Subjected to trial by media, many were expelled by the Labour Party, the aim to make them political outcasts. 

The Wrong Sort of Jew is based on over fifty hours of interviews with Jewish members of the Labour Party.

All have strong views on how allegations of antisemitism have been used opportunistically, and many have been the subject of false and bizarre accusations.

Most are in their sixties or older, with long and honourable histories in the socialist, anti-racist and anti-fascist movements. One of them, Mike Howard, died shortly after being interviewed for this play, with false allegations still hanging over him.

“Because Corbyn was being so vilified, both myself and my late husband thought we should join in order to try and defend him. As Jews, rebels against the Zionist movement, we felt we could contribute to this.“

Deborah

VOICES THAT NEED TO BE HEARD

Here we live. Here we struggle. Here we build hope for a better future. We do not live here as aliens. Here we are at home. It is on this principle that our survival depends. This is very much what my father believed, that our security, as people of Jewish heritage, is inextricably bound up with the liberation and freedom of the working class. We do not need an ethnic homeland.
RICA BIRD
RICA BIRD
Some of the perception that criticism of Israel is antisemitic, is perfectly sincere. Because for some people their sense of identity is so bound up with a certain view of Israel. The thought that there could be just reasons why people should say nasty things about Israel, well, it just can't be true. It would mean you'd have to rethink your whole identity.
STEPHEN MARKS
STEPHEN MARKS
Some of us Jews refused to have our voices on Palestine silenced, which is why so many of us have been suspended. We would not allow ourselves to be silenced. And we will continue to speak.
ANGIE MINDEL
ANGIE MINDEL
For four years I was in a liberal grouping in the South African Zionist movement. I went to Israel when I was 18, where I was taught to be a Zionist and recruit people, and I loved it. But at the same time, I was uncomfortable. The way people spoke about the Arabs was reminiscent of where I came from in South Africa.
RICHARD KUPER
RICHARD KUPER
I remember one period where I barely slept for three days straight. When they were forcing through the IHRA definition of antisemitism, basically weaponing it to defend Israel. Because I was just so… because, as a Jew, you feel a real sense of responsibility. Because you know, I know, that this is bollocks.
BEN SOUTHERN THOMAS
BEN SOUTHERN THOMAS
I joined the Labour party when I was 16. I was training to be a natural scientist at that time, and I couldn't believe in this force outside the world, changing things. You know, that by praying some sky god might change your lottery ticket or your football team's result just was bizarre. But what I brought with me was the whole ethos of the questioning of the outsider.
MIKE CUSHMAN
MIKE CUSHMAN
What makes me so angry is that racism towards black people, and Islamophobia and anti Gypsy, Roma and Traveller attitudes, are barely getting a look in. They're all doing zero tolerance of antisemitism and I'm thinking, “are you going to do zero tolerance of misogyny, because you'll need to kick out half the men?"
LEAH LEVANE
LEAH LEVANE
There have been varying Jewish identities throughout the ages. The idea that there’s one single continuum of identity is a nonsense. The Zionist assertion that Jews have suffered from an unchanging anti-Semitism for 2000 years is false. Jews weren’t just victims they were also perpetrators. Jews participated in and made their own history.
TONY GREENSTEIN
TONY GREENSTEIN
When Corbyn knocked Teresa May back, people on the right of the political spectrum would have been panicking. There was the possibility, conceivably the likelihood, for someone, as they perceive it, on the far left, pro-Palestine, anti the US, anti NATO, to be in power in Downing Street.
STEPHEN SOLLEY
STEPHEN SOLLEY
Three incidents of antisemitism in eighty-three years. Not rampant. And never once in the Labour Party, never once. Nothing. Except for the case of Sir Keir Starmer. I think he’s being antisemitic, but none of my lefty colleagues are. If they are, they are hiding it very well.
JONATHAN ROSENHEAD
JONATHAN ROSENHEAD
The most disturbing examples of antisemitism in recent years have been a direct result of the immense hostility directed towards left wing Jews, and particularly Jewish supporters of Jeremy Corbyn. All kinds of threats, and being labeled with derogatory terms like Kapo, which is the word used to describe Jewish Nazi collaborators. This has felt more troubling than anything else.
JUSTIN SCHLOSBERG
JUSTIN SCHLOSBERG
I'd been called a self-hating Jew back at university for supporting Palestine, and so we could see what was happening when Jeremy was elected. So we thought, people like us have got something to contribute to this debate, this battle really.
NAOMI WIMBORNE IDRISSI
NAOMI WIMBORNE IDRISSI
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“I wouldn’t have been able to imagine this happening. This will go down as a period when Jews were being silenced. The fact that certain Jews are the wrong sort of Jews and that they’re silenced.”

Esther