Leading rabbi: ‘Holocaust joke was tasteless but the right to make it is sacrosanct’
Rabbi Jonathan Romain defended Jimmy Carr's right to offend 'as the son of a Holocaust survivor', adding that 'freedom of speech is more important than the privilege not to be upset'
Lee Harpin is the Jewish News's political editor
A leading rabbi has defended the right of comedian Jimmy Carr to tell a “tasteless” joke about the Holocaust as “sacrosanct.”
In letter published by The Times Rabbi Jonathan Romain wrote: ”As the son of a Holocaust survivor I thought the joke was tasteless but the right to make it is sacrosanct.”
The Maidenhead Synagogue chief said they while he deplored “aspects of Jimmy Carr’s humour I would be even more upset if he and other comedians had their scripts vetted by a PC committee.”
He added: “Freedom of speech is more important than the privilege not to be upset”.
Theatres have been urged to boycott the comedians latest tour after he told a joke in which he said the “thousands of Gypsies” killed by the Nazis had been a “positive” of the Shoah.
Netflix has been urged to edit the part from the show the comedian made for them which featured the offensive joke.
Carr is due to appear on tour at the Grove Theatre in Dunstable on Tuesday night.
In a statement supported by Labour MP Rachel Hopkins and the Luton Council of Mosques the Luton Roma Trust Charity called for the theatre to ensure the “gross racial slur” was not repeated.
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