Jon Lansman admits it would be difficult speaking with Jeremy Corbyn
The Momentum founder says he would feel 'uncomfortable' attending pro-Palestine marches
Momentum founder Jon Lansman has confirmed he would find it “difficult” speaking with Jeremy Corbyn today, although the pair recently nodded to one another at the House of Commons.
The Jewish left-winger said that while he “wasn’t seeking to have a conversation” with Corbyn, he would “find it difficult to have a conversation with him, and I suspect he may well find it difficult to have a conversation with me”.
Speaking to the JC, Lansman, who grew up in an Orthodox family in Southgate, north London, also revealed he would feel “uncomfortable” attending pro-Palestine marches today.
He said his “Jewishness has become more important in my life, largely because of what happened in the Corbyn era.”
Lansman added:“I was in shul in Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, which I haven’t been for quite a long time. I’m not a religious person, but my Jewishness is important to me, and these are very troubled times.”
He revealed he attended services at Kehillah North London, a progressive community in Stoke Newington “where a prayer was recited, not only for Israel, but for Israel and Palestine. And so, it was perhaps a non-typical service, but I felt at home there.”
The 66 year-old, who stood down from Momentum over three years ago, had told the New Statesman magazine last November how he has little contact with Corbyn these days.
He added then that he believed Corbyn had a “real problem” engaging with communal bodies such as the Board of Deputies and Jewish Leadership council as a result of a decision to read out prepared statements written by Seumas Milne, Corbyn’s ex director of communications.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
