Senior Reform Rabbi Jonathan Romain urges congregants to shun Labour

Rabbi Dr Jonathan Romain, a prominent rabbi and former chair of the Movement for Reform Judaism, has taken the unprecedented step of writing to all of his congregants urging them to vote tactically against Labour.

Rabbi Romain, who is usually considered to be on the left-wing of the liberal Reform denomination, reportedly sent the letter despite concern by colleagues over suggesting to congregants how to vote, arguing that taking such direct action was part of Jewish values.

In his letter, Rabbi Romain cited the consensus that Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership presents an “existential threat” to the community; the full statutory investigation of the Labour Party launched by the Equality and Human Rights Commission on 28th May following a formal referral and detailed legal representations from Campaign Against Antisemitism, which is the complainant; and Dame Louise Ellman MP’s resignation from Labour over the Party’s antisemitism. “These are just a handful of examples from the last three years,” he wrote, “that make me feel that normal political allegiances are superseded by the unprecedented situation we face.”

He therefore urged that “we should each put aside all other considerations and vote for whichever party is most likely to defeat Labour in whatever constituency we are in – even if we would never normally vote for that party.”

In recent months, thirteen MPs and three peers have resigned from the Labour Party over antisemitism, along with a large number of MEPs, councillors and members.

Over 57,000 people have now signed our petition denouncing Jeremy Corbyn as an antisemite and declaring him “unfit to hold any public office.”